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the
aitncr - Messenger*
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
-BY
A. EX)»ATT KTIX1.
Now that von Moltke is gone, Gen.
Canrobert tells his countrymen that
they possess the greatest of living strat¬
egists in the person of their own chief
of staff, Gen. Mirabel.
The number of heads struck off in
the Empire of China for one cause or
another will average, believes the De¬
troit Free Press, over thirty per day
the year ’round, but it is only in iso¬
lated cases that anything like a crowd
turns out, or the papers make any
mention of the circumstance.
The Brazilian Government recently
appointed a committee to examine into
the financial situation of Brazil. It
has reported that there is no danger,
so far as Brazil is concerned, of a
commercial or financial crisis. They
recommend the maintenance of the
system requiring customs duties to be
paid in gold.
Says the St. Louis Star sayings:
“The report showing that within a
comparatively short period 43 mail
clerks have been killed, and 479 seri¬
ously injured while in the execution
of duty, shows with what great risk
to life and limb men in this branch of
the Government service earn their
email salaries. It is gratifying to
learn that arrangements are being
made to insure the work being a trifle
less hazardous.”
The Boston School Board is exer¬
cised about tlie use of pet names, and
has taken steps to have them erased
from the registers of the public
schools. It seems that more than one
hundred of the women teachers in the
Boston public schools are officially
recognized by their pet names, such as
Kittie, Bessie, Mollie, Tillie, Girtie,
Tudie, Clemmie and the like. The uew
rule declares that they shall ha called
liter weai name* future.
names” given to children do well
enough in the home, but they lead to
annoyance and impertinence later on
in life.
Some nine thousand girls all over
the country belong to the Girls’
Friendly Society, an association to
promote friendship among girls. It
is semi-religious, of English origin,
founded in 1875 by Mrs. Townsend,
its present President The first
American branch was planted in Low¬
ell, Mass.,and now there is a G. F. S.
in nearly every Episcopal parish in
the country. To become a member a
girl must be a communicant of the
Episcopal Church, pay one or five
cents a month and have a good charac¬
ter. Such character being lost, the
snember must forfeit her card.
The Hungarian government is try¬
ing a very interesting experiment in
vine culture. As it has been found
that the phylloxera does dot attack
vines growing in sandy soil, it has
been decided to plant with vines the
Delliblat saud region between Del
liblat and the Danube, and to establish
there 3000 families of vine dressers.
Huts will be erected for these colon¬
ists at government expense, and each
family will receive about $50 for a
year, until the vine products become
remunerative. A railway will be con¬
structed from the vineyards to Ver
schitz, where the cellars of tho Del¬
liblat wines are to be kept.
Premier John Robson of British
Columbia, in conversation with a Pa
cific 6lope reporter, said, “As next
door neighbors we want reciprocity,
but no unrestricted reciprocity. We
want it as regards raw materials. We
are opposed to unrestricted reciprocity
and commercial union. The latter
we believe would lead to political
union,., which we emphatically oppose.
We believe we have material to build
up as great a country as yours, and
want friendly rivalry. If your Presi¬
dent honors us with a visit we prom¬
ise him sincere and hearty welcome.
I see much in the United States to ad¬
mire, but nothing to covet. You have
achieved nothing in the way of na¬
tional greatness that we caanot
achievo.”
ALLIANCE TALKS.
NEWS OF THE ORDER FROM
ALL SECTIONS.
Items of Interest to , Alliance
men Everywhere.
PRESIDENT POLK ANSWERS A FEW’ QUES¬
TIONS.
We clip the following from the Pro¬
gressive Farmer (Raleigh, N. C.), credited
to the Reform Press Burenu:
Colonel L. L. Polk, President of the
National Farmers’ Alliance and Indus¬
trial Union, was interviewed by the
Reform Press Bureau this week on the
People’s party. When asked for his
opinion of the movement, he remarked:
“Of course I, in common with every in¬
telligent citizen of this country, have my
views as to that conference and its action;
but if I give any expression to them at
all it must be understood that I speak in
my capacity as an individual, and that I
do not speak for the Alliance or any
member of it.”
liut it was published and it is now re¬
ported in the partisan press that you did
write a letter to the Cincinnati confer¬
ence in your official capacity, opposition in which
you express strong to the
third party movement. #
“Yes,” said the colonel, “I am aware
that such a statement is being industri¬
ously circulated by interested parties, but
the truth is I wrote no letter to the Cin¬
cinnati conference. Several prominent
members of our order throughout the
country very naturally addressed to me
letters of inquiry as to my views as to
what would be a proper course of action
by the conference. individual Replying capacity, to these, I
always in my opposed third
neither advocated nor a
party movement. One of these letters, I
learn, was read before the conference.
