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About The farmers' alliance. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1889-1892 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 23, 1890)
THE FARMERS' ALLIANCE: LINCOLN, NEB., SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1890. THE ALLIANCE. ?OJS3 EVERY SATUJBAY T THB LLIADCE PUBLISniHG GO. Lincoln, - Nebraska. 4..DURR0WS, : : V Editor. VL THOMPSON, Business Manager. In the beauty mt the lillies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in his besom That transfigures you and me. as He strove to make men holy Let us strive to make men tree, Since God is marching on." Julia Ward Howe. Laurel crowns cleave to deserts, And power to him who power exerts." "A ruddy drop of manly blood The surging sea outweighs." Emerson. He who cannot reason is a fool, He who will not reason is a coward, He who dare not reason is a slave." EDITORIAL. Independent State Ticket. Governor, JOHN H. POWERS, of Hitchoock "Lieutenant Governor, WM. H. DECH, of Saunders. Secretary of State, C. N. MAYBERRY, of Pawnee. 8tate Treasurer, J. V. WOLFE, of Lancaster. Attorney General, J. W. EDGERTON, of Douglas. Auditor, JOHN BATIE, of Wheeler. Commissioner of Public Lands and Buildings, W. F. WRIGHT, of Nemaha. Superintendent of Public Instruction, PROF. A. D'ALLEMAND.of Furnas. Independent Congressional Ticket. "For Cong-re 88 First Congressional District. HON. C H. VAN WYCK, f Otoe. For Congress Second Congressional District. W. A. McKEIGHAN, of Webster. Tor Congress Third Congressional District CAPT. O. M. KEM. of Custer. Lancaster County Independent Ticket. State Senators. J.M.THOMPSON. J A 8. G.TAYLOR. Representatives, ELI AS BAKER. W. S. DEMAREE. I. F, DALE. J. F. EGGER. ROBT. MCALLISTER. Commissioners. L. S. GILLICK. AUGUST ANDERSON. D. A. STOCKING. County Attorney. . N.Z. SNELL. THE FARMERS ALLIANCE. Publishbd Weekly by the AlliancePnlsliiDiCo. J. BURROWS, Editor. J. M. THOMPSON, Bus. Mg'r. SUBSCRIPTION $1.00 PER YEAR. INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. OB FIVE SUBSCRIPTIONS, IN ONE ORDER ONE YEAR FOR $4.00. The Alliance is the official organ of the State Alliance. It is conducted solely in the interest of the farmers and laboring men of the state. It is abso lutely fearless and untrammeled in the discussion of all questions. IT AC CEPTS NO CORPORATION PAT RONAGE. ITS EDITORS HAVE NO TREE PASSES, AND ITS OPINIONS ARE NOT FOR SALE AT ANY PRICE, In the abbve particulars it is a new departure in Nebraska journal ism. We confidently appeal for support to all who can appreciate the value of such a paper. SPECIAL XOTICE. The most important political cam paign ever made in Nebraska is about to open. On the one side will be ar rayed the farmers and laborers of the state; on. the other the corporations and their henchmen, and the newspapers which for years have prostituted their columns to the uses of corporations. The Alliance will be the special or gan of the farmers and their society in the contest. Not only should every Alliance man take the paper himself. but he should aid in extending it to those who are not yet members. To enable our members to so extend it, we offer it, IN CLUBS OF TEN, TILL JANUARY 1st, 18 1, FOR 30cts. PREMIUMS. The Alliance one year, and Look- ,un Backward, postpaid $1.30 Ditto and Labor and Capital by Kellogg .'..1.10 Ditto and Caesar's Column 1,25 Ditto and Our Republican Mon archy by Venier Voldo 1.10 The above books for sale at this of fice, or sent postpaid as follows: Looking Backward. 50 cts. Caesar's Column . . . 50 cts, Labor and Capital... 20 cts. Our Republican Monarchy 25 cts Address, t Alliance Pub. Co., Lincoln, Neb. Still the Bee goes on day after day and utters no word for the Benton-Rich-ards railroad ticket. Perhaps it is wait ing to ride to victory in a final charge. If so it may wait top long. The people's ticket seems to be composed of fighting material, and is forcing the fight all along the line. The Bee must hurry up or there will be no people left to recruit from. - 23f Mr. Kose water descends from his dignified perch just long enough to asso ciate the names of Powers, Butler and Burrows in his editorial columns. We admit we have not wasted any politeness on the Bee, but we have not done any thing to justify such a gratuitous insult. As for Mr. Powers, no worse stab could be given ; him than to intimate that he is friendly to or supported by Butler. The New York Central Strike. The great strike which originated on the New York Central road, seems . to be spreading and becoming more inten sified. The strike was brought about by the managers of the road. They be gan to systematically discharge leading Knights of Labor, and substitute in their places men who did not belong to the order. They repudiated all rights of seniority in