The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1894-08-18

delegates give birth to the Peoples
Party and destroyed that unity that
existed with the farmers Of the State.
and this division was acriou, blow to
the Alliance cause. rs thousands Of It's
members dierulurG til" Alliance and
joined This neV party. Bat the trHH
and tried Alliance man still stood by
his cOiOr~: reaction set in and in the
past twelve months have rallied 10 the
cause retaining many that had
thought that the Order vas dead. and
to-day our organization. am proud TO
say, il III Il healthier condition than
it has been in the past two years and is
still on the advance. With ail its re-
vt rsts, and with the political parties
acting thr part Of the vampire in sack
ing its life blood, yet it live, and wiz
continue to live until its great work al
reform is instilted in the heart Of
every patriot OF Louisiana.
CONDITIONS or THE ORDER.
The condition OF the Farmers A.
lance in I.ousi;tu" is very encourage
inc. From information received from
onr worthy secretary, Brother J. W.
Mcfarland, the Alliance is on the IN
crease III many parishes, and in his
language says that have issued seven
new charters. al Increase of three over
last year. and twelve duplicates where
charter was lost or destroyed. Several
parishes that was in 4 torpid STATE has
again been revived ald resumed 1hcir
places by reporting here for duty. |
did not receive any special orders from
YOU relative to the course | should Dur-
sue regarding the reorganization Of
dcfuct Unions. II being my greatest
establish the Unions all over the State.
| made regular ruling. but made the
ease fit the circumstances that sur
rounded the parties applying for il.
formation. with the hope of returning
them 20 the fold My duties as prcsi-
dent of the Alliance have been lntri-
cate and in many instances compli-
Gated, but have worked faithful in do
irg my duty to the trust imposed upon
me by my brothers of the Alliance.
Our secretary and treasurer report
the Order in a healthy financial condi-
ton. At the beginning of the last
fiscal year the State Alliance was in
debt something over 800: all this has
been paid. besides our national dues,
which amounted to $50, and little
money left in the treasury. This |
consider is a most excellent financial
showing. considering the embarrassed
condition III. State finances were in
when we took charge of the Order.
Aud | am proud to say that too much
praise cannot be bestowed upon Bro.
Mcfarland for the able manner he has
conducted the finances Of the Farmers
Alliance of Louisiana.
POLITICAL.
The political principles of the Farm
cr5' Alliance are non-partisan. AL
though they are intensely political,
they cannot be applied in a partisan
sense, and the very moment that parti-
sanism attempts to apply non-partisan
measures, the whole is corrupted and
the motive becomes special instead of
general. The political principles of
the Alliance tend toward reform and
good government and are general in
their application as equal rights to
all, and special privileges to none"
70 maintain and keep inviolate the
non-p.rtisan rrinci pies of the Order.
no political discussion of q partisan
nature should be allowed at Alliance
meetings: its injurious effect upon the
membership is Il, perceptible for bad
results rs Il grain of strychnine upon
the human system AS we are strictly
non-partisan so far as political qucs-
tions are concerned, yet it is very nee
cssary that the State Alliance at this
meeting adopt a platform of political
principles as a State Alliance pla,foam.
which every Alliance candidate must
indorsc before he can expect the in
dorscment Of the Alliance voter: and
one plank of this platform should read
that, Any Alliance candidate for the |
Legislature of Louisiana must pledge |
himself in writing to the chairman of
the Alliance Executive Committee, |
that, if elected, that he viii attend thu |
Alliance caucus and be governed by
the majority lr,lc Of said caucrs on all |
political questions and Legislative cleo
tons
The Farmers Alliance as an organi- |,
za1ion must be held aloof from coming
in contact with any partisan political |