Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-02-23
THIRD PARTY MEN.
The Conference of Reformers
at ST. Louis.
LEADERS OF MANY BODIES PRESENT

Trying to Engineer Pool of Issues
Delegates TO the Number of 1000 on
Hand - Powderly Has Attack of
Disease While Speaking but PluclIily
Goes Ahead-First Days Proceedings.
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 23-Two o'clock was the
hour announced for the opening of the
Industrial convention, and when it arrived,
the ground floor of the exposition building
was well filled with delegates, while there
was respectable fringe of spectators in
the two balconies. The hall was tastefully
decorated. The entrance of President L.
i. Polk, of the Farmers Alliance and In
dustrial Union, was greeted with pro-
longed applause and the band struck up
"Three Cheers for the Red, White and
Blue" There were two noticeable features
of the session. One was the vigor, deter
mination and earnestness that charac-
terized the delegates. The other was the
enthusiasm that was evoked by every dec
laration to the effect that the industrial
and granger elements could no longer af-
ford to trust to the tender mercies of the
two old parties, but that hereafter the
watchword must be Burn the Bridges"
The Meeting Called to Order.
Ben Terrell of Texas, called the meeting
to order There were in the neighborhood
of 9, 500 men and women in the hall when
the chairman's gavel fell. Frances Will
lard and Helen Cougar had seats on the
floor, while Governor John =. St John and
Clara Hoffman, president of the Missouri
w. c. Il. L., were close ut hand. On the
platform and in the front seats were
goodly number of men who have made
their impression upon the industrial his
tory of the present decade. General
Weaver, of Iowa, and A J. Streeter, of
Illinois; l.. l.. Polk, North Carolina, presi-
dent of the Farmers and Laborers' Union
of America; Terence V. Powderly, Hamlin
Garland, the novelst-enthusiast of the
single tax doctrine: Representatives Her
man Taubeneck, of Illinois, and Robert
Schilling, of Wisconsin, the apostles ofthe
Peoples party; Ignatius Donnelly. the
Minneapolis sage and student: Secretary
Hayes, of the Knights of Labor; Congress-
man Davis, C. c. Post, of Georgia; Lee
Crandall, of Washington: Lander c. Hub
bard, of Chicago. Jerry Simpson slipped
in after the proceedings had commenced
and took a retired seat, which he refused
to relinquish in spite of vociferOus de-
mands that he should come to the front of
the platform. Congressman Livingston,
of Georgia, was equally modest.
The Chairman's Remarks.
In calling the conference to order Terrell
said that the masses were expecting a sec
ond declaration of Independence and they
would get one. The time had arrived
when they should Law aside their preiu-
dices and do their duty like men. At the
same time they should be conservative
and just in their demands. He asked the
delegates to limit their declaration to the
questions of land transportation, taxation
and money. AS to the first, those that
own the land now own the people, and the
time had come when the masses should
own the land themselves They must pre-
vent at all hazards the condition of land
lord and tenant from obtaining in this
country. As to the question of transpor-
tation it was full of abuses, and the only
satisfactory remedy was the purchase
of the highways by the government at a
fair valuation. The inequality of taxation
would be a disgrace to any government,
while a radical change in the financial poll
icy of the government had become ne
cessity.
Polk Makes Some Remarks.
Welcoming addresses were then made,
and Polk responded, advocating the sub
treasury scheme by the proposition: IF
money can be borrowed on wheat and cot
ton at 219 per cent. in New York, why in
the name of reason and justice can it not
be borrowed at the same rate on wheat
and corn in the west" The money was in
the pockets of the plutOcrats. The farmer
paid so per cent. of the taxes and owned
less than 20 per cent. of the land. To rem
edy this the northwest, south, and west
must join hands, take possession of. and
run the country. There was no hope in
the two old parties. 1--WE want relief; we
demand relief; we will have it. Loud
shouts of "Amen."l We will have it if we
have TO wipe the two old parties out of ex-
istence." Loud and repeated cheers.