length of service, and often times substituted men of inferior abili ty and skill for the Knights whom they displaced. In short the N. Y. Central railroad inaugurated a warfare upon the K. of L. as an organization, and that society had the alternative pre sented of either going to the wall or re taliating by a strike, the strike being for the maintenance of its existence. It is unfortunate that the issue of the strike seems at present uncertain. This is owing to the needless defects of th labor organizations. The K. of L. is made up of members of all trades. The trades unions, the Brotherhood of Loco motive engineers, the Firemen's union, etc.etc.,are made up of members of spe cial callings. There is not necessarily any harmony of action among them. Either all should be K, of L., and so amenable to one head and able to act as a unit, or each should belong to his own union, and the unions should be united in a representative body under a smaller executive committee. Under either of these plans harmony would be secured, and when a strike became necessary it would be a strike of all, and would be successful. As at pres ent constituted the K. of L. seems to be weak in lacking the united support of the other organizations. In this case the right of labor to or ganize is attacked by the best organized capitalistic force of the country. While we fully realize that a strike is unfortu nate at any time, it is justifiable and in fact necessary under such circumstances as these. Until public opinion reaches the point when labor and its interests form the first care and duty of the gov ernment, as it properly should and some day will, labor must fight its own battles, and fight them with the only weapon it has at hand. The incon venience this inflicts upon the public is an important agency in bringing pub lic sentiment to a healthy condition on this subject, Consider for a moment the monstrous inequality between capital and labor as illustrated by the relations between the N. Y. Central railroad and its striking employes. On one hand a cor poration worth hundreds of millions, sharing the sovereignty of the state in its right of eminent domain, granted the franchise of a public highway in perpetuity, organized industrially in the most' perfect manner organized also to control legislatures and enact or repeal laws, and to advise and aid the courts in the execution of them, we see the most complete, the most tyrannical and the most powerful force known to modern society. On the other hand we find a multitude of atoms mere indi- dividual men, necessary to the corpo ration certainly, but with no rights the corporation is bound to respect, or if bound nominally to respect their rights having power enough to practically ig nore them. We find these atoms handi capped with wives and babies and mothers whom a month of idleness will bring to starvation, and thus rendered almost helpless in the hands of their masters. And yet the atoms are the ones who produce the wealth who have created the eapital which the con trollers of the N. Y. Central are turn ing into an engine of oppression who have made possible the power which is saying to these men, " you must not join labor societies you must only as sociate as we say you must be mere dogs amenable to our beck and will." And society looks on and says that some measure must be adopted that will protect the public from the incon veniences of these strikes. Society must open its eyes. Society must say that men who create wealth must share the wealth society must reserve the right to its own public highways society must destroy the un bounded power ;of the corporation or that power will destroy society. Industrial Represntation. -Special interests are constantly ap pealing for recognition. The charge of injustice is being made by the weaker element of our social fabric against the stronger; and the specification under this charge is that the voice of those i i . - weaker elements is not 'heard in our legislative halls that those interests which have money at command not only secure the election of their own representatives to congress and all pub lic positions, but ignore, or worse, vic timize the weaker and poorer classes. There is much more than a grain of truth in these complaints. Our present representative system is a jumble. Let us glance at the first congressional dis trict of Nebraska. Here more perhaps than elsewhere the interests of each are the interests of alL Here there is less diversity of occupation, a smaller range of pursuits than in most congressional districts of nearly its magnitude. But here we have great agricultural inter ests great railroad interests great mercantile interests quite extensive manufacturing interests great banking interests. It will be seen that even in a district in which agriculture