The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1893-12-21

hand OF toll 10y a comparatively few
men) staggers the imagination.
Reader! Reader! Stop and think!
Since sun-up IN the morning twenv-
five years ago there have been 7SS,-
400, 900 seconds of time, and yet these
commercial bandits have stolen mole
than % dollars per second from that
time to the present The colossal
fortunes, piled mountain high with
such astonishing rap,dity, are repre-
sented by individual, corporate, mum
cipal, state and national debts. upon
which the people must pay tribute
in the shape Of interest for the lack
Of money with which to free them
selves from debt Uf all the forms
of slavery that ever cursed the earth
and afflicted the human race, debt
slavery is tie most cruel and unre-
lentiny. No man is free, who is in
debt, and under our present iniqui-
tous financial system, debt is incven-
table.
1t needs no argument to persuade
the thinking man that our present
system is wrong. The lesson Of the
past few months ought to be sufficient
10 arouse every patriot and lover OF
justice. We have only to listen to
the crash of business firms. failing
at an average incresse of 300 per cent
over last years sfailures-crashes that
have swept away in an hour the re-
suit Of life's toll, only TO listen to
the harsh sound OF the sheriti"s ham
mer as he knocks off, to the highest
bidder the homes Of our people, I'M
der mortgage foreclosures. to be con-
vinced there is something terribly,
cruelty wrong in this system of ours.
Hundreds Of banks have failed,
carrying down with them thousands
Of Gods poor, who were their deposi-
tors, and indirectly they have caused
the closing down Of hundreds of cur
mines and manufacturing establish
ments-thus throwing out OF I'm.
plOyment hundreds of thousands OF
honest toilers, vino, in the midst Of
the pleuty their own hands have
created, cry out to God in pitiful ac,
cents for bread, bread! brea,l! i!
All this, and much more that
space fOrbils us mentioning, has
been transpiring all over th,s country
in the last few months, and no human
power seemed able to check it, and
no higher power did.
Ii these conditions do not fi,N
!symbolizc anarchy We do not know
what to call it, nor how to define the
word "anarchy," This condition Is
the natural result of thorough oryani.
cation and non partisan combination
Oh the part of the few who represent
the corporate and special interests OF
the country, on the one hand, aud the
apathy and almost stolid indifference
of the many on the other hand.
. While the people slept or w,anglc,,
over party politics, corporations have
, seized the vital powers Of govern
. ment, and the times through which
we arc passing and have passed in
the past few months is the direct an,l
logical result.
: 1t is useless, however, to ST pine.
" idle and grumblc. Organization
/ and combination of the producing
! forces should be the watci,word of
: our age, and we must DC up and do.
ing.
In our humble judgment tue A..
lance offers the last aud only hope
to the agricultural and labOring peo-
pie Of this state and nation. The AL
lance is non partisism. All it ask is
5 that youe leav your partis.nism at
the door Of the lodge room. 1t will
be there when you go out. NJ good
Alliance man will steal an, thing.
much less thing SO utterly worti.
u less as partisan polir''" Tie true
Alliance man is not co.,cerncd ut p:...
= sent about politics AS tile massa. ur-
: derstand the WORT. All pait,r- il,
J this country agrce that all me. shall
j. be equel a: the polls in choosing the
t mcn to draw salaries. THIS II COM
u monty accept politics, and upon this
u We all profess to agree. Under our
e free political institutions" We re.
Il peat, the corporations have seized up
= on the vital powers Of government
J. aud are making a land OF economic
slaves out OF a country practically
4 free. The Alliance profess, briefly
j. stated, to work out economic as we'll
& AS political equality, which is the
highest conception of the human
e mind. We assert that genuine re-
: publicanisn and pure democracy is :.
S 'mpossibiGty SO long as corporations
: are in possession of all the essentials
: sovereignty, na,ncly-the land. tue
], source of wealth: transaporta-
:, ton routes, over which all wealth
i must pass; and the right to issue
|. money, the only means by which all