Evening star., 1896-07-18

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two gatherings will indorse the same man
for the presidency.
Will they indorse the nominee OF the
democratic convention? That is the i'm
portant question on which may depend the
result of the election in November. On 1t
may hang the possibility that this country
will go to a policy which means the free
and unlimited coinage of silver independent
OF the other nations of the world.
The gathering of the populists and silver
men at the Chicago convention last week
and the missionary work they did there are
evidence Of the Importance they attach to
the determination of this question. Their
dearest wish is the resumption of free sill
yer coinage. To bring this about they were
anxious that the democrats should nomi-
nate Mr.. Teller. because they could in
dorse him without giving up their party
organization Mr.. Teller belongs to no
party just now. He fiocks by himself.
The anxiety of the populists to have a
candidate not identified with the demo-
cratic party was due to the fact that the
peoples party supports some principles
"hlch are not recognized by the democracy.
and While these are less important than
silver coinage in the eyes OF the majority
OF the populists. they are important enough
TO keep the peoples party together even if
the coinage question was disposed Of To
ihdorse democrat for the presidency. a
abandon these principles, to give up their
hopes of electing state tickets in the south
ana west, and to dsorganiZe thoroughly
party which has become controlling ee-
neht In some st afRs and in great many
congressional districts. After combining
the interests Of all the smaller organiza-
tlcns OF farmers and laborers into one.
united political party and polling for th..
presidential candidate OF that party .Oo5
lS! votes. the' populists are afraid of sac
rliHlns the results OF their hard work,
falling into the hands of the democratic
party and losing their identity If they in
dcrse democratic candidate for the nres:
dency. 1- %
Sketch of TIE Peoples Party.
Ihe peoples party was organized at Gin
clnnatI May 3D. 1891, at a national union
conference OF all political organizations rep
resentlng the farmer. the laborer and the
n achne From these-chiehy the farmers
aiiances-the new party was formed.
Inc farmers alliances go, back ,te rthe
formation OF little protective orsaniza-
t'oi III Lampasas county. Texas This
l,ampasas county alliance was formed for
the protection of the farmers against land
and cattle thieves. 1t agitated the mo
fence law and other issues and the man
with a hoe found that collectively his
people could WELD political power This
encouraged the formation of other local
alliances In Texas. and these in 1888, were
organized into state alliance. This alli-
d
included declaration for 1.-The education
of the agricultural classes in the science
OF economical government, in q strictly
no1-part1san spirit"
Before the organization of the state aIli
ance Of Texas farmers, the National Grange
OF Patrons of Huspandry had begun to
take an active interest in legislative mat
ters at washington. 1t was the first secret
order to admit men and women on terms of
equality. In 1870 1t had ninety oranges
In 1876 there were 1900. These maintain
ed the headquarters of their national asso-
citation at Washington, and its officers ex
ercised some influence on legisla ton
through granger members of Congress.
The national grange never tried to influence
elections. and its career as political factor
was short. 1t Is now almost solely a social
and beneficial organization. But its mem
bers are almost all members of the peoples
party, and their association in the grange
made 1t easier for them to get together
and organize for political purposes when
the occasion arose
Following the organization Of the Lam
pasas county alliance in Texas and no
doubt Influenced by 1t, the farmers of Ar
Kansas got together in school house in
western Arkansas and organized the Ma
tional Agricultural Wheel and the farmers
of Louisiana met and formed the Farmers
Union.
farmers Alliance
After the organization of the Texas state
alliance the farmers Of Louisiana and
Waco. where they formed, in 1887, the
National Farmers Alliance and Cooper
ative Union. A year later the alliance and
the wheel sent delegates to a convention
at Meridian. Miss, where the two organiza-
tions were united as the Farmers and
Laborers' Union of America. In December,
1889, q national convention was called at
St. Louis, and there the name of the or
ganization wa changed again. It became
the National Farmers Alliance and Indus
trial Union.
In all this time the members of the farm
ers' organizations had been nominating
local tickets and taking part in state cleo
tions, and they had shown a constantly in
creasing strength But they had attracted
comparatively little attention outside a few
southern states until national convention
Of the new party was held at Ocala, Fla,
in 1890. At this convention was adopted a
platform which attracted the attention of
the whole country and which became the
subject of lively controversy. The farmers
themselves were not a unit in supporting
! it, and the dispute over it went on in their
own ranks as well as elsewhere.
The Ocala platform demanded the aboli-
ton Of national banks, the establishment
of subtreasuries to lend money on farm
products and land at per cent or less, the
to $50 per capita, laws against trading in
futures" in agric,tt ural products, the free
and unlimited coinage Of silver, laws
against the alien ownership Of land, the
ed to railroads except those used by the
roads, the reduction Of the tariff, an In
come tax, the national control Of railroads
and telegraphs or government ownership
of them and the election of United States
Senators by direct vote of the people,
The first fruit Of these resolutions was
the Introduction in Congress Of the famous
warehouse scheme. Vance Of North Caro-
lima introduced it IN the Senate and Pick
ler Of South Dakota in the House. The
bill provided for the appropriation Of $780,
OOO,OO to build warehouses for the stor-
age Of cotton. wheat, corn, oats and tobac-
co and for the issue of treasury notes to 80
per cent Of the value Of such products,
bearing interest at l per cent.
Gaining Strength.
The late Senator Stanford also introduced
bill for the issue Of treasury certificates
based on land. It was considered remark
able coming from a man who had been
| identified so long with the interests of CAP
| ital. It was thought by many to be a bid
for the support Of the new party for the
presidency, and 1t actually gave the Cali
| fornia Senator one vote in the national
convention Of that party four years ago.
There was a landslide in some Of the
agricultural states in the campaign Of 1880.