forms the chief occupation there is a great variety of interests and occupations. All these have rights and ambitions which should fairly be considered in a commonwealth based upon the principles of equality and justice. Have we ever considered the rarge of qualifications that would be necessary in a4 congressman who would 1 airly represent such a constitu ency? In the first place his attainments would Wed to be colossal. He should be an adept in every business of any magnitude that is carried on in his dis trict. He should be able to enter into and understand the daily lives -and the daily needs of all the various occupa tions of his people. His attainments should not only be unlimited, but his sympathies should be as broad as the geography of his district should em brace all classes of his people and all their industries. The mere statement of this necessity is sufficient proof of the impossibility of complying with it. A generation pro duces very few such men. What are the usual facts as to the se lection of a congressman? Why, some ambitious young man, who has proba bly achieved some money, inhales the intoxicating nectar of Ambition. He may have as little real knowledge of the qualities required or the services demanded as a boy of ten. But he has a very practical idea as to how to get there. He truckles to the leading inter estshe fixes a few leading committee men, and is nominated. The party cry is raised, and the party lash is applied, and he is elected. The dominant inter ests, the money power and the railroad power, use him to secure what they want or prevent what they don't want, and the people, the weaker part of so-" ciety, the men who labor and produce and pay taxes, are unrepresented. In justice grows where justice should pre vail. Murmurings of discontent are heard free institutions are impeached, and men begin to look at unusual meth ods for relief from evils which should be, but alas are not, also unusual. The lobby is an acknowledged and es tablished institution. To what does it owe its origin and continued existence? To the natural desire, in fact the need of special interests being represented in the halls of Congress and the legisla tures. These interests, seeing that the regular members are not their friends, or may be are their actual enemies, pay special agents to go to legislative halls to secure measures they want, or pre vent the passage of those they don't want. These agents are irresponsible, often greedy, unscrupulous and corrupt. They exist by virtue of the fact that our representative system does not repre rent. Is there a remedy? There certainly must be, and it will probably be found in the result of the spontaneous and natural effort to get away from the evils of this faulty system, or in other words, in adopting the remedy the people have adopted, viz.: the lobby. Let us adopt a system of industrial representation. Let our representation be based upon organized industries, instead of geogra phy and population alone. Let a state send a certain number of representa tives, according to population, but let those be apportioned among the orga nized industries of that state. Let the bankers have a member, let the farmers have a member, let the different trades and industries have members, let the railroads- have a member. Let every organized industry with sufficient num bers to entitle it to representation have its member of Congress. Let these or ganized industries pay their own mem bers, and retain them in their service as long or as short a time as they please. This is an outline of the proposition for industrial representation. We ask our readen to think about it,' and we will recur to it again. We Want Harmony. It is plainly apparent to every news paper reader that the partisan press of Nebraska is making a mighty effort to create discord in the independent farm ers' and laborers' ranks. Every issue of the Omaha Bee and other papers of its ilk contains sarcastic squibs about the disaffection of some set of farmers, Knights of Labor, or other supposedly i ndependent sympathizers. Every can didate is misquoted and misrepresented. Alliance and independent meetings are ridiculed, and a liberal supply of "hisses and groans " are inserted in their re ports where it is supposed they will do the most good. This organization for instance didn't get its share of the of fices, or that county was snubbed There are a thousand and one ways in which they expect to work the sympa thetic racket. We have only to look into the motive of these editors to be quickly undeceiv ed. They would have you desert ticket made up of farmers and laborers. to vote for bankers, money loaners and lawyers. Will we again allow ourselves to be deceived into voting for men whose only business in life is to get rich at our expense? How often have these