The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-20
AMERICAN FARMER
IN POLITICS
Have Never Voted as a Class and
Probably Never Will.
POWER OF THE FARMERS ALLIANCE
Under Certain Circum stances the Or.
ganizatiOn Might Accomplish Great
Results..POpuiism Also Suffers
from Lack of support in Certain
Districts.

Washington, July 19.-There are, ap-
proximately, 13,500,000 voters in the
United States and S,500000 Of these, a
preponderating majority, are farmers,
| farm laborers, or stock raisers. The
| farmers of the country are spoken Of
| from time to time as an organized
''class" OF voters. the general assump-
ton seeming to be that when, if ever.
the farmers should act together in sup
port of a candidate or party they would
| certainly be successful and accomplish
whatever political action they might be
agreed upon. AS an historical fact. the
farmers of the United States have
| never, at any time. acted together in
support of one political party, and in
superable obstacles exist against the
possibility of such concurrence Of ac-
ton In the future.
In recent years the most formidable
organization of farmers for political ac-
tion was the Farmers Alliance estab-
lished in st. Louis in December, 1889,
at the call of the Farmers and Labor
ers' Union of America, for the purpose
of bringing together in one organization
all the different bodies of organized far
mers in the country" This Farmers
Alliance movement, which in the first
year of its existence seemed likely to
exercise very important influence up
on American politics, was the out
growth of other previous movements
begun twenty years before for banding
together the farmers of the United
States. It's evolution was interesting as
showing how. up to certain point and
within OF linifn tinns a nnltfina |
movement may grow sporadically and
then stop. On December 4, 1867 the Ma
tional Grange Of Farmers was organ
ized in the city Of Washington by seven
men, two of them ministers of the gos-
pei, two employees of the department Of
agriculture, and three farmers The
Grange secured a large membership
throughout the country. reaching at one
time 450 600; but its ranks were entered
| if not invaded, by many persons whose
relation to the farming interests Of the
country was speculative-loan agents,
land brokers, insurance agents, eight
ning-rod men," and lawyers.
At meeting of the National Grange
OF Farmers in st. Louis in 1874 thirty
two states were represented, and an
agreement was entered into by the
delegates (called "patrons'D that there
after the membership of the Changers
| should be limited to persons either
practically engaged in the work of
farming, or 50 closely connected with
that work as to be. to all intents and
| purposes. farmers" Five years later
the National Grange gave place to the
| first Farmers Alliance. so called, es-
I a ,tg,ta Of ravn "a
pose the snoliatlon of pubic lands in
/ the Lone Star state IN october, 1880
| the Farmers Alliance was chartered
under the laws OF Texas. In January.
| 1882 q union was made between the
| farmers organization of Texas and q
somewhat similar one OF Louisiana, and
| thereupon efforts were made in other
states to bring about an organization OF
| the farmers of the country for political
as well as for mutual benefit action
| c. W. McCune, of North Carolina, was
| the most active worker in the new
movement, and two years later it had
| spread SO far that it included nearly
| all the states of the country, and in De-
cember. 1SS9 at the time of the ST. Louis
convention, there were l.25O, 600 members
| Of the Farmers Alliance.
RESULTS IN 1890
| In the elections of the year 1890
ground-swell of support for Democratic
candidates was felt throughout the
country, but the Farmers Alliance
nominated candidates and supported
them in many of the states. Generally
speaking, however, the support of the
Alliance was given to the Democratic
nominees, and one result of the election
was the choice Of 237 Democratic MEM
bers of congress and only 81 Republic
cans, the Farmers Alliance choosing 8
representatives in Kansas derry
Simpson among thenD, . in Nebraska
(William j. Bryan among them), and l
in Minnesota. The Farmers Alliance
vote in that election was about 100000,
or in Kansas, $4,000; South Dakota. 49,
900; Nebraska, $4,000, and Minnesota,
% 900. In the southern states, then un-
der the immediate shadow of the Force
bill, with its menace of a return to ne
gro domination. the members of the
Farmers Alliance voted generally for
The Democratic candidates. and We're
opposed to separate political action un-
til what was to them more important
question than ''the spoliation of public
lands" or alien ownership of farming
property or excessive rates in railroad
transportation could be, or should be,
disposed OF. In the elections Of 1891 the
Farmers Alliance members had pre-
pared for political action at the Gin
cinnati Conference" held on May l9,
and participated in by 1,41S delegates,
who in formal manner put in motion
the Populist party which nominated
James A. Weaver for president at the
Omaha convention of July 4. 1892, and
is to hold it's second national conven-
tion at St. Louis next week.
1t has thus far been found impossible
to organize effectively, so as to consoli-
date the vote of it's members. the farm
ers' organizations of the United States.
and the reason of this is not hard to
find. Outside of a small circle of persist
ent and impractical agitators active in
every new movement" the farmers of
the United States are either Democrats
or Republicans and separate on party
lines when political questions are to be
decided, 1t occasionally happens. it is
true, that the majority of the farmers
of a state will vote for the retention of
the party in power when harvests are
large and prices for farm products are
high. concurrently. 1t often happens.
too, that the farmers will vote against
the party in power when prices range
at low level or there has been blight
ed or inferior harvest. But as rule
the farmers separate on straight polit-
ical lines, and every effort. no matter
how prOmisinp at first IN get them tn
do otherwise fails in the end.
POPUL1STS NOT FARMERS.
The best organized branch of the
Populist party is not to be found in any
Of the farming regions of the country,
but among the miners. The element Of