The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-07
CHOSEN PRESIDENT OF THE FARM
Frs ALLIANCE FOR THE COM
ING YEAR.
OTHER OFFICERS ELECTED.
ALLIANCE DECIDES TO UNITE WITH
THE ALLIANCE OF THE
SOUTH.
OF THE GENERAL SITUATION.
Decide the Only Way for Farmers to
Settle Money Question Is Take
Hold Themselves.

| Delegates to the Farmers Alliance
convention yesterday elected officers,
| did their share of freeing Cuba from the
| oppressor's yoke and agreed that it
was the best thing for the alliance to
unite with the Farmers Alliance and
| Industrial Union of the South. The Of
ficers for the year are
| Presldent-L c. Long, Magnolia.
Laeeturer-Henry y, Poore, Bird Island.
| Treasurer-H. A. Swain Mortified.
| Vice Presidents-T. J. Meighen, Forestvile;
| G: H. Hopkins, Fairfax; Andrew Richmond
Saltwater; W. G. Daily Mapleton; F. S. Fair
| child, Minneapolis; R. J. Hall, Morris.
Legislative Committee. H. Rahlliy, Lake
City, chairman; T. J. Meighen ForestviIle;
| Paul; j. T. Ames, Northfeld w. G. Daily
| Mapleton; w. w. Prendergast, Concord; E. j.
Hail, Morris -
The first action of President Ver-
milya at the opening of the morning
session was the appointment Of a COM
| mlttee to wait upon the railroad and
| warehouse commission and demand re-
| lief and the enforcement Of the statutes
| concerning honest grain weights
ii. Rahilly was chosen as chairman,
| and his associates were T. J. Meighen,
| H. V. Poore, M. J. Costello, w. G. Tay-
| Tor, w. W. Prendergast and J. T. Ames
II. V. Poore, who represents the
Farmers Alliance and Industrial Union
of the South, said that it was time the
| Alliance of Minnesota took some action
| to preserve it's organization. The state
| Alliance is losing ground steadily he
| declared, and the proper thing to do
| was to unite with the newer organiza-
| tiOn-the Farmers Alliance and Indus
trial Union. Minnesota is the only
| CT 70 no i.
said Mr.. Poore 'In this new society
we have a ritual, pass word and grip
| by which we can protect ourselves
against hostile Influences We have
| the beneficiary and insurance features
and in my opinion it is proper that
this Alliance should seek membership
! in the new organization
| Radical changes are coming and are
necessary for our protection" said Mr.
! PoOre. Every man must constitute
| himself a committee of one and get
around among the farmers and get
them to organize at once and maintain
a vigorous organization. We should
| be in position to say to the politicians
and the great political parties the
| times are hard and you must abolish
| these useless offices and use every
| means toward economy But we are
helpless and our only remedy for the
| future lies in organization. There is a
| system, l believe, by which farmers
can do business with 95 per cent Of pa
| per money and per cent of the other
kind. This system should be investi-
| gated. Let us not wait for others to
| right our wrongs, but take matters in
our own hands. In no other way will
| we get our rights and full protection"
L ~ lit soI
| f1uence of the Alliance was waning
| The only way for the farmers to settle
! this money question was for them to
! take the matter in their own hands
| The middle men must be done away
with. The producer and consumer
must be brought together.
! M. J. Costello declared it was the
| middlemen, in the form of railroads.
| that were absorbing the wealth of the
| farmer and depriving the workingman
! OF his dues. He made the gloomy pro-
| phecy that politics would not settle
! this question, and that the farmers
| were but wasting their time in at
! tempting to secure legislation to settle
| the financial policy, that would be of
| benefit to all classes. mo solution Of
| this deplorable state of affairs can be
had through politics. he declared
mo amount Of legislation can destroy
| our pernicious system Of finance. There
|
are standing on the brink Of that re-
| sort today. Let a leader speak the
| word, and, / believe, the masses of the
| people would be hurled forward in the
| awfulness of physical revolution" Mr.
| Costello disclaimed any intention to
! arouse any revolutionary spirit, but
| did desire to show the conditions that
exist and the oppressed state of the
| American farmer and workingman.
President Vermilya then appointed
| the special committee of three that has
| been asked for to investigate the local
| labor exchange, naming Messrs. Ames
| Holden and Brevig. Later this COM
mittee reported that the labor exchange
| had been organized in ST. Paul but q
| short time, that it aimed to do work
without payment Of money; that it
| brought the consumer and producer in
| direct contact; that the product of one
| was interchangeab for the labor Of
another The convention accepted the
| report, and fuller investigation of the
| subject will be made.
! Mr.. Hoskins had introduced a resolu-
| ton calling on the government to
recognize the belligerency of Cuba, and
| there was considerable debate on the
question. Finally MIR. Rahilly put a
| quietus on the resolution by declaring
| that the resolution was all right, but
that the convention had too many mat
ters near at home to look after.
| When the motion was put uniting
the state Alliance with the Farmers
Alliance and 1. u, it was carried al
most unanimously. Then President
1 Vermilya appointed a committee to
meet with the Federation of Labor and
ID remain standing for year, as fol-
! lows: Messrs. c. P. Aldrich, T. J.
| Meighen and j. l. VermiIya
| The afternoon was short and largely
| given over to the discussion of the
| various questions, that have been more
or less debated since the beginning of
the convention. Adjournment was
| taken early, pending the report of the
committee sent to confer with the state
railroad and warehouse commission.
The evening session was declared off
| to allow the delegates to attend the
/ lecture Of Hon. John Redmond, M. p,
at Conover hall This is the final day
/ of the convention. The morning se6-
| sion will begin at 10 o'clock. Tonight
the convention will come to an end
with a public meeting at the capitol.
| Hon. Ignatius Donnelly will speak.