same oily promises been breathed in our ear, and this same magnificent platform put up for us to read? What matters if we did not all get our first choice in the independent convention, does the railroad ticket offer us better than, we have? For once in our lives let us bury spite and revenge and bick erings and march to victory under our own banners. Independent Headquarters. The Independent State Central Com mittee has opened headquarters rooms at No. 1034 P Street, where all friends of the good cause are requested to call when in the city. The able Secretary of the Committee, Mr. C. H. Pirtle, a young farmer of Saunders County, will be found at the rooms at all times, ready to do all he can in the good work, and to him all correspondence should be addressed. The address of the Chairman of the second district Congressional Central Committee is Francis Phillips, Box 992, Hastings, Nebraska. Lying Reporteus. The . reporter for the Bee stated that at the Lancaster Co. prohibition convention held at Lincoln on Saturday last a Mr. Wikoff said that lie had consulted Mr. Burrows and other independents, and they objected to the endorsement of the independent ticket. Now the fact is that Mr. Burrows' name was not once mentioned in that conven tion. Of what value to the public is a paper that will permit its reporters to publish such lying statements. Jim Boyd'f Speech. When the would-be democratic gov ernor of Nebraska received the nomina tion he made a speech, and in that speech he gave voice to the old time delusion of the moss-backed rock rooted. He said: "On account of the present political situa tion, the distinction jou have shown me may nor d, as heretofore, a Darren compuinent, for I believe that by bard work and united effort, our hopes will end in full fruition and the entire democratic ticket can be elected. Mr. Boyd may derive some consola tion by hugging the above idea to his withered breast. It is based on two fundamental errors, the first of which is the idea that the democratic party is in any sense a party of reform, and the second is that the present revolt from party rule is confined to the republican party. The first error is cherished by the moss-back leaders who strive to hold their followers together by the pretensions that the democratic party is the only organized reform farty. Nothing is further from the truth. The corporate influences of this country, as far as parties are concernedjhave moved forward side by side on converging lines. In a democratic state they have been democratic, in a republican state they have been republican, but they have been the same corporate influences in all cases. Under those influences the two parties long since practically came together. There was no test of membership and no political creed which would debar any man from en tering either party until Mr. Clevaland had managed to stumble through near ly the first three years of his ad minis tration. Then, anxious for some kind of a battle cry with which to go into the next campaign, he took up tariff reform as agaiast the high protective idea, and managed in the next session of congress to develop a claim for eight per cent less robbery by the tariff. But he failed to carry a solid party with him, and the day never yet has dawned on congress when there was not enough democrats present from protection dis tricts to make the high tariff cranks sure of a majority for the plutocratic manufacturers. The lapse of time only more fully demonstrates that the tariff is a local issue, as Gen. Hancock said it was. It is a war of interests outside of party lines, and a disorganizing ele ment as far as party diciplineis con cerned. Mr. Cleveland demonstrated, by the publication of his silver letter before his inauguration, that the plutocratic power represented by the gold bugs and Wall street had its clutches on the dem ocratic party the same as it had on the republican, and was ready to assume possession at any time it might become necessary. If Mr. Boyd thinks that the present revolt from party rule is confined to the republican party he is greatly mistaken. The ranks of the independent move ment are filled with democrats as well as republicans, in fair proportion to the relative strength of the parties That these democrats will desert the movement at the call of men like Boyd on the mere promise of a victory which would be barren of results for the farm ers, is another gross delusion which the fourth day of November will dissipate No sane man or set of men will go to the democratic party for relief from cor porate domination. That party is quite as much the party of the plutocrats as is the republican. That party ignores the most vital issues of the day ignores them practically by assuming the tariff to be the leading issue, when in fact it is one of the