Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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,