THE FARMERS' ALLIANCE 128 



Southern Alliance began active work in the North- 

 ern States; and when the Supreme Council, as the 

 national body was now called, held its next meeting 

 at Ocala, Florida, in December, 1890, delegates 

 were present from state alliances of seven Northern 

 and Western States, in addition to those repre- 

 sented at the St. Louis meeting. The Farmers' 

 Mutual Benefit Association, a secret order with 

 about two hundred thousand members, had a com- 

 mittee in attendance at this meeting, and the Col- 

 ored Farmers' Alliance, which had been founded in 

 Texas in 1886 and claimed a membership of over a 

 million, held its national meeting at the same time 

 and place. Plans were formulated for a federation 

 of these three bodies, and of such other farmers' 

 and laborers' associations as might join with them, 

 to the end that all might work unitedly for legisla- 

 tion in the interests of the industrial classes. 



Signs of approaching dissolution of the Alliance 

 movement were already apparent at the Ocala 

 meeting. The finances of the Southern Alliance 

 had been so badly managed that there was a deficit 

 of about $6000 in the treasury of the Supreme 

 Council. This was due in part to reckless expendi- 

 ture and in part to difficulties in collecting dues 

 from the state organizations. Discord had arisen, 