most nuimportant. If Mr Boyd hopes to ride into power on a popular wave of discontent which he has had no hand in encouraging, and which he has made no attempt to re lieve, he will be a sadly disappointed man on the first Tuesday in November. THREE GREAT CROPS. There are three great crops raised in Nebraska. One is a crop of corn, one a crop of freight rates, and one a crop of interest. One is produced by farmers who by sweat and toil farm the In nd. The other two are produced for men who sit in their offices and behind their bank counters and farm the farmers. The corn is less than half a crop. The freight rates will produce a full average. The interest crop, however, is the one that fully illus trates the boundless resources and pros perity of Nebraska. When corn fails the interest yield is largely increased. When cholera takes the hogs and murrain the cattle when the hot simoon turns our lovely prairies into a burning desert, a compensation is found in the additional yield of interest. The bread of the into rest-farmers never falls butter side down. The interest plant is a dry-weather plant, a wet weather plant and a cold weather plant. It never folds its petals. It thrives best on the poorest soils. It grows at night as well as in the day. It is bv nil odds the safest, surest and most produc tive crop raised in this state. We have the best banking, system the world ever saw. Nebraska is a great state. Long live the g. o. p., and long wave the crop of interest. Before and After. The following extracts are taken from the Omaha Bee, aud illustrates what a consistent jewel Rosey is: BEFORE. According to a Fre montf paper. Richards, the gentleman who holds friendiv rela tions with the Fremont E 1 k horn & Missouri AFTER. It is the 6tronjre8t ticket that could have been put up, and will draw all elements of the party to its ever lasting- and hearty Valley railroad Co . ip support Omaha Bee, the unanimous choiceiin effect, two days of the anti-monopoly winir of the ivtrtv. after the convention. Omaha Bee. in effect. a! week before the con vention. RAILROAD COMBINE! Lincoln. July& 1890 special. An infa mous railroad combi nation nas been dis covered, and the ftnti- inonopoims are in a rasre. The corpora tions are determined to nominate Jack Mc Coll for srovernor, Tom bentoti for auditor, and George Hastings of Crete, a railroad at torney, for attorney general. It is outrage ous. Omaha Bee. in effect, one day before convention. Farm Mortgages in Nebraska and Kansas. The Farmers'' Alliance of Kansas has just made a report of the result of an investigation instituted for the purpose of ascertaining how many members of the body have mortgaged their homes, how many are renters, and how many hold their property free from incum brance. Out of 73,000 farms heard from, they find that 45,000 are mort gaged to the aggregate amount of $146,- 563,134, and that of the whole number only 7,500 are unincumbered. Twenty- one thousand and seven hundred are occupied by renters, mostly men who were originally owners of farms and have lost them by the foreclosure of the mortgages on them. The estimated number of farms in Kansas is 270,000, of nearly four times the number report ed to the Alliance. We are considerably surprised that Gen. E. F. Test, who was appointed, with a great blare of trumpets, to su pervise the investigation of the mort gages of Nebraska, does not make some kind of a report. We have been waiting anxiously for the details of the mortgage statistics from some representative counties. Some enterprising gentlemen in Saline kind ly furnished the official statistics of that county; but neither Mr. Test nor the press representatives of the money power would condescend to take any notice of these figures. The Alliance is ready to match any figures these gen tlemen may present with figures from the official records, showing that tne Alliance statements in regard to the matter were far within the mark. The Wahoo New Era says the farmers of Saunders county are paying interest on $3,695,000, and that the interest account is $300,000 a year. Saunders is one of the best counties in the state. With the figures of Saline and Saunders coun ties as a basis, our mortgage debt would be nearer $200, 000, 000 than $150,000,000, the amount claimed by the Alliance memorial. Trot out your official sta tistics, Mr. Test. ' The Lists are Made Up. The lists of men from which the peo ple must select their next state officers are made up. No others need apply. And no matter how greatly any num ber of voters may have preferred to vote for other men no matter '.ov strongly large numbers of them may be convinced that the wrong men have been selected and wrong influences used in their selection, they have no redress. Tney are circumscribed in their choice to the nominees of these three