The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1893-10-26
The Reconstruction Of Parties.

at a period when a reconstruction Of
parties is imiment. There is new
power abroad in the land that has
never been felt perceptibly in poll
tics, viz the power OF labor 1t has
ever before been divided and never
united Now it is joined in one In
mighty union. Now it will speak.
In the days Of Wat Tyler, it rose in
armed rebellion In the days Of
Luther it rose In the days Of Louis
XVI. it rose. Now it will speak, not
with musket, but with ballot. And
it is reinforced by gigantic power,
the disnheritcd agriculturalists
and with them is joined the great sill
vcr producing interests Of the Rocky
Mt. states and territOries-a fOrmid
able power. But the factor least
thought of 10y the enemy, but it is
the most important one, is labor, the
toiling multitudes that up to 1863,
one half of whom here in our country
were chattel slaves. The ex-salves
are now united in the colored farm.
ers' alliance at the south TO vote with
their old masters, the southern agri-
culturists. for their common interests
This is glorious movement. l
might appropriately quote one of the
most daring figures Of John Dryden.
when he said, "angels drew by the
curtain of the skies" for surely as the
north lifted the slaves from bondage
by placing arms in their hands. their
hands, their second emancipation
ensues when their old masters and
they fight side by side with the peace
full ballot as weapon against the
great enemy of American prosperity
the money power Of the east, that
has entrenched itself within the lines
both Democratic and Republican
parties.
The great Democratic party Of the
north has committed fatal error
1t has allied itself with Wall street as
the Republican party has been allied
since President Grant vetoed the bill
for an increase Of the currency in
1874. There is no more room for
two Wall street parties in 1898 than
for two-pro-slayery parties in 1856.
The Whig party by crying ''me too,
to the slave power, lost its life. The
Democratic party by allying itself
with the money power must inevita.
bly, die. Webster destroyed the Whig
party; Cleveland has Destroyer the
Democratic party. If Webster could
not prevent the disruption Of the
Wing party, neither can Cleveland OF
tue DcmOcrattc party.
In 1860 the Democratic party d.
vides on the slavery question; in 1893
it is divided on the money question
The Wbig party has already in 1866
disappeared as a national organiza
ton. The Democratic party was
soon to pass under a cloud to remain
practically out Of sight for more than
q quarter of a century. And all this
time the great principles Fundamental
to Whigism remained, and those fun
damental to Democracy remained
Fundamental principles are not there
fore sufficient in force to hold the
parties from disruption. Of course
those great distinctive principles ne
appear in new party organizations
The Whig party was the same funda
mentally as the Federa)ist, the Re
publican the same As the Whig.
The old Republican party was the
same fundamentally as the anti-Fed
eralist, and the DE mocratic party the
same fundamentally as the old Re
publican.
So. fundamentally, We have never
had but two distinctive parties-th.
party that stands tor liberty and the
lparty that stands for law. There i.
an irrepressible confit between liber
Ity and law. Liberty unrestralnee
ends in anarchy, and law unstrainee
ends in depositism. II the party o.
liberty holds control continuously TO
Ia great number.of years it will brin<
in anarchy IF the marty Of law hold,