Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-05
THE FARMERS ALLIANCE
A Brief Session and but Little Business
Transacted This Morning.
Committees Not Yet Ready to Report
Officers to Be Elected Dur
ing the Afternoon.

1t was brief session which the Supreme
Council of the Farmers Alliance held this
morning. After an hours talk the coun-
ell adjourned until 2 o'clock this after
| noon. At that hour it expects to receive
a report from the committee appointed
yesterday to go before the House commit
tee on banking and currency today at II
o'clock. None of the committee were
ready to report this morning, and that
was another reason for a short session.
This afternoon and tonight the most in
teresting part Of the business of the coun-
Gil will be transacted The committee
on resolutions will report and officers for
the next year will be elected. Opposition
has developed to President Willetts and
ne may not be reelected
The question of the next place of meet
ing will not be decided by the council,
but will be passed upon by the executive
committee some time this year.
Mrs. Anna L. Diggs of Colorado who Is
a member of the alliance and whose pet
theories are the control and ownership of
everything by the alliance, was present at
the morning session.
The Alliance Membershfp.
The total membership of the alliance
throughout the country, Appropriated
by Secretary Duncan, is 500 200. This is a
large increase over last year, but it is
many thousands less than when the order
was in the height of it's popularity, five
or six years ago: At one time the active
membership in Kansas alone reached 125,-
oOo. The actual membership reported to
the Supreme Council is less than 100 1000.
rms is because of the peculiar laws gov
erning the Supreme Council. Under these
laws state which does not pay dues to
the Supreme Council is not entitled to have
delegate or to make reports. Many states
do not pay dues. One of them, Tennessee
refuses to pay dues, but the membership
IN that state is large.
Secretary Duncan stated that the states
having the largest membership are Texas
pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina.
Kansas, South Carolina, in the order
named. Texas and Pennsylvania each have
something like 20,G0O members.
Mr. Duncan said that much attention has
been paid by the state alliances during the
past year to their state exchanges, through
which the members of the order buy thou
sands of dollars worth of goods instead of
from business houses Secretary Duncan
is himself the manager of the South Caro-
ina exchange. He is a member of the or
der who believes that the organization
should attend more to business affairs than
to political matters.
Yesterdays Business.
At the afternoon session: yesterday Presi-
dent WillettS read his annual address. The
major part of it was devoted to a discus
sion of the condition of the farmers of the
country and in suggesting means of relief.
There was also some hot shot for Presi-
dent Cleveland. who was alluded to as a
dictator and the enemy of the people. The
speaker declared that corrupt influences
are dominating the present political par
ties.
At the night session an interesting fea-
ture was the presentation by Delegate
Blandenberg of Texas of a picture of w.
r. Allen, the founder of the Farmers Ali
ance, together with a silk banner made by
lady member of the order. The flag con-
tains a picture of the live oak tree under
which the first alliance was organized by
Mr.. Alien. There are two doves at the bot
tom of the picture, below which is the in
scription, In union there is strength
There were several speakers at night
among them ex-Congressman Jerry Simp-
son, who is in the city on a visit