Of this would I make no complaint objected whatever, if
and not have all my
responses had been read there, for I en¬
tertain no views on great public questions
affecting the people that I am ashamed or
afraid for the world to know.”
In giving his private view of the con¬
vention the colonel, among other things
said: “The friends of reform throughout
the country have no quarrel action with the
Cincinnati Conference. Its was a
surprise to the public generally. There
was a general apprehension in the public
mind that a body so heterogeneous in its
character and representing so many
phases of political thought could in its not be
harmonious or homogeneous action.
The partisan press especially was profuse
in its dire prediction disappointment in this direction;
but the result was a and,
as I said, a surprise to the public, for
never in a deliberative body of its magni¬
tude in this country did more thorough
harmony and accord prevail.
What in your judgment are some of
the most prominent considerations that
will commend the conference to the
friends of reform?
“First, the frank, manly and unequiv¬
ocal expression of its principles and pur¬
poses. There is no dodging or evasion
in its platform. There is no political
twaddle, sentimentalism or sectionalism.
It is pointed, clear and unmistakable.
It does not mean one thing for the South
and another for the North. It deals only
with great, vital issues—issues evolved
by systematic injustice and oppression—
not such as are manufactured by expert
politicians for the temporary purposes of
a political campaign, but issues which
involve principles equality of rights, and those
great of justice on which our
government is founded. These issues
thus formulated and promulgated are
near and dear to the hearts of the great
masses of the American people, and they
will regard with fraternal feeling any
man, or men, who stands by these ques¬
tions as their friends and allies.
To what extent will the farmers of the
South support this movement?
The farmers of the South, in common
with the farmers of the North, East and
West, are common sufferers from a com¬
mon evil, to wit: vicious, partial and
discriminating legislation, which robs the
many to enrich the few, and which has
dwarfed unjustly the rights of the citi¬
zen and magnified unduly the rights of
the dollar. All thinking men must see
that a readjustment of political elements
along new lines is inevitable, and on
which will be arrayed on the one side the
corporate and money power of the East,
and on the other the people of the great
agricultural sections of the Northwest
and South. The thinking men of the South
see and realize this. They have suffered
and lost enough through sectional agita¬
tion and division. They feel and believe
that the only hope of the American
farmer is in a cordial,. earnest, honest,
determined, consolidated effort against
the forces which have conspired against
him. They feel that the hour has come
to strike hands with their brethren in
one grand effort to fraternize and re¬
unite the people of the North mighty and South,
and thus create a new and power
that will rescue the country from im¬
pending peril. the They believe that a con¬
flict between money power and the
people is inevitable—that it will be the
most gigantic struggle if they of all history, and
I misjudge them made shall falter when
the issue is up.”
***
PUSHING AHEAD.
The Alliance (Tallahasseee, Fla.) says:
There will be no pause in the rapid
and progressive of this work being of the oil Alliance on
account an grand political
year. The camp fires of the army
of the yeomanry are to be kept burning
all along the line until the ballot boxes
are closed in November, 1892.
Grand rallies have been arranged in
every State and Territory in the Union.
An able corps of orators fresh from the
ranks of the people has been organized,
and they are now in the field to Enlighten
the plniu people on the vital issues of the
day. The days of indifference and leth¬ The
argy people belong to told the the dead past. why they
ore to bo reason
are not prospering. They are to be told
of their oppression, and they Hrc to be
told who are the oppressors. 'J ho people
are to be woke up.
And when they are made to realize
their true condition their indignation
will know no bounds.
When aroused to ihe injustice heaped
upon them, they will rise in the majesty
of their manhood and hurl the tyrants
from the throne. All the wealth of 1)'
will not stay the hand of retributive
justice.
That the money power of this country
has corrupted and bridled the press will
amount tonothing.The combination which
the Florida paatisan press are now making
to train all their artillery on the Affiance
platform for the overthrow of the order
will vanish like mist before the morning
sun, when light and truth find Education lodgment
in the hearts of the people.
is the powerful leverage with which the
Alliance is fighting its battles. The
campaign of the Alliance is one of educa¬
tion and enlightenment. It is not ap¬
pealing to a sentiment nor inflaming the
passions, it is appealing to the cool and
sober judgement of the people for a
verdict and a verdict it is going to have.
