The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1897-09-11
An Address.
At the request of MIR. w. a. Nc
Queen we publish the following:

4 County, his souri,:
At recent meeting of the county
union of the Farmers Alliance and
| Labor Union of Lafayette county, the
undersigned were appointed n commit
Tee TO draft an address to the farmers
and laborerS OF Lafayette county, set
ting forth briefly first, t:e principles
advocated by the alliance, and second
| Up, the necessity for more thorough
organization.
| FIRST of all, let us say that the alli-
ance is not II political organization. Its
object is not TO build up the democratic,
populist or republican parties, or to
further the success of either, except in
so far as the principles advocated by
the alliance may be held by the one or
other, and the candidates whom they
put forth.
The principles of the alliance are rs
| follows:
1t holds that rs to their legal rights
all men are created equal, and to Sc
cure these alone governments are in
slituled. Its corner stone is equal
rights to all and special privileges to
none, holding that by this simple test
all legislation can be judged, whether
| it be right or wrong. But through per-
| version, Ignorance or intentionally,
this great principle may be prostituted
rand made to p omote ends which are
not justifiable or right; therefore the
alliance has laid down certain great
principles embodying the foregoing
cardinal political truths, which are as
follows:
First, that all taxes, whether direct
or duties upon imports, shall be laid
for public and not private purposes !;
that any system which takes part of
the earnings of any class of citizens, by
the taxing power, and bestows them as
gift upon another class, is robbery.
Second. We demand the free and
unlimited coinage OF both silver and
gold at the ratio of 16 to that this
| is demanded as wise financial policy,
and that there is no constitutional
power in congress to refuse coinage to
either metal. Silver Is the poor man IS
| metal, aud any discrimination against
| it is but Il step towards the enslave-
ment of mankind to the dominion OF
wealth.
| Third. The abolition of national
banks and an increase of the treasury
notes Cor greenbacks), iscued directly
by the government until the circulation,
including gold and silver, shall reach
at least fifty dollars per capita; hold
ing that an abundant circulation means
prosperity to the people; that limited
or restricted circulation means low
prices, poverty. want. crime, insanity,
and finally the enslavement of the
people.
Fourth. An income tax by the fed
eral government and an amendment OF
the constitution, If necessary, to author
! ize the same, by which the wealth OF
the country shall pay taxes proper
tionate to the protection it demands
and receives from the government.
Fifth. The passage of laws prohib-
iting alien ownership of land and the
| forfeiture of all unearned land grants
to railroad corporations, The public
lands belong to the American people
and their children.
! Sixth. The control by the govern
ment OF all railroad and transportation
companies, aud the fixing of charges SC
as to give the corporation just return
/ upon the money invested, exclusive ol
/ watered and fictitious stock, and the
| passage of laws securing to the EN-
/ ployees of railroads just protection and
equitable laws for the settlement of al
disputes and strikes; /; and that the
| claims of labor, which exist before
| capital, should equally be under the
| protection of the law, with the capital
! which 1t creates.
! Seventh Opposition to all trusts
r.I sAE1nt arNr
and prices, and the most stringent law
for their prevention and punishment
The alliance holds that the great trusts
of the present are the outgrowth OF
vicious Legislation and constitute the
great danger which threatens the veIy
perpetuity of our government and the
liberties of the people. They stifle and
prohibit competition, which is the life
of trade; they crush out opposition
they revolutionize the law of supply
and demand, and having robbed on,
class of the people by the destruction
of their property, rob the consumer by
arbitrarily fixing the prices upon thu
articles which they control.
Having stated the principles main
tanned by The alliance, we now go Il
the second branch of the subject.
THE NECESSITY OF THOROUGH oRGANI
ZATION.
TIC secure the foregoing great prin
ciples, organization is necessary. The
| people are never present at the seats o.
government except in the person o
their faithful representatives. Com
binations, trusts and aggregated wealth
are always there in the person of theil
| agents, both in and out of the halls oi
legislation. Nothing can counteracl
this influence but thorough organiza-
tiOn of the people, that honest repre-
4 sentatIves may be rewarded and I'M
faithful ones punished. Recently a
senator (Mr. Mills) has declared that
all persons and all classes were repre-
sented and had their interests advo-
Gated in congress save and except the
people.
The alliance is still in existence in
every county in the agricultural states,
but ITS organization is not what it once
was. 1t is rot too much to claim that
the recent agitation of great questions
is the direct outgrowth of the alliance.
1t is the purpose of the county union
to reorg anize the alliance in each neigh
borhood, and those who are eligible
and who subscribe to the foregoing
principles will be solicited to became
active members The last canvass was
probably the greatest in our history {;
the next alone will exceed it. The
time to prepare, not to advance the
selfish interest of any man, but to place
principles above men, is now. The
Farmers Alliance and Labor Union OF
the United States will shape the issues
OF The next canvass. Lafayette county
must assume It's just proportion, as our
people need and will receive the ben
eft which wall h1a therpfrom in the
event of success
Committees will be appointed to
canvass each neighborhood, and those
eligible are earnestly requested TO
| mile with us.
W. A. MCQUEEN, Pres.