The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1893-07-22
Resuscitation,

roi quite length OF time after the
last state election, we saw nothing OF
the doings of the Farmers Alliance.
and had begun to thing it had become
d1sheartened and lastingly disgusted
But latterly we have seen with pleasure
proof of continued vitality in it.
This indispensable class of men are
patient in the wrongs they are suffer
ing from. The wealth of the country
comes of their labor, and yet they
suffer for the most ordinary comforts
OF every day life. Like the bee, they
toll the year round, only to have the
profits OF their labors extracted by the
Intermediates, who place their pro-
ducts on the markets.
They build cities and enrich
merchants, whose children crowd the
colleges while their own stay at home
to toll in the fields. They Whiten the
seas with ships of commerce and con
vert forests into gardens. They enable
the nations to organize armies, and to
move them, in the defense of their
rights Sin short they are the hope and
stay Of the world of men, and after
all, are the prey of speculation fortified
by legislative toleration. Their calling
is all that makes land valuable and
Investments safe. They are too 4unaey-
ous to be strong. This may appear to
be contradiction, but not so. They
are comparatively weak because their
great number, diversified theories,
ideas and opinions among them, which
their organization is unable to concen-
trate and unity. 1t is therefore in some
respects discordant and necessarily
weak.
This was exemplifed in the late
election to some extent
If the alliance will excuse us for
ventaring to express an opinion, we
would suggest with great respect, that
its strength, and it's capacity to accom-
plish great coed will be found to lie
in its infiexible adherence to its
declared objects, and it's freedom from
entangiing alliance with politics and
factions. Leave the members to vote
as they please. rs citizens, attaching
less Importance to names and more
to the virtues aud qualifications of men
for office. With the politician party
names have too often become catch
words, by which devotion to the
general welfare has become subordi-
mated to factional or, individual ambi-
ton. What have the politicians of any
political party, dGpe to promote the
interest of the millions of those who
are engaged in agriculture Farmers
please answer, and in answering stand
upon yonr declared objects, and answer
from that stand point. If those objects
are in reality of Importance to you as
u class, why not so act as to have them
secured to you? IF you go into politi-
cal parties as an organization the
result will be that, you will be out
numbered, and in. the future, as in the
past overwhelmed and become voice
ss--powerless. Who then will you
have to stand up for your declared
purposes ? To sum up we would say,
keep out of political tangles, maintain
your rights TO think and select for
yourselves and being free, hold the
balance of power at the ballot box.
Then factions will give you representa-
tives in the halls of legislation. Bear
In mind we speak of the alliance as an
Individually we should
regret to see you become anti-demo-
cratic, but if Masons, Odd Fellows and
churches as such find it prudent to
eschew politics, aud to advocate and
live for the declared purposes of their
it is equally expedient
that the alliance should adopt the same
course, if it would become strong and |
exert an influence.