The Alliance is poor, has no binlc ac¬
count but it is full of men of pure patriot¬
ism and genuine philanthrophy,men who
have consecrated their all for the allevia¬
tion of their countrymen and posterity.
The fight is aow fairly on and the cam¬
paign will be pushed with vigor and ag¬
gressiveness until the people’s verdict
has been recorded.
* *
*
POINTERS.
The National Economist gives the fol¬
lowing as an “Important Pointer:” The
sub-treasury plan is being hotly contested
Doth North and South, not because it is
the only demand of the Alliance that is
objected to, but for the reason that by
making it prominent an impression can
be made that the balance of the demands
are unobjectionable. good Strange to say,
many members of the Alliance are
led to believe that the politicians as a
rule would be willing to consent toalltha
demands of the Alliance excepting the
sub-treasury plan. This is an error. There
13 but one demand at the outside that
they are in favor of in the whole list.
The Economist suggests that the breth¬
ren cut out the following list of questions
to be sent their congressmen, senators or
other official aspirants for their, answer—
the same to be either a plain yes or no:
1. Do you favor the abolition of
national banks? Yes or no.
2. Do you favor government loans di¬
rect to the people at 2 per cent on land
security? Yes or no.
3. Do you favor government loans di¬
rect to the people on the sub-treasury
plan? Yes or farbr no. increase of
4. Do you an cur¬
rency to $50 per capita? Yes or no.
5. Do you favor the suppression of
gambling in futures by act of congress?
Yes or no.
6. Do you favor the free and unlimited
coinage of silver? Yes or no.
7. Do you favor laws prohibiting alien
ownership of land? Yes or no.
8. Do you favor laws that will take
from railroads, and other corporations
all lands now held in excess of their ac¬
tual wants, and under some equitable
provision place them again in possession
of the government, there to be for actual
settlers only? Yes or no.
9. Do you favor the removal of the
present tariff from the necessaries of life?
Yes or no.
10. Do you favor a graduated income
tax? Yes or no.
11. Do you favor government control
or ownership of railroads? Yes or no.
***
TOE THE MARK.
The Recorder (Madison, Fla.) says:
The hour is at hand when the Alliance of
Florida should set its house in order.
The country has been sufficiently enter¬
tained with professions. The thing now
demanded is sincerity. It will not
answer the needs of the time that a man
is simply on the inside have of the managed Alliance,
for its worst enemies to
get in there. Resort must be had to ex¬
perience meetings; there will have to be
a general shaking ud of the affairs. The
sheep cannot thrive mixed up with the
goats; that’s all wrong and ought not to
be so. To be an Allianceman one must
entertain a faith, he must believe in its
teaching, but not through compulsion by any
means, of his own free and untram¬
melled volition. He should be an ortho¬
dox Allianceman or none at all. The
order does not admit of half breeds. It
wants none other than full bloods. How
wifi you get at this? What shall be the
standard of measurement? The truest
and only test is the Ocala platform.
Let every man toe the mark and
be sized up. We must get together on
this line or not at all. We may differ
on non-essentiul matters, but when it
comes to the Ocala platform, that is
strictly essential and upon it we must be
a unit. But how are we to manage as to
our Democratic allegiances? And just
here is the present stumbling block,
which has been placed in our pathway by
our enemies, and by imposing upon our ig¬
norance appealing to our passions.
Take the Ocala platform and study it
closely, and you will find that it is the
most the complete interests system for the protection
of of the masses of the peo¬
ple that has been submitted to the coun¬
try since the days of Jefferson.
***
WATCH THE PRESS.
Following are some extracts the from a
letter of President Loucks, of South
Dakota Alliance:
“The word has gone out from Wall
street that the Alliance must be destroyed
by whatever means possible. We should
rejoice that tho’ we occasionally find a
Judas the great mast of the membership
nre loyal to our principles an 1 loyal to
our leaders so long as they lead in tho-c
prmcple«, Ono of the dangers we must
guard against is the adinis-ion of the sel¬
fish political schemers who want to use
the Alliance for their own advancement.
U-c the black ball, and when men have
proven untrue to the i obligations expel
them They will scarcely attack your
officers, as every such attempt in the pnst
has proven disastrous to then. Your
loyalty is proverbial. I am more inclined
to think that their chief attack will be on
our press See to it that you sustain
the papers that advocate our advertising principles.
