THE ALLIANCE IN TEXAS. 37 



Alliances. True, they were not all represented, and some were not taking the 

 interest they should, yet it showed how rapidly the Alliance was coming into 

 favor with the laboring class of people. Already it has spread over the coun- 

 ties of Parker, Wise, Jack, Palo Pinto, and Hood, and it was not altogether 

 unknown in the counties- of Somervell, Tarrant, Bosque, and Denton. It had 

 spread south as far as Houston County, and east into Cooke, and even farther, 

 into Red River County. There were fifty-six delegates in attendance, exclu- 

 sive of the officers, that composed the Grand State Alliance, which shows 

 very conclusively that the interest was rapidly increasing. There had been 

 thirty-seven persons rejected as unfit for membership, which proves that the 

 Alliance was not seeking to swell its ranks with any and every kind of men, 

 but wanted good., moral men to enlist in her cause. 



"At this Weatherford meeting of the State Alliance, all the State officers 

 were absent, except S. O. Daws, Lecturer, and C. M. Wilcox, Secretary. 

 Only thirty Sub-Alliances were represented. This was the least number of 

 delegates in attendance upon any of the State meetings since 1880. Many 

 were the causes of the decline of the order in the last year. The want of 

 Alliance literature, the means to employ active lecturers to visit, instruct, and 

 encourage the Sub-Alliances and institute new ones. In their efforts to 

 co-operate in buying and selling, in the past, they had almost been treated 

 with contempt by tradesmen and others, and so far had failed to achieve 

 practical benefits from their efforts. Again, it had been a very sickly year 

 throughout the counties where Alliances had been formed, and the year previ- 

 ous being a political year, a great many persons rushed into the order for the 

 sole purpose of their own personal, political aggrandizement ; therefore, after 

 the passage of the non-political resolution at Mineral Wells, they and their 

 personal friends lost their primary interest in the Alliance, which caused the 

 disorganization of several Sub-Alliances during that year. While this tempo- 

 rarily checked the growth of the order, it fixed for all time to come the true 

 status of the Farmers 1 Alliance on party questions." 



A resolution favoring the establishment of Alliance libraries 

 was passed. 



The officers elected for the ensuing year were : W. L. Garvin, 

 President ; J. A. Culwell, Vice-President ; C. M. Wilcox, Sec- 

 retary; P. M. Hodges, Treasurer; W. C. West, Chaplain; Dr. 

 Riley, Lecturer ; Creekmore, Assistant Lecturer. Secre- 

 tary C. M. Wilcox was allowed $24.75 f r postage, stationery, 

 and express during the past year. This was rather small com- 

 pared with the present secretary's expenses. Assistant lectur- 

 ers were allowed $5.25 for organizing Sub-Alliances. Motion 

 adopted : 



" That when any stolen, lost, or strayed stock is reported to the secretary 

 of the State Alliance, it shall be his duty to report the same to the secretary 



