The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-05-31

Now what about your apparent ignor-
ance Of the first principles Of the Alli-
ance? IF fyou win turn to page Of the
ritual you will find that when q candi-
date is presented for membership the
president repeats these words to him :
s!Before you proceed it will be necessary
that you take on yourselfa q solemn obli-
cation, which, Iassure you, will not con-
f1ict with the freedom of your political or
religious views. With this assurance
are you willing to proceed ?" In the face
of these words, with which every MEM
her is familiar, you presume upon the
ignorance or political prejudice which
You evidently suppose to exist in the
Alliance in undertaking to arraign me
for exercising my freedom, as q citizen,
in politics. Suppose Dir. Cleveland has
not endorsed the Ocala platform, Did
Presidency do 30, except Weaver?
Three of our delegates to Chicago voted
for Hill. Has he ever given the remotest
intimation that he favored the Ocala
platform? IF not, why not arraign Gov
ernor Tillman, Senator Irby and B. F.
Perry for voting for q man so sat variance
with Alliance demands 7' Thirteen of
our delegates to Chicago voted for Boise.
Have you ever heard that he favored q
single plank In the Ocala platform If
not, why have you not cited these thir-
teen men to trial tor not supporting the
candidate who was in accord with the
Ocala demands, namely, WeaYer7. 1t
you think the words Of the ritual which
T have quoted are.of no force or effect,
and that the Alliance binds meo's con-
sciences, why don't you come out square,
" and say 90 and admit that you think
the Alliance ought no longer stand as Che
only pure and unadulterated farmers
organization for their distinctive protec-
ton and benefit-become political party
Ia free omnibus for the transportation Of
demagogues and political dead beats into
Office?
In your effort to play upon the suppos-
ed prejudices and oredulity of the people
You lay great stress on certain iEstruc-
tions Of the May Convention and would
make believe that everybody knew just
how every delegate would act and vote
when they got to Chicago. It was found,
however, that the delegation worked and
voted for three different candidates and
vet +, who was not q delegate and could
not vote, and was not instructed in any
way, you would hold up to gaze, and
have the people believe was the only man
who violated trusts and deceived the
people.
posed that the Alliance or the people will
fail to see the organized political perse-
cution that Is now being directed against
me?
I have, from the beginning, believed
that Mr.. Cleveland stood nearer to our
views than any other Democratic candi-
81 Toy. %hn nd
gave the reasons for that belief to the
public as early as 1891, copy of which I
e..close and trust that you, having 80
severely criticised me, will republish as
matter of justice. have no apology to
make to you or to anybody else for my
course in politics or in the Alliance, but
when the Farmers Alliance Is lugged in
and its principles invaded and perverted
for political purposes feel that 1 would
be recreant to the trusts reposed in me as
it's head if I failed to defend those princi-
pies. I have tried wherever have gone
in the State to impress Alliance men
with the fundamental doctrine of the
Alliance, that it is non-partisan In politics
and that its membership is entirely free,
so far as the Alliance is concerned, in
political or religious views. I have great
respect for my brethren who have honest
convictions and the courage OF those con-
victions in politics, whether they agree
with my views or not, but cannot say as
much for those who denounce Alliance
men as holding with those Wall street
gold kings'' when they themselves boast
Of voting the same party. ticket. If
you ask who is meant, I reply, "thou art
the man." You denounce Alliance men
who believe in the Peoples party, which
opposes 'sthose Wall street gold kings"
and then with another flop of your politi-
cal wings you warn with long crow the
Alliance men against me for supporting
the nominee OF the Democratic party,
whom you boast of having supported as
a party man. You even sought for and
delighted in the privilege Of bearing upon
your own person the electoral vote OF
South Carolina to Washington to be
counted for q man "whose SUCCESS" you
say "means utter reputation of our
demands"
Is this not fair specimen Of what you
call 'sidiotic inconsistency" Methuselah
was the oldest man and Moses was the
meekest man, therefore David slew
Goliath, is about the style of logic that
you employ when dealing with the sub
iect of the Alliance and its relation to
politics.