Remember that their best
patronage is cut off when they espouse our
cause. The opposition does will not support them.
a paper that not support
Why should you? It is not wise; it is
not business; it is not even good common house
sense to pay for and take into your
for your family reading the subsidized
plutocratic organ when for the same
money you can have a healthy, intelli¬
gent, progressive, loyal, reform is: press. ‘Look
To sum up my special warning
out. for the press, ‘In time of pe ce pre¬
pare for war,’ by weeding out your
enemies and enthroning your friends.”
***
A POINTED EDITORIAL.
The National Economist under the
head of "Political” says: Never before
has the national house been put in order
for such an early campaign. The recent
Cincinnati conference is, by many of the
partisan papers, icgarded as the signal
gun of an active campaign. This is im¬
portant from an Alliance standpoint, be¬
cause both parties give as a reason for
their early activity that they “are con¬
ducting a campaign of education,” and
that it will take time and money properly this
and legitimately used. The reason
is of great interest to Alliaucemen, and
should receive more than a passing notice
from them, is that the education
proposed by these active parti¬
san papers of both sides is one
in direct antagonism and opposi¬
tion to the principles of the Farmers’
Alliance. With a few exceptions, the
great metropolitan press of the country is
actively opposed to the sub-treasury plan,
the land loan bill, the free coinage of sil¬
ver, ihe government control of railroads
to the extent of ownership if necessary,
and the election of United States senators
by direct vote of the people, and consider
them all subjects to be “educated”
against. In fact, the “machines” of both
patties now pretend, and will continue
to pretend, to love the farmer while the
object of their fight will be centered on
his declared principles.
* *
*
TWO IMPORTANT MEASURES.
The Progressive Farmer says: It seems
certain that the Allianoe can get two of
its measures—the free coinage of silver
and the reform of the tariff—through the
next congress. It seems also certain that
the securing of these two measures would
give the order such prestige with the
country by relieving the situation that it
could demand any other ju9t measure of
reform with the certainty of success.
The vital question just now is, will our
brethren have enough of wise conserva¬
tism to undertake, with might and main,
the things that are possible, or will they
take the unwritten and unspoken risks
of attempting the doubtful? In a
few words, these are the questions
that press for answering now, and
they must be, they will be,
answered, one way or the other, withrn
the next few months. Do we need the
union of all our forces? Do the needs of
the country demand the union of all our
forces? Can we win with disunited and
contending factions? Shall the boast conserv¬ of
atism that has always been the
the farming classes make itself dominant
in the present crisis? We assure our
readers that these are immensely import¬
ant questions. As these questions shall
be answered, so shall it be well or ill with
the alliance movement.
* *
*
CHEERING WORDS FROM MISSISSIPPI.
A dispatch from Durant, Miss., says:
Messrs. Polk, Livingston, Willet and
McDowell h ave just closed a two days’
alliance rally at this place. Never in the
history of the order in Mississippi has such
enthusiasm been created as Livingston,
Polk and others are now producing. Law¬
yers,merchants and politicians are coming
over to the help of the Alliance. The sub¬
treasury plan is clearly and forcibly set
forth, and its advocates believe it is gain¬
ing endorsing ground. Resolutions were adopted
the sub-treasury plan, with
but cluded one dissenting voice. This vote in¬
the entire audience.
* *
*
The Kentucky Farmer says: “When
tho old parties tell you you are for
paternalism refer them to the law allow¬
ing the banker to take his millions of
dollars in gold to the mint and have it
pressed in bars at the expense of the
government to make it convenient to
ship to Europe. Now, why should the
government press the bankers’ gold into
bars for shipment and make the farmer
compress his own cotton when he wants
to ship it to Europe? We want the shoe
put on the other foot for awhile, now—
it will fit better.”
*
jfc »|c
The Rural Home (Wilson, N. C.)says:
“The question is asked frequently of late
what are you going to do about the third
party? Our answer is just what it has
been for the past six months. ‘We shall
stand squarely by our demands.” From
Ocala every allianceman, who is true to
his order, to himself and his country, re¬
ceived his platform of principles, and by
these alone he should stand. It is life or
death ; there can be no half way ground
in this matter. If you love the order and
your through obligations, you will stand by them
weal or woe. No compromisisg
of principles will be made by any true
alliaucemen. ”
WIND AND RAIN
Wreak Death and Disaster in
the Northwest.
A Little Rock, Ark., dispatch of Sat¬
urday says: A destructive storm is re¬
ported in the eastern portion of Critten
den county, some miles from Marion. A.
large urea of country was devastated.
Dwelling* and barns were unroofed and
blown down, fencing carried away and
large patches of timber leveled. Mrs.
