Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-12-24
Alliance Il No More.

dead. 1t has less than 1000 members
and only 50 lodges. Its secretary and
president have drawn no salary for
year and at the annual meeting, Jan
s, at Topeka, the organization will
disband. Thus passes the most pow
erful combination that ever controlled
Kansas politics. Could it have kept
up its work 1t would have been in.
vincible but what was at first q high
strung, fanatical enthusiasm became
rant and crankism and demagogy and
it collapsed.
The first newspaper record Of the
Farmers Alliance In Kansas is on
March %, 1890, when meeting or
consultation Of county residents was
held for the purpose, as stated in the
presidents call, "of consulting about
matters OF vital Importance to our
order and farmers and laborers In
general" At this meeting about 80
delegates were present. At that time
the organization had not shown Its
hand in politics and the delegates
were Republicans, Democrats, old
Greenbackers, union labor men or
"third party" men-the latter after
wards became the nucleus Of what is
now the Peoples party.
1t held meetings behind closed
doors and passed resolutions on the
mortgage question, fiat money and
various reforms. Most Of the papers
in the State ran an "Alliance column"
that spring. Some did it because
they we're afraid Of the new organi-
cations power, others because they
thought it an honest effort to better
the farmers condition. The REFLEC-
TOR soon discovered the error Of this
latter proposition and this paper and
the Topeka Capital were the first Re-
publican papers in the State that
dared denounce the Alliance as dan.
gerous and refuse to give 1t "col.
umn" In which to further Its theories.
This county had a score Of lodges
and two or three able bodied ''lectur-
ers" who drew salaries. The lodges
met under password and grip protec-
ton. The REFLECTOR printed q hum
orous expose" once that a great
many people thought was actually the
orders secrets. As the summer
dry, corn-wilting summer--went by
the Alliance grew. 1t held picnics by
the dozen and great reformers like
VanDyke, Russell and Bryson were the
honored rulers Of the concern.
About once week some lodge
passed resolutions "boycotting" the
REFLECTOR and declaring that it must
be wiped off the face Of the earth.
These were laboriously written out
and mailed to the editor evidently
in the expectation that he would 60
into hiding or perhaps leave the coun-
try. But he did not do thing but
print 'em all in full in the paper and
tell the lodge to send in some more.
Then one day the Alliance deter
mined to bulldoze Abilene. 1t had a
picnic in McMaster's grove and the
procession passed through town. 1t
was a procession all right enough.
There were teams until the people |
got tired counting them, men on
horseback and pretty girls in floats.
They had banners giving the Repub-
licans thunder and dishing up the Re-
FLEcToR in 16 different kinds Of hid
eousness. Their banners said: "Down
With Trusts" "Give Us Sub-Treasur-
les" ETC., and thepretty girls in the
floats sang:
bye party. bye lol bye party, bye lol
Bye party, bye 10! good bye old party, good
byel'
The Republicans stood on the side
walk and saw them 60 past. They
counted the people in line. They
whistled and guessed "they was most
all women an children anyhow" and,
like the scoffers at Noah, allowed it
wouldn't be much Of a shower. Away
down in their hearts they knew the
jig was up.
And it was. Mrs. Lease spoke four
hours day for two months, Willis
made his appearance and gave his
pitiful plea, PETER was finding a way
in and the last week Of the campaign
tho a1lionnaa mat avarv ni0ht Tn |