Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-01-30
lIcallng or u Farmer Party

A NEW defense OF the agricultural bloc
~ In the House and Senate has been Of
fered--a fresh justification for this inter
party organization which now virtually
dominates the Congress OF the United
States. The bloc we now informed,
has been created and is held together for
the purpose Of preventing persuasive agi-
,ators from founding new political party
In the country, party which might play
havoc with the old organizations. par,icu-
larly the party in power.
Leaders of the bloc and virtually all mem
bers of il. regard themselves as leaders,
realizing the desperate plight of the great
mass OF agriculturists. are. and for months
have been. fearful lest the farm bureaus.
the oranges. the leagues and other farmer
organizations might unite in an appeal to
their followers TO go into active politics.
found party of their own and through it
demand relief from the Federal govern
mcnt.
These leaders have no difficulty i'm recall
ing the power acquired thirty odd years ago
by the Farmers Alliance. middle of-the
road party, which aroused enough enthusi-
assn at the time among the farming folks to
seize political control in State after State
Governors and Legislatures were elected,
Representatives and even Senators were
sent to Washington. and Republican and
Democratic politicians alike were in a state
OF panic through large part OF the South
and West
The Farmers Alliance was absorbed, how
ever. into the Populist party, a party whose
power began to wane when fine Democratic
organization in 1896 took most OF the Popu-
lists into camp on the silver issue. The
third party barely survived that campaign
and soon thereafter dissolved
More recently the country has observed
the rise and fall OF the Nonpartisan League.
another agrarlan political move This or
ganizatton for II time either controlled out
right or held the balance OF power OF half n
dozen Middle Western States and might
nave thrived indefinitely IL it's scheme OF
state socialism had succeeded The North
Dakota experiment collapsed, however, and
the Nonpartisan League al the present time
is practically extinct except in name
True II is that the farmer organizations
do not endure and rarely do more than make
n great show OF strength In one or two sue
cessive campaigns, but while they last they
terrorize candidates for office on the old
party tickets That fact, II may safely be
assumed is responsible for the alarm felt
by certain members OF the present agricul-
tural bloc over the possibility OF fresh
drive on the part of the agraran forces for
political domination.
il is easy to understand for example, how
Kenyon might look with dismay upon the
possible formation of farmer partv in
Iowa. "A party which could easily DESTROY
him II II did nothing moro. The same is
true or Capper, OF Kansas. and a number OF
other Senators who represent agricultural
States and who recall the fate OF old-line
candidates in other days who were re-
turned TO private life through the activity
OF third-party organizations
To escape such IA possibility in the pres
cnt situation 'blockers" arc perhaps showing
a degree OF political astuteness They arc
seeking to convince the farmers that the
agricultural interests are in safe hands. and
to prove by results that no third party is
necessary