conven tions. While there may possibly be a difference as to which of the few select ed ones may get there, some of them are bound to be the winning men. Is this system as it should be? Is this all the latitude that a state com posed of freemen should be allowed in the selection of its chief officers? We believe not; and we are happy in the be lief that the Australian ballot law to be passed next wjnter will change it all. When that law is passed) if it is left as it should be, a comparatively small number of citizens can name a candi date for governor, or any other office, and have his name placed on the official ballot. That this provision, if properly enacted, will destroy the domination of the convention system there can be no doubt. It is the corruption and demor alization of the convention system that has corrupted and demoralized the poli tics of the country . If the leaders of a party knew that a small minority of a state convention could legally put a candidate for governor before the peo ple, it would be more careful how it tried to hoodoo the voters with a boodler or a corporation capper. It is import ant that the Australian ballot law should be thoroughly studied by our people before next winter, so that they will know exactly what they want. An organized effort is to be made to make it applicable only to cities of a cer tain class. This must be obstinately met. We want it for every precinct in the state. If a pure ballot and freedom in making nominations is good for the city it is good for the country also. Hon. J. V. Wolfe's Legislative Record. Quietly and insidiously stories are being circulated to the effect that Hon. J. V. Wolfe was a copperhead during the war, and when a member of the In diana legislature. The vileness to which republican politicians will resort is well illustrated in this case. At the time Mr. Wolfe was a member of the lower house of the Indiana legislature, one Simeon K. Wolfe, of Harrison county, in the extreme southern part of the state, was a member of the sen ate. This Simeon K. Wolfe wasr to draw it mild, quite a radical in re gard to the war, and a bitter opponent of Gov. Morton. Now, the political op ponents of our Mr. Wolfe have taken the Journal of the senate, and exhibited the record of S. K. Wolfe, for that of J. ,V. Wolfe, representative, thus trying to prove that the latter was a worthless man and a rebel sympathiser. We have before us the Journal of the house of representatives of Indiana for 18G2, the year in which Mr. J. V.Wolfe was a member. We have examined the record of his votes, and of the bills in troduced by .him'f; and we assert that this record sIiqws conclusively that he was a loyal and patriotic union man. If this vile attempt to o back nearly thirty years and blacken the reputation of one of our best citizens is persisted in, of course we shall copy from this record sufficient proof to successfully controvert it. But we do not consider this necessary now. We have hoped that the campaign would be one of principle, not one of mud-slinging. But if the railroad tools want to engage in the latter pastime thev can be accommodated. 2?-" Richards must be elected at any cost." Kearney Enterprise. That's about the size of it. The barrel is tipped up and editor Smith is holding his hat under the bung and praying that "any cost" may mean half a million. NEBRASKA STATE ALLIANCE. The condition, success and prospects of the Farmers' Alliance of this state are matters for sincere congratulation among its members. Hardly any adjoining state has escaped a wrangle on some important matter. There has been no wrangle of any kind in Nebraska. Hardly any other state has attempted business operations on a large scale without some difficulty occurring in its business matters. There has been no hitch, no irregularity and no trouble of any kind in the business affairs of the Nebraska Alliance. Hardly any other state has escaped trouble in its own financial management, or difficulty in the collection of its dues. From the for mation of the Alliance in Nebraska to the present time there has not been an irregularity to the extent of a penny in its financial affairs. It has had an abun dance of money in its treasury to meet all proper demands, and instead of call ing upon its members for assessments the management has been able to remit dues for hah a year, thus leaving a large sum in the local treasuries to bo expended in any way the subordinate Alliances please. The books of the Secretary-Treasurer are open to inspection any day the disposi tion of every dollar received can be pro perly shown, and every dollar that should be on hand will be found safely invested with interest accruing to the Alliance treasury. The Chairman of the Executive Com mittee, who has had an important share in the control of the