The Southern Mercury. (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 11, No. 20, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 19, 1892 Page: 1 of 16
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Organize. Educate, Co-Operate." } Official Journal of the Farmers State Alliance of Texas. "Liberty. Justice, Equality."
Vol. XI, No. 20.
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DALLAS, TEXAS, THURSDAY, MAY 19, 1892. f
Whole No. 525.
That Tillman Interview !
The plutocratic press are giving
great prominence to the published
opinion of the "loyal Alliance gov-
ernor of South Carlolina upon the
political situation," in which he
advises "Alliancemen to stick to,
and vote for nominees of the
Democratic party."
These newspapers have forgot
ton that governor Tillman of
South Carolina, like governor
Northern of Georgia, and gov-
ernor Hogg of Texas, turned his
back on the Alliance just as soon
as he was elected, and that the
State Alliance of South Carolina
promptly repudiated him, by a
unanimous vote at their state
meeting in 1891 though he was
present, and begged them not to
do it. In 1890 the machine
Democracy of South Carolina was
so bitterly opposed to Tillman
that his life was in danger, and his
friends (Alliancemen) guarded
him day and night. A few days
ago the same Wall street time-
servers, in state convention assem-
bled, unanimously indorsed this
same Tillman for governor! If
these newspapers that are parading
this interview know these little bits
of history they are undoubtedly ac-
ting very inconsistently. People
are thinking now, and these facts
are records. The people will ask
why did Tillman go back on the
Alliance? why do the very men
who opposed Tillman two years
ago so enthusiastically support
him now? The cold facts are that
Tillman made a mistake, not un-
common with politicans, even in
Texas. He imagined the Alli-
ance would disintegrate as rapid-
ly as it had grown, and that the
safest thing to do was to turn his
back uponj those who had raised
him into power, and make fair
weather with the machine politi-
cans; believing they would soon re-
gain control of the government,
that lie could whip the major part
of the Alliancemen into his sup-
port and trade their vote for offici-
al position for himself. As has
been the case in every instance
Mr. Tillman saw his mistake when
it was too late. These smart
Alecks, have learned that the Alli-
ance has come to stay, and that
the members can neither be coaxed
nor bullied into repudiating the
demands of the order. These
gentlemen have become assured
that the demands of the Alliance
will never be crystialized into law
till a new political party is organ
ized for that purpose. The pluto-
crats of every political faith saw
the coming storm, and began dal
lying with Tillman, Northern
Hogg and others, hoping that by
endorsing them, they coulc
hold enough Alliancemen under
the old party yokes to prevent
any independent movement be-
coming strong enough to take
them out of the saddles. Anyone
possessing even average intelli
gcnce can see through Tillmans
game. * Having been endorsed for
re-election by the old ruling aris-
tocracy, he hope by being sweet
on the Allianceman to secure his
reelection.
Alliancemen have lost hopes of
obtaining any substantial relief
through either of the old parties
because Wall street and the gold
bugs of the east have a deed in
fee simple to the Republican, and
a deed of trust upon the Demo-
cratic party machinery. Alliance-
men of the north and northwest
do not think of asking Alliance-
men of the south to join the lie-
publican party, for the simple
reason that they cannot offer them
any relief by doing so. Neither,
do the southern and western Alli-
ancemen ask those of the north and
east to join the Democratic party
for the very same reason.
The Farmers Alliance orgina-
ted in the south. Its declaration
of principles, and its demands
were written by life long Demo-
crats, who knew what Democratic
principles were. They have
driven their opponents from the
field, overwhelmed and defeated,
at every joint debate, thus prov-
ing that every purpose and demand
ot the Alliance was founded solid-
ly in pure Democratic principles.
The north and west have adopted
these principles and demands, and
now they are one. North, south,
east and west, solidly unified
with a seism, and are gaining in
members rapidly.
The members who belong to
the organizations represented at
Saint Louis, together with hun-
dreds of thousands of other patri-
otic people, see no way out of
the difficulty except through inde-
pendent political action, and they
are going into, it with a rapidity
and resolution not to be trifled
with. Such interviews as Till-
man's are the very things to secure
its success. His own words con-
demn his position, Such men are
doing the independent movement
more good on the outside than
they could possibly do in its ranks.
