The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1893-06-01
,;ANnTA, 1885.

tent IL t.cvotc ourselves to the q.
of wealth or the enjoy !
neut Of the present, leaving The |
vital irtcr>c: rf government To- those
who make bushes. Of politics |
The resust has always been dis ;
a,terous to those who neglect tia,
duties ri citizenship,
There will always hc Il few brave
nie!, 10 sound The tuci>lD Of alarm.
hut the misses, rs II rule. will bear
the burden until it becomes tu, heavy
:" be borne longer Twenty years
ago the Did guari USUALLY Called
"Grec:ibarkcrs' sounded Tue trcsin
of alarm, but there was i new and eN-
tenSive West to which tho over bur.
drncd could fly to start life ANEW.
And instead of fighting it out on
economic lines they tried to fight il
out witt, muscle. VAN hops. rhc
nemesis Of contraction ui tie M
dunn of exri"n2e was intensified by
the increase of products to Ee eN.
changed.
In the old Grean:,ack campaiya the
people had not yet suffered sufficient
Is to he ripe for q revolution, then
the ambition fer office (wrll i..sant.
pert.a:s) caused too much lp.ion tor
the sake Of office ant the result WAS
collapse. The movement >luml,erea
for Il time until the farmers began
organizing spontaneously as it were
At first most Of Us believed til,
remedy to ue i'll cooperative buy inr
and selling. The unsettled con
d,tion of the farmers, more especially
in the newer sections. made silut'r>S
difficult. but in all SECTIONS the lack
of capitol to back then up WAS a
very great obstacle. Again the eff
fort to spread out CAUSED Il departure
from the only successful PLAZA called
the Rocildaic system We have htvn
too ambitious in the pat. We must
in the future I've content to buiiu up
gradually. The result Of our efforts
have borne abundent fruit in direct
ing our attention to the study OF
! political economy in ali Its phases.
True this has caused some unplcasant-
ness, for when rnen begin to think for
themselves it is only question Of
time when they will act for them
selves. The men who in the past
have done the thinking for them
and voted to suit the bosses, DO not
like to loose their prestige and power
hence they resented this independent
thought and action and tried to de-
stroy the Alliance. the fountain from
which it sprang.
Many friendships have thus been
severed. but we are consoled with the
thought that friendships of this kind
are not worthy of preservation.
In 1890 the Alliance reached its
zenelh in numbers. Many supposed
that all that was necessary was &c
elect enough Ailiancem.n to office t.
secure the enactment Of our demands
INTO law
We forgot. or did not realize. thai
lin their judgmen') the political part,
with which they affiliated and from
wlrm they had received their election
had prior and stronger claims upon
them. The result was that with rar,
exceptions when We elected :, man t
political Office on a platform not II
harmony with our Alliance demands
we lost him to the Alliance. an;
many were discouraged. Had TIT
piicnomena' growth up t. 1890 hec,
Based Oh principle, us well dcfined q
ours are now. there would have bee.
30 setback. The ebb IN the til,
began from the date of we'll define,
practical action. We deman! re
suits and the difference of opinion a
tex sls3sts caused serious colnpli
CATIONS, divisions end losses; back .
| It al was a host OF earnest, con
scient Gus men and wo ncn anxious
for results. waiting patiently for fa
trial of each method, loyal to our RIP
res entatives and with wonderful char
+ ty for their shortcomings. In TIL
, patient, waiting attitude the iresiden
, tiai election Of 1892 found Us weak
ened because divided, or uncertain Il
; to methods.
The most encouraging feature t.
me in the whole movement thus fl:
+ is tbi, We energe; from that crtc;,
trial With Our organization intact
True we are fewer in Plumbers :,t
far stronger in hat we are Thorough
Z united The order has been tried, u
L it were, by fire, the weak have fallen
;, by the way side, tie >eliisliy ambition
/ have been weighed i'll the l':,I!anc
: and found wanting been al
. m". kel and discarded. The s,a;wort
still hold the fort. We know no,
. just what we are at. We !i:ve cl
, minated the cobwcbs of doubt, "
e are unit on our demands an
/, methods of accomplishment AID wha
}. is far better than all else. ans! tn;
II which will forever he the crowhin
!. glory o. our Alliance. when It's cpurs
II has been run. and its history writttl
z We have done what no other pol
teal party couid do, what tn
: churches failed to ,lo, what no ot,e
:. organization attempted to do, we iai
l. the foundation for the rennion Of til
nation, a faterGal basis So stron
that all the efforts of our enemies
k the Order anil out to rekindl
4, sectional hatred has been unavalin.
ii and will he so long as the spirit {
If North Cardinals grandest son, l..
d Polk. is cherished by the Orie
b, May its power never grow less
If On the whole there is much
r encourage It's to go forward with Il
good work. Onr talents are varie
and each one must use the meal
d, which he in bis judgement thinks Il
e, most effective to win converts.
J" In my judgement IN no way &:
81 fh:o hx, dane. upi,.El IL CT, off