The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1892-03-31
Time for Action.

Time for Action.
AMI wisdom is justified by her WORKS.
The st. Louis conference is now in his
tory, says the Nom Conformist What
follow, is the important part. All con-
Gitions leading up TO the conference: all
discussions pending while there will be
justified or condemned by the results
upon the politics of this country Much
ado has been made by some about the
stormy scenes upon the floor. These
have been exaggerated but if they had
not been, no one need be disconsolatc
thereby. Great storms do not culminate
upon IL mill pond.
There We're tremendous contests bc-
cause there we've tremendous conse-
queucc., at stake There were but two
dcbatablc issues. The first one was the
lin of party action. In advance this
was the serious point with many anxious
hearts. How much influence would
c,liss aries Of the old parties have?
How muc! over would thaparty affilia-
tions OF the past have over the delegates
who would come tpgcther? And here
we want to say that the corrupting Il
iluenres of bribery and trcachery have
been very much maGnftied i'll the fears
OF some. That. there We're those prcse mt
who We're the tools of corrupt parties
may no: toe disr.oved. but traitors found
30 footin: i'll that conference. They
were not Il disturbing element, for if
there they stood long way off.
But there Were 1hoE-, who had rot
fully abandoned trust in former party
relief These We're not Republicans.
There was not one who form ,rly acted
with this party who cherished the faint
They knew the men with whom they had
trained, and understood the machinery
SO we'll that when they entered ,hes,' or
caniZations with th" iope Of political
redemption. the doors wnre closed upon
cooperation with the Republican party.
But with the Democrats this serara-
ton was not SO defined and clear cut
In the North there has been a lingering
hope that the desired end would be at
tanned through Democratic organization.
1t was even doubted by some whether
there could be any interest OF home or
family that was quite So sacred as the
Democratic party. and there was reason
bic concern as to how far the dire ne
cessitics of life had driven the delegates
whose former affiliations had been with
that party. TAcn there WAS the solid
South. It had stood like a stone wall.
1t had been driven by sectional hate: it
had been compressed by local condi
tions: it had been struggling along in (,
wilderness of doubt and misTepreSenta
ton.
The promises of its few lea lers who
had come to rs We're olit: they la said
that the men of the Southland were in
dead earnest because in desperate
straits: they had said that when the
-
fled that the Democratic PARTY would
not grant them this rel of then they
would cut loose and b. with us. But
could these promises be redeemed.
We're they satisfied that the fulness os
the time had come.
The whole issue hing d upon the
Georgia contest The ground was
fully debated and thoroughly traversed,
and when the Peoples party men We're
given representation in that delegation
the qucsti II OF mciiatn iudcp, n'!cn:
political action was decided aflirma-
lively. from that Iour no golden salycr
larS. enough could have been offered OF
/ which to carr the demands of the con-
frrenccs to eth old party conyen-
tions.
The second point Of difference came
upon broadening the demands. This
was the r0ci upon which all shrc wd
politicians predicted that the conference
would go to pieces. Every progrc ssivc
/ movem mt attracts both men and meas
urcs. These various labor organiz ia
tons had build ID themselves on labor
grievances and these had been so
thort ,hly defined during the Eonparti-
esan stag" that almt st perfect agreement
had been attained upon proposed III as
urc- of relief. 1t simply remained to
decide to row apply The ballot as the
means of this relief.
But now came question that had
/ never been fully considered because it
/ had Eevcr been raised as q practica!
/ issue. It was the relation of women to
| the declaration and purposes Of thes
| orders. Woman had taken an equal
! place with man III them. and at every
| place of duty or danger she had proved
fully quail to every responsibility. She
had borne her share on the farm ard in
| the humble home. She had planned
we'll, she had couns led wisely, she had
| fought bravely. There was no need to
! discuss the justice OF equal suffrage in
that conference. There was no sex dis
elimination or inferiority there. Then
! why Were not the demands of the women
Incorporated in The platform?
Solely III Difference 10 tie present diff
| iicuities envroning cur brethren from
'ha South. They declared that they
were utterly unable IL carry this addi-
| tonal burden in the face of the lres-
| cnt conditions in the South. The cvi-
| Ccnce submitted decided Tic ease ad
| vcrsely to incorporating TIL" demand il
the Platform.
| Here, then, are outlined the conditions
| which will condemn or justify the Wis
dom Of this conference. The organjza.
tions will still! b. non-partisan. Ad.
! hernrts of all parties will still Eavt
standing within their doors, but the d..
cree is as unalterabie as the laws of thu
! Mcdes and Persians that iudepen;len,
political act on is the only recourse fol
those who depend upon the demands o
/ the cen e:cnco for relief III men O
the Northwest are already in the field
The men Of the South are Iut.irg o.
the armor. The enemy IS more thor
oughly alarmed than ever before" lii,
Ines Of cleavage run sharply on tn,
money question through both the Demo
cratic and Republican camps. Thc time
FOR hesitation is past. The day for or
ganiZation and action is here Does i
mean immediate and entire rcformat oI
of PARTY lines?
The Alliance Wedge.
H:mlin Garland, in th Marth Aren,
the only great monthly in this couutr,
ii; h ing the battles of labor, has yer,
instructive article on the Alliance wedg,
in Congress. 1t is impossible for us i:
detail to follow this devoted loiy o
men. Their position is of nece ssity ;
forlorn hope. They can only hold tn,
ground until sufficient re-enforcemen
comes from the people. But while the,
cannot expect to secure any favorabl.
legislation from this Congress, they ar,
making it very warm for the managers 0