Tillman's own words is a confes-
sion that the Democratic machine
will never give the people any re-
lief. His attempt to hide his con-
fusion behind the force bill is too
transparant to deceive any body.
Every man that a labor organiza-
tion elects to congress north or
south, will oppose any such legis-
lation. It was through the in-
fluence of the Alliance that the
Eorce bill was defeated. This is
known of all mem. Alliance men
have learned by bitter experience
that it is worse than folly to elect
men to carry out their demands
who cling to and affiliate with
either the Democratic or Republi-
can party, and they will not be
caught in that trap again.
Men of the Tillman stripe would
as well make up their minds to go
into the independent movement,
or they will be quickly driven,
nolens volens, into the ranks of
plutocracy. The people are in no
humor to be trifled with. They
know their condition. They have
discovered the remedy and will
have it or make the earth trem-
ble under a herculian effort to se-
cure it.
Who brought Jas. S. Hogg out
for re-election ? Twenty-two
Tyler men? Who were they?
Twenty of them were railway
lawyers! Who has charge of
the campaign? National bank-
ers! Reader, don't these facts con-
vince you that there is a "nigger
in the woodpile?" Can you be-
lieve that Mr Ilogg actually intends
tornake the railway commission a
success; oris he using it asa political
machine to perpetuate himself and
riends in office. Two years ago
le was fighting railway
attorneys from one of Texas to the
other; to-day half those same men
are supporting him, why? Two
years ago he was fighting the
national bankers,] now they are
managing his campaign. Why this
complete flop? Answers are in
order.
The wonderful new town oí
Crecde, once known as Willow
Gap, was discovered only twenty
months ago. It is 320 miles from
Denver, and lies in the pathway of
the Great Divide. Mr. Creede was
offered $1,260,000 for his share of
the mine, which offer he promptly
declined.
Turn The Farmers Loose.
r. w. roberson.
A writer in the Dallas Morning
News recently took the position,
thatone cause for hard timesamong
the farmers, was the fact that they
were not industrious and economi-
cal, and as proof of the fact he
pointed to himself as an example,
alleging that he had made money,
although he was only a "boy far-
mer." Of course no figures were
given to show how successful he
had been, nor what was his means
or circumstances. But one thing is
certain. He was not a renter on a
Brazos bottom farm, for no one of
this delectable class can claim any-
thing like success, even though
they are not only industrious but
economical too. Take a few fig-
ures, and then you can draw your
own conclusions. Last year there
there was marketed at a certain
central Texas town about 84,000
bales of cotton, which averaged
six cents per pound. This, in
round figures amounted to the
handsome sum of $1,000,000, and
all this turned loose in that town
from between the first of Septem-
ber, 1891, and the first of January,
1892. Yet on the 10th ot January,
1892, the same farmers who pro-
duced nearly, if not quite all this
immense sum of money, were in the
stores buying goods on credit for
the purpose of producing another
crop. Now, why? Well, in the
first placc, if you will investigate
you will find that the farmer is
so situated, that he is compelled
to buy his supplies on credit, and
in doing so he has to pay the mer-
chant from 25 to 80 percent, more
for his goods than he could buy
them for the cash. Hence, one-
fourth of the immense amount of
money realized for the cotton crop
above mentioned, represent noth-
ing on the earth but the bonus
paid for goods bought on credit.
Then, again, if you will examine
the goods themselves, you will find
that the tariff' on the manufactured
goods, boots, shoes, clothing, farm
utensils, etc., have absorbed an-
other fourth of that sum as a tariff*
or rather a bonus to the manufac-
turer Thus we have one-half of
the total sum paid to the farmer
representing substantially nothing
at all. And yet, there are men
who will declare that the country
will go to the "demnition bow
\Vows," if the farmer dares to seek
for some escape from such a system
1
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Park, Milton. The Southern Mercury. (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 11, No. 20, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 19, 1892, newspaper, May 19, 1892; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth185465/m1/1/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .