The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-01-21
FEBRUARYCONFERENCE
THE MEETING IN ST. LOUIS
WILL BE A SUCCESS.
Intelligence and Wisdom Will Partici-
PATE In ard Abide by the Results Of the
Mccting-Causes that Have Made the
Conference II Necessity.
On to st. Louis.

On to st. Louis.
States, greeting:
Tf" undersigned have been appointed
a committee to issue an address setting
forth the objects and purposes of the
great conference of producers, which has
been called to convene in st. Louis Oh
Feb. %, 1892.
The call for said conference originated
with the National Farmers Alliance and
Industrial Union at Ocala, Fla, in De-
cember, 1880, as follows: This body
gives its sanction and call for a meeting
to be held about February 1892, to toe COM
posed of delegates from all organizations
of producers upon a fair base of repre-
sentation, for the purpose of Il general
and thorough conference upon the
d mands of each, and to the end
that all may agree upon joint set
of demands just prior to the next
national campaign, and agree upon
the proper methods for enforcing
such demands. If the people, by
delegates coming from them direct
agree that Il thir! party move is neces-
sary, it need not be feared. That the
next session of this Supreme Council
elect delegates from this order to repre-
sent it i'll said national conference of
political organizations for productive
purposes" Committees from the Ma
tional Farmers Alliance and Industrial
Union, the Knights of Labor, the Ma
tional Citizens Alliance, and the Col
orexl National Farmers Alliance and
Cooperative Union met in Washington,
ID. c., Jan. "a, 1891, and chose a national
executive committee, and fixed the time
for the coming conference at Feb. %,
1892. and instructed their executive com
mittee to decide on the place of meeting
and the basis of representation. The
call for the great labor conference has
since been ratified and accepted by prac-
tically all farmers and latorers' organ
iZationS. The National Executive Com
mittee met at Indianapolis, Ind, on the
10th day of November, and fixed the
basis Of representation and appointed
committee to choose the place of meet
ing.
This shows the call to be regular, and
to.tbe supported by millions of people
scattered throughout every section of
this broad land. A movement of such
great extent and populari,y involves
great forces and must WELD great power;
its causes, objects, purposes and meth
DDS, therefore, are important subjects of
consideration.
The causes are many and depend Oh
combinations of circumstances that have
been transpiring for years; many of
them are to-day unnoticed, and to at
tempt even a list of the causes would be
almost an endless task, but prominent
among the causes for this great move
ment, causes which should fill with
alarm and concern every loyal citizen of
this Government, are: The rapid ac
cumuation OF the wealth of the nation
| in the hands of few, and the general
impoverishment and discomfort of the
masses; a financial system that furnish
es volume of money which at one sea-
son of the year is so redundant that
money is worth in the metropolis only
| per cent. on call, while at another
season it is SO inadequate that money
ranges as high as 1873 per cent. on call,
| thereby entailing great hardship and
distress upon all classes as a result of
| instability of prices. The general and
widespread belief on the part of the
masses that the Government is admin
| istered in the interest of a favored class
| twhcther this be true or not. the
fact that such belief exists is
a matter of public concern, in
spite of the wise and just provisions
| of the constitution. Boss-rule methods
| and the distribution of millions of cor
ruption money by political organiza
| tions; the depressed condition of all
productive pursuits; the menace to free
| government involved in the shameful
| abuses of aggregated wealth, using COM
| bina:ions of transportation companies
to control Legislative and judicial pro-
edinSs; the foreign invasion which is
| received and allowed to exact tribute
on account of tn" unavailability of
| American wealth in business: the plain
| ly visible wide separation between the
| government and the people, who seem
to feel that they are pushed aside for
! the politician and lose Il proper interest
| in government affairs; that monster the
mortgage, which is rapidly devouring
| the liberties and the independence of
the grandcst and best people the sun
| ever shone upon, and whose conscience
| less eXactions must soon bring on a
| climax of violence, unless wise councils
shall pr, vail and the cause of justice
assert itself. These, among the many
| causes, are sufficient to enlist the sup
| port OF all patriotic citizens in any
| laudable effort to wrest American insti-
tutions from such abuses and restore
them to the foundations laid by the
signers of the Declaration of Jndepen-
| dence
The object of the coming meeting is,
under the blessing OF God, to confer and
agree upon the wiscst, fairest and most
just means of relief in the interest of the
whole people. and to- announce a declara-
ton of principles upon which all are
agreed to stand and demand laws to
carry out. For this purpose every organic
| alton of prOdIlcprS i'm this broad land is in =
vited to send delegates and participate in
the deliberations. For the love of our
country, for the sake of your family, in
view of your duty to Posterity, and pur-
suant of your responsibility to God,
come! and let this he the second declara-
ton of independence for the American
people in which, instead Of throwing off
the yoke of Il tyrant king, they liberate
posterity from threatened industrial
tyranny and slavery.
The purpose of the meeting will be de-
velOped when the delegates of the peo-
pie assemble. 1t is idle to suppose that
they will adopt a set of demands without
making adequate provision to enforce
them. 1t is not for this committee to say
what the purposes will be, but it is the
duty of this committee to urge the in
telligencc. wisdom and virtue of the land
to participate in the deliberations and
abide the results of the meeting.
G. W. MACuNE,
HERMAN NBAUMGARTEN,
THOMAS W.GILRUTH,
JOHN p. STEELE,
Committee.
| BE Not Deceived.
The Democratic and Repnblican mr.