The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-04-12
THE ALLIANCE A WARNING.

L Ii j. q 1II
growing membership in North caro-
lima. In some counties II Is as Sllo'i5
in numbers as the Farmers Alllahce
was in 1890. The Alliance promised
to do great good. 1t Waged a success
full war on the bagging rus ana was
growing powerful enough TO Nofh
many reforms when it elected Marion
Butler and other self-SeekinG pontl-
clans 10 high office. instead OF trying
to make the Alliance a powerful rae
tor to help the farmers, these pollti-
cal S~elf-seeking members OF The ALI
ance devoted all their energies to et-
fecting Il fusion with. h Repuplcah
party. Result: the Alliance principles
were lost sight of; Alliance men were
inyeigled into voting for the Repub-
lican party and bad government, and
the self-seekers got high office by be
travail Of the trust committed TO them.
The experience Of the Alliance is Il
warning to the Farmers Union. Its
officers in North Carolina are deeply
concerned about political matters that
interest farmers and are sounding the
note of warming TO any who would
like to betray it for Office. The Car
olina Union Farmer thus gives the
view Of the officers Of the Union on
this matter:
Let No Politician Ride the Union.
LAS this is campaign year it is none
too soon for the Carolina Farmer to
gently warn the membership Of the
Farmers Union against the politician
who attempts to ride the organization.
And we might as well go further and
say that anybody is a politician who
runs for a political office, or permits
his friends to ruin him. And this
leads us up to what we intended to
say, and that ia, that all politicians
are not on the outside Of the Farm
ers' Union. 1t would be impossible
to acquire a membership OF $4,000 or
80, 900 IN his State without getting
have political aspirations and 1t IS
the fellows on the inside that you
must watch, especially those whom
YOU have honored with official posi-
tons In the Farmers Union. Our
constitution wisely provides that no
ma holding a political office ear hold
office in the Farmers Union. Watch
your county and State officials, and if
o see one Of them manifeSting any
jn~clination to run for "a political office
tell him to resign and give place for
somebody that thinks more OF the
Farmers Union than he does of po-
l1tical office. Understand that any
member of the Union las as much
light to run for office as u member
OF the Masons, Woodmen, q Eel
lows, or any other order. but in face
Of the fact that other splendid farm
efS' organizations have been led to I'M
timely graves by their officials enter
ing the t13TTDnjI of nnijfjac il Wn16N'T
by creditable. it wouldn't Indicate the
light Kind Of loyalty, and it would be
= violation OF the spirit, If not the
letter OF the constitution Of the Farm
efS' Union, for any man who holds
an important official position to run
for a political office even after resign
ing his official position in the Union,
for 1t WOuld be clearly widen that he
would be using the prominence his
official position in the Union gave
him TO advance his own selfish politi-
cal ambition. AS long as the Farmers
Union uses its potent and cohesive
force to get what it wants out Of the
politicians after they are elected, 1t
can be a powerful factor in shaping
legislation that will give the farm
ers a square deal. That kind Of poll
ties has not hurt other business organ
cations and will not hurt the Farm
ers' Union, but il our membership
should ever permit the organization to
go into politics in the sense of electing
men TO political office the Farmers
Union viii speedily disintegrate and
lose its cohesive force. as it's prede-
cessors have done. Let us continue to
cooperate with the politicians after
they are elected to get wha we want.
They will be glad to cooperate with
Us all right, as long as We maintain
Il compact, practical business organi-
cation Of farmers. Again. we repeat
his warnings: Watch q county or
State official Of the Farmers Union
who attempts, either directly or lndi-
1ectly, to use the Union to get him
self elected to political Office