The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-05-26
FARMERS ALLIANCE
SCHOOL or POLITICAL ECON
OMY GRADUATING MILLIONS.


Localities No Indication Of Waning
Iaterest-Its Leaven Of influence stin
Working.
The Farmers Alliance, as an organi-
zation, is not so numerically strong,
nor is there the interest manifested
there was few years ago in many
localities throughout the country. That
this 10 true there is not doubt, but
that it is an indication Of apathy
among those people who belong to
that organization, or the cooling Of
the ardor Of the membership for tho
principles that brought the Alliance
into existence, the man who 50 reck-
ons makes great mistake.
In addition to the social features of
the Farmers Alliance it has been q
great educational organizations
school in which its members have been
apt students and learned more prac-
tical economic principles in a few
months or years than could have been
learned in our educational institutions
in lifetime.
The Alliance is school of political
economy and in the past four or five
years has turned out more graduates
as practical economists than all the
schools of the world in a century.
The graduates of this school have
made practical application of all the
theories advanced by our modern
political doctrinairies, weighed them
carefully but in every instance found
them wanting.
They finally opened school of their
own, and as a result millions have
been educated in the principles Of true
economy. Ignorance and prejudice
have given way to reason and common
sense. moss-grown theories and falla-
cies have been swept aside, the soph-
istries and hypocrisies of the poll
ticians laid bare, and the people
awakened to the fact that POI
1itical economy is not an alb.
struse question for philosophers
and scientists alone to deal
with, but the people-the great com.
mon people, if they would rule must
be familiar with.
The people who have been attending
this Alliance school have found that
the Government is not down at WASH
ington, but among the people; that
each man, woman and child is part,
each voter unit and responsible for
proper exercise of the ballot They
have discovered that the key to self
government is in the ballot; that the
prosperity of the nation, the welfare
OF society and the happiness of the
people depends upon an intelligent use
Of the ballot.
Having learned that the remedy for
all Of our economic ills lies in the
proper use Of the ballot, and having
determined to apply this remedy, it is
not surprising that many of the farm
ers do not find it necessary to attend
the Alliance school any longer, except
In localities where it may be necessary
to keep the school going to educate
those who may be still cropping in
darkness
The enemies of the Farmers Alliance
can make no greater mistake than to
take the apparent apathy in the
Alliance work in many localities as an
indication of q waning interest in the
mission of this organization or its prin.
ciples. In thousands of communities
In the States where the Alliance has
been strong, the ub-Alliances have
taken in as mem ers all the farmers
residing within the jurisdiction Of
their respective Alliances, and there
fore the educational work of the or.
ganization in those neighborhoods is
complete. Having graduated their
members it is not surprising that, hav-
ing little or no material to work upon.
they should not feel the interest
they once did when there were souls
to convert.
While the members of the Alli-
ance may not feel the il Eer-
est in the Alliance work
once manifest their zeal for the cause
Of reform, for the principles of that
organization, is stronger than ever,
and they are more determined than
ever to carry those principles into
effect.
How many men do you find within
your circle Of acquaintance, who.
having been thoroughly educated in
the Alliance, have gone back on its
principles? Do you find men who have
been members of the Alliance for six
months, one or more years, wavering
or hating in their opinions?
If we have men in this country who
are settled in their convictions as to
the great wrongs that have been and
are still being heaped upon the pro-
ducing classes of the country. and who
have a settled purpose to overturn
and wipe out these wrongs, they are
to be found among the farmers-mem-
bers Of the Farmers Alliance.
The great good that has been ac-
complished by this organization will
probably never be fully estimated, but
shOuld the lliance as an orra n;1o t;o,,