finances, and the Treasurer who has had charge of the funds, are justly proud of this showing. At the same time they fully realize that the situation is no 'different from what every member has a right to expect. Our State Agency, as it continues to gain the confidence of our members, is extending its operations, and bids fair to become in time one of the largest institu tions in the state. The prominent feature of it is, that it is an agency for the bene fit of Alliance members. It is not run to make money for anybody but its patrons The larger its business the smaller will be the per cent of expense, and conse quently the smaller the commissions to be charged for work. Not a dollar of Alii ance money is invested in the business, the agency plan being strictly adhered to We have given the above brief outline to meet the inuendoes and flings that are sure to be made by the enemies of the Alliance at such a time as the present. We wish it to be distinctly understood that the State Farmers' Alliance is one institution, and the people's independent movement is another and entirely differ ent institution, and that their political and business affairs are not blended in any manner. INDEPENDENT CLUB. We give the following form for an agreement for an Independent Club. In localities where there is no other organi zation these clubs should be formed. As fast as they are formed send the names and P. O. address to this office, so that they can be made the medium for distri buting missionary matter in the cause of the people: W e the undersigned do hereby organ ize ourselves into a society to be called the... Independent Club. Our objects are: 1. To investigate and discuss political and economic subjects. 2. To work for political reforms, such as the free and unlimited coinage of sil ver, the Australian ballot system, tariff reduction, land reform, and government control of railroads. 3. To break down partisan prejudices, and give support to principles rather than party. 4. To support the Independent Move ment in so far as its principles are sound, its policy wise, and its candidates pure and honorable men. Our officers shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Ex eoutive Committee. Name. P. O. Address. Blanks of the above form, neatly print ed on writing paper, ready for signatures will be sent from this office on receipt of ten cents. The Democratic State Convention. The convention that nominated Jim Boyd for governor was a hoodlum con vention. A gathering that would not permit such a gentleman and democrat as Hon. C. H. Brown to read a set of resolutions was composed of something beside the usual democratic filling, which is always in favor of fair play. The wheel-horses of democracy which have so many times led the great un washed to glorious defeat, like Morton, Poppleton, Savage, Miller, and a .host of other leaders, were conspicuous by their absence. The whisker-crowd of Omaha ran the concern. Ou the prohi bition question its actio"n?while the on ly thing to be expected from a crowd made that way, was a great mistake. On the question of prohibition the inde pendents are satisfied to let every man vote his own conviction uninfluenced by any party declarations. Of the in dependents many are for it and many against it. The independent conven tion realized that it was a subject upon which no agreement could be made. Independeuts can vote on prohibition as they please, and so can republicans. But no democrat can vote the amend ment without going counter to a plain declaration of the democratic platform. The Omaha hoodlum convention made opposition to the amendment a cardinal principle of democracy. There are no doubt many democrats who are prohi bitionists. The only resource of these men is to vote the independent ticket. None other but a hoodlum convention would so needlessly put its foot in it. It has antagonized that portion of the people who think that morality x and progress are identical with temperance reform and has not propitiated a vote of any other element. Democracy, good-bye, good-bye. God's illimitable forces are not private property; they belong to humanity. A SPECIAL PRIVATE PREMIUM FOR THE LARGEST CLUB BY NOVEMBER 1st. We have received the following offer of a private premium from some well. known breeders of thorough-bred hog for the largest club of campaign subscri bers sent to this office by Nov. 1st. Tho letter was accompanied by a good list: Kearney, Neb., Aug., 1890. Editor Farmers' Alliance: I havo taken a few subscriptions for The Alli ance, and I find that every subscriber is soon converted into an Alliance worker after reading The Farmers' Allianck a few times. Therefore I think tho moro subscribers we have for the paper tho better it will be in the Novemlier elec tion. Therefore Ave will make the follow ing proposition : To the largest club raiser for The Farmers' Alliance to January 1st, 1891, at 30 cts each, we will give one Poland China Boar Pig, eligible, to record, worth at least tl5,00,(farrowcd in April.) The timein whice the club i to be raised is from now to Nov. 1st, DO, and we will leave it to Bro. Burrows to decide who is entitled to the pig, and to notify us and the lucky man. BISCHEL BROS. Names will le received on the abovo premium at any time; but persons in tending to compete for it should notify us with the first list sent in. Any reduc tion on club rates hereafter made will ex tend to all alike. Ed. Alliance. PIC NIC AT PLATTE CENTER. Tho Independents of Platte and ad joining counties came out to tho numltcr of three thousand five hundred to enjoy a grand pic nic near Platte Center Aug. 12. Long processions came in from all points of the compass with banners Hying. Two bands were present ami good sing ingfurnished. Mr. J. W. Edgerton, can didate for Attorney General, spoke for an hour before dinner. He impressed his audience as a thinker and orator, and honest man, and made many friends. Ho will help the independent cause greatly wherever he goes. The local candidate came to the front after dinner, ami con firmed the impression that the Indepen dents had made the customary "blunder of selecting substantial level-headed farmers for the legislature. I predict they will do no discredit to their constit uents. Mr. Kern's address was the great est and most highly applauded effort of the day. He spoke for one hour and a half, discussing the situation and the is sues in a manner that astonished the ieo ple who had come to hear a "elod-bop-her," and a "pauper " at that. His ad dress was replete with logic ami common sense, and was lightened by his peculiar humor and pathos. His discussion of tho money and tariff issues showed that thero can be no doubt of his reform attitude. Ho handled these- questions without gloves, and by so doing made hundreds of friends. The situation in this part of the state is very encouraging. The farmers are fol lowing Mr. Kern's advice by raising les corn and more politics. We intend to force the fighting until the victory is won in November. Hayseed. tIt appears that Dorsey has spent a moiety of his $10,000 campaign fund in buying a democratic convention in tho third district. The demo-assistant re publicans have placed themselves at hi service by nominating a fourth-rate law yer of Grand Island for congress. Not only a lawyer, but a chattel-mortgage, fiend and money shark as well. He an swers Richards' requirement also in not being a pauper, having no farm to mort gage, and preferring to receive instead of give such documents. His name is said to be Thompson. We presume he took the nomination on the same priucip'o that Toodles bought the door-plate at auction. "You know, wife," said Ton dies, "we might have a daughter, and she might marry a man named Thomp son, and then this door-plate would so handy to have in the house." The Alliance men of the third district will tumble to this democratic-thorn psou business in good shape, and will all votn for Kern. Lightning. Editor Alliance: Lightning rod agents are. working Cass county, teach ing the farmers something for a big price. If you see fit you may warn your readers not to sign any contract that they do not thoroughly understand, and not to take a stranger's word for an at king. It may save a good many dollars to some of your readers. Respectfully vours, P. W. Nickel. We vvill add to the above that the or dinary house lightning rod is not worth a cent, and we would not allow one put on a building of ours if the rod man would do it for nothing. The insur ance men care nothing for lightning rods. tr?TThe Lincoln Herald says: "The editor that can accept Richards and Allen and Hastings and Humphry and then kick at Benton draws the line at en tirely too tine a point for the average man to see." Don't you, know Bro. Calhoun, that the editors who were the loudest anti- monops before the convention don't even draw tho line at Benton. That little Smith of the Kearney Fnterprise, for instance. He took the whole nasty mess at one gulp without a spasm. Well, there's no accounting for tastes, and some fellows like crow anyway, for a regular diet. tW The loon who edits the Kearney Enterprise thinks Mr. Burrows is a cau- lidate. He has his name standing in hi editorial columns, with an ornamental border around it. Some one ought to show him the people's ticket. He has no wit to waste on non-combatants. JSS?" The Wahoo Wasp, alluding to ongressman Connell, says it "speaks 'or his record and not for the man." All right. Let's elect his record to Congress ind keep the man at home. A man who speaks for a measure and votes against it s n't much of a man. Subscribe fo.i the Farmers' Alli ance.