Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1892-06-01
MEDICINE LODGE KANSAS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 1892

while it is not impossible to find the
real meaning Of this mass of dictionary
served up by the Birmingham csnfer-
ence. 1t certainly does not float upon
the surface. The man who has the
patience to subject it to close scrutiny
will yet be rewarded with glimmer Of
the true meaning, but he will be pu1-
zled by finding that different PROPOSE
tions do not compare with each other
The address cites the fact that every
one who takes the oath or obligation Of
membership Is informed that it shall in
no way interfere with his political or
religious liberty. If this means any
thing it means that a member Of the
order is free to hold and to advocate
any opinion with respect TO political
questions without respect to the action
OF any caucus, convention, political
party or any other organization; that
he Is under no sort Of compulsion or
obligation to support any doc
trine or any platform because
the alliance has indorsed It
In no other way can the promise
OF non-interference with political
liberty be kept But the same address
emphatically negatives the construction
of the clause cited in the same breath
in which it was uttered. It declares
that the member who has been informed
that there is to be no interference with
his political opinions or political actions
must also be informed that fealty to the
principles of the order is to be the only
test of membership, that devotion to
political demands must be stronger
than party obligations and that all
who affiliate must accept as supreme
the principles of the order It is OBJ
vious that this declaration is utterly ir-
reconcilable with the former. In
spite of all the swash Of words
which surround It It is practically
party. The principles of the alliance
are to be supreme; every man who
values his partisan affiliations more
than his alliance obligations who
would, for instance, follow the demo-
cratic party in preference to the alliance
when they disagree, is to be informed
that the order demands strict and full
devotion to its principles It is de-
clared to be the duty of every member
to use all honorable means to secure
the election of men to our national leg
islative council who stand pledged to
work for the passage of such laws and
that the only means by which our in
fluence can be made effectual Is by vot-
ing for our demands At the ballot box. ,
'1t is manifest that the only way to
support these demands at the ballot
box is by supporting the party whose
L. -. 81 IA 4
manifest that the only party which does
or will support these demands is the
third or peoples party 1t 10 mani
fest that alliance democrats will have
to choose between the democratic par
ty, which opposes these demands, and
the third party, which supports them;
and this manifesto expressly declares
that the principles of the order are .su-
preme' and that party obligations
must give way to devotion to alliance
principles.
"While the conference did not have
the honesty, courage and candor to
make an unequivocaf statement of its
purpose it can be ascertained without
difficulty by subjecting the language of
its declarations to little analysis and
ny AOooOhAhS AAOAA PICuIScS 70 the
conclusion. To put the whole areu-
ment contained in the mass of verbiage
into the form of syllogism il NAV be
stated thus: Wherein party affiliations
are inconsistent with devotion to the
principles of the alliance, the former
must give way to the latter.
"Affiliation with the democratic party.
which opposes the alliance demands. is
inconsistent with devotion to alliance
principles. Therefore alliancemen must
cease to affiliate with the democratic
party.
''Such is the ultimatum issued by this
high council of the alliance. u e Il, sub
stance an official severance Of al ties ,ohicA
bind GIsdncsnsen to the dcmocrotio partv.
The only question which naturally pre-
sents itself Is, what right had this CON.
ference to read all members of the order
out of the democratic party? These
gentlemen have a perfect right to get out
of the party themselves; and now hav-
ing done SO we hope they will no longer
claim the right to participate in demo
cratic primaries and dictate the action
of democratic conventions