Sarah Shadick was struck by a flying A
piece of timber and her neck broken.
stavemaker, named Stanley, was crushed
by falling trees, and two boys, sons of a
millman named Hollinswortb, are miss¬
ing and it is believed were killed.
THE DAMAGE IN KANSAS.
The heavy storms which swept through heard
Kausas Saturday have, as far as
from, done incalculable damage to the
growing crops, At Fort Scott large
dams broke about fifteen minutes after
the storm began, and bottom lands were
completely flooded, houses swept away lives
like straws, and it is feared many
are lost. Many men, women and children
could be seen on the rooftops and in trees
by spectators, but it was impossible to
reach them.
A RAILROAD TRAIN DITCHED.
A Kansas City Star special reports in the a
terrible rain and wind storm
vicinity of Osceola Saturday night.
About six inches of water fell. A pas¬
senger train on the Kansas City, Osceola
and Southern road was ditched three
miles from Osceola, killing the engineer
and a passenger. inches fell
At Emporia three and a half
in three hours. Nearly every cellar in
the town was flooded, and the lower
floors of many houses were covered with
water to the depth of several inches.
Wheat and corn have suffered consider¬
able damage.
HEMMED IN BY WATER.
A dispatch from Peoria says: Addi¬
tional particulars of the flood which
washed out Farm Creek and Copperas
creek valleys verify the first reports of
heavy damages. The people on the
Fon du Lac were completely hemmed in
by the angry waters. Farmers for five
or six miles up the river and a mile and a
half back to the hills have lost all their
crops. In many places the water is stand¬
ing 9 feet deep over the cornfields. Along
the Toledo, Peoria and Western road
is a terrible scene of wreckage. The
household furniture.of the people in
Farmdale and Hilton was all washed
away. China, baby carriages, wagons,
dead cattle, pianos, tables and fences
are piled ten feet high against railroad
testles. The iron bridge, 300 feet long,
over Ten Mile Creek, just completed, was
washed away and has not yet been
located. In Fon du Lac township, where
two big brickyards stood, there is now
ten feet of water. The loss to crops,
live stock and gardens will be enormous.
TORNADO IN KENTUCKY.
A tornado is reported from the coun¬
ties of Munroe, Metcalf and Washington
in Southern Kentucky. About fifty
farm houses were swept away, and the
loss to the crops destroyed will amount
to $25,000. Near Tompkinsville, James
Payne’s house was wrecked and several
members of his family injured. Sam
McPherson’s house and Jacob Bartlett’s
distillery were destroyed near Spring
field. The damage amounted to $10,000.
A CLEVER FORGERY.
Tc> Oust an Officer, an Enemy
Writes His Resignation.
A singular and unusual forgery was
developed in the United States district
court which at caused Montgomery, Ala., Wednesday,
Bruce, Tuesday, a great sensation. Judge
nation of on Captain accepted the resig¬
B. W. Bell as United
States district commissioner for the mid¬
dle district of Alabama. Captain Bell
did not know he had resigned, and when
he heard that Judge Bruce had accepted
his alleged resignation, he went to Clerk
Dimmick’s office to investigate the
matter. Clerk Dimmiek handed
him the letter, type writ¬
ten, with Captain Bell’s signature
he stamped with his fac simile stamp which
dence keeps in his office. It bad every evi¬
startled of Dimmiek being genuine. Captain Bell
forgery. by declaring the letter
a and Judge Bruce was informed at
once when the court opened
he promptly reinstated Captain Bell and
expressed the deepest regret that any one
should have so outraged public decency
as to thus insult the court and wrong a
good officer. Every effort will be made
to ferret out the perpetrator of the out
rage, and if detected he will be severely
pun/shed.
PHILADELPHIA’S REPLY
To the Demand that She Make
Good Bardsley’s Stealing's.
A Philadelphia dispatch says: In re¬
plying Saturday to the demand of Attor¬
ney Generai Hensel that the city pay
over to the state some $600,000 collected
by ex-City Treasurer Bardsley, City
Comptroller Thompson said that the city
cannot recognize the claim of the state,
as Bardsley was the state’s fiscal agent.
Tii conclusion the city comptroller signfi
cantly says that other discrepancies have
been discovered for which the state is
nable to the city. It was learned Satur¬
day that other discrepancies to which
Comptroller Thompson referred is another
embezzlement of $224,000 of the state
loan $669,000, 8 by Bardsle It was y- also ““king learned a that total of
books of the Keystone the
what has bank do not show
become of the million dollars
that Bardsley had deposited there to his
credit as city treasurer and to his several
private accounts,