People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-03-14
GRAND ADDRESS.
DELIVERED BEFORE THE INDUS
TRIAL LEGION.
Gen. Paul Van Der Wort Reviews the
Situation and Makes an Eloquent APP
peal-Let Organization Be the Watch
word of the Peoples Party.

The duty that has devolved upon ME
In assuming the position of Command
er-in-Chief of the Industrial Legion
has been the most burdensome Of my
life. spent quarter of century in
building up the Grand Army, holding
all its offices of evry grade, and gave
after my term as Commander-in-Chief
several years in assisting in developing
the WOmen's Relief Corps, which was
organized under a call issued by me,
end in all these years l never had the
load to carry that has been crowded
into the last two, in doing the work
put into my hands by the National
Executive Committee of our party. l
have had more anxious days and sleep
less nights than l care to number. 1t
is well known l never wanted the
place, endeavored to resign at the close
of the campaign of 1898, but have been
compelled to bear the burden, and am
now here to turn it over to some one
with capacity and patience greater than
mine.
The Legion was organized By the
National Executive Committee Of the
Peoples Party, acting unOfficially, at
their meeting at Memphis, Tenn, on
November 10, 1892. In conjunction
with them, about one hundred of the
leaders of the Farmers Alliance and
other industrial orders became its
charter members.
The notification of my election came
from Hon. H. E. Taubeneck and Geo.
F. Washburn, and the formal notice
from the secretary of the National
Committee, J. H. Turner, who had also
been made Adjutant General of the Le-
gion. l at first declined the position,
but when earnestly urged from all
quarters, l insisted that if I accepted
the constitution should be revised, Sc
crecy eliminated and a simpler form
adopted. A meeting was called at In
dianapolis on December 20, 1892, and
Messrs. Taubeneck, Rankin and Tur-
ner and large delegation attended. On
the distinct understanding that the Ma
tional Committee would endorse this
plan and hold up my hands with all
their power and push the work, l &C
cepted, and the officers of the National
Committee issued the following appeal
I'VE kindly request that the Peoples
Party state, county and local commit
tees in every state in the Union do all
in their power and lend helping hand
to organize the Industrial Legion. Push
the organization into every state, Coun-
ty, precinct and school district in the
land.
II. E. TAUBENECK, Chairman,
81. H. TURNER, Secretary,
IN. G. RANKIN, Treasurer"
At the meeting of the National Exc
cutive Committee at Chicago, August
2, 1898, the committee again renewed
that request. At the meeting of the
full committee at st. Louis, February
%, 1894, the following resolution was
adopted as a part of the report of the
committee on address: Resolved, That
we renew our recommendation adopt
ed at the meetings of the National Ex-
ecutiVe Committee at Indianapolis and
Chicago, and earnestly urge every state
and county committee to organize the
Industrial Legion in every voting pre-
rinct in the land"
At meeting of the full committee at
st. Louis, December 20, 1894, the fol-
lowing resolution reported by the unan-
imous vote of the committee on Or
ganization was adopted: Resolved,
That while we do not attempt to die
tate to any state as to the plan of Or
ganization it shall adopt, we renew the
recommendation of the national COM
mittee in favor of the organization of
the Industrial Legion in every precinct
In the land; and, further recommend
that no dues shall be exacted only from
iegiOns that operate the rebate plan,
and that in all cases where members
are able, they be urged to send ten
cents per annum to headquarters; that
all clubs or other orders that wish to
change into legions shall send 20 cents
for supplies, and that original legions
shall send 50 cents, but that no legion
shall be denied a charter when it is
unable to pay for it, and that these
organizations shall be called Peoples
Party Clubs, Peoples Party Legions
or Industrial Legions, in order to suit
the conditions in each state, and that
Rule Is of instructions of the Industrial
Legion be dropped, and that all Peo-
pies Party clubs or legions shall report
to the same headquarters in order to
avoid confusion and to perfect a sys-
tematic organization" So, that includ
Ing the meeting at Washington, Febru-
airy %, 1893, the national executive
committee have endorsed the legion
three times and the full committee
twice. At Chicago, August 2, 1893
Messrs. Donnelly, Stricken and Ran
kin were added to the executive coun-
ell, making the entire executive COM
mittee of the Peoples Party. In addi-
ton to the above many state conyen-
lions, q great majority of the state
committees and other important dele
gate bodies of our party have approved
1t, and to further demonstrate the ac-
ceptance of this form of organization
we bear on our books the names of over
l,20O of the best and brightest workers
of our cause. who have taken n foSrol