Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-01-17
From the Danville Register
Farmers Organizations.

Farmers have been rather unfor-
tunate with their organizations 1or
mutual protection and for the improve
ment of their condition. That they
should organize, that they need close
union no one can deny, but their very
effort along this line has so far proven
abortive, and it has become common
saying among them that permanent
and effective organization is impos-
sible. and that at best they can only
agree to disagree.
The alliance, which promised so
much, and which has unquestionably
done great deal of good in one way
and another seems to be on the verge
of disintegration. An agrlculturlst,
writing for the Petersburg lndeX-Ap-
peal, declares that the alliance is al
ready dead, having met with violent
death by going into politics, and try.
ing to bulldoze and boss other lines OF
business.
Saws this writer, who is farmer
and presumably was a member OF the
alliance:
Its first great success excited the ambition
of its leaders, many of whom were dlsappolnt-
ed and sore-headed politicians, and they began
to advance preposterous and untenable CLAIMS,
and drifted away from the original principles
of the organization. The first objects and
and aims were good almost holy and lnallen-
able, but ambitious leaders caused the ALL
ance to undertake, or advocate, lmpractlcable
schemes that diverted attention from the
Proper issues, and wrecked the alliance on
| the rock of internal discOrd
That this writer speaks truly there
can be no doubt. He evidently is, or
was. on the inside and knows whereof
| 1 10 81 n DIV
I'D, however, and continues as follows:
Shall farmers abandon all effort at organ
zation and cooperation because Of past mis-
takes and failures No. Let them try again,
and again, and learn by their mistakes
Every new effort will prepare the way fol
final success, which assuredly must come
sooner or later,
| All things considered, it is perhaps best that
| the alliance should die. 1t was too costly an
organization 1t diverted money from the
home to the state and national alliance, only
| to be used in manner often derOgatory tC
the farmer 1t becomes an object of specula
ton and peculation. But the leaders based
too mnch op what they presumed to be the
| endurance Of their followers. They went too
far. There was too much intelligence in the
ranks to be hoodwinked to the end. They
lrebelled against the usurpation of power, anC
the alliance died.
The Register would delight to see q
permanent and beneficial farmers
organization and we had great hopes
of the alliance. We know enough
about it to know that it has many
good features. Then why abandon it
as the member quoted above suggests
To us, an outsider. it would seen
better to reorganize the alliance and
remodel it, holding fast to those fea
lures which are good and discardins
those which have proven bad.
II it was too costly an organization
cut off its ever expensive features
make it only a state, or even distric
institution, that is, lay off certain ter
ritory that shall be independent of th'
bodies in other territory and shall ow'
only a nominal and inexpensive allie
glance to national body. Then turn
out and repudiate the ambitious lead
ers who have caused the ruin and dis
aster, and return to the origina
principles of the organization ant
reassert the first aims which the writer
whom we have quoted, declares ''wer
good, almost holy and inalienable.
, Let us hope the order as originally de
signed is not dead. AS such, may tn
, alliance live long and prosper.