14 AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS. 



The next purpose of this order seems to have been to organize 

 cattle and horse rescuers, so as to enable them to detect and catch 

 thieves, and to find estrays. At that time one of the declara- 

 tions of purposes was, "To assist the civil officers in maintain- 

 ing law and order." This was very important to the whole 

 people of Texas. At that time gangs of horse-thieves were 

 stealing horses and running them through the country. It was 

 necessary that the sheriff should know whom to trust. The 

 Alliance had in its secret work a formula for catching a horse- 

 thief. It is not now in use. Sheriffs knew that Alliance men 

 could be depended upon to help them. If a horse-thief stopped 

 for the night with an Alliance man, he always entertained him, 

 and if the sheriff was on his track, he did not have to confer 

 with the Alliance man to secure his co-operation. They had 

 signals and hailing signs for that purpose. 



For the purpose of finding estrayed cattle, the State Alliance 

 of Texas adopted a brand which all members placed on the 

 necks of their cattle, in addition to their regular brand. If a 

 stray came into a neighborhood, with the Alliance brand upon 

 it, it would be reported at the next meeting of the Alliance, and 

 the secretary would sen4 a list of such strays to the State Secre- 

 tary, who, by referring to his record of brands, was enabled to 

 notify the owners where to go to get their cattle. 



As the Alliance spread into districts more devoted to farm- 

 ing, its members were not so much exercised about their 

 lands or their stock, but felt most oppressed by the excessive 

 prices' which they were compelled to pay for the commodities 

 they bought, and the low prices they received for the produce 

 they had for sale. The great discrepancy between the mar- 

 kets of the world and their home markets led them to 

 believe that organization and co-operation on their part would 

 enable them to buy cheaper and sell dearer. The universal 

 establishment of the credit system had abolished all compe- 

 tition in merchandizing, and had given the merchant who 

 possessed the necessary means, or the credit, a practical mo- 

 nopoly in both buying and selling. Like all other monopolists, 

 such merchants found themselves constantly deciding, on the 

 one hand, between their greed and avarice, and, on the other, 

 how much oppression the people would bear. This naturally 





