THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE. 89 



" MERIDIAN, Miss., December 5, 1888. 

 " To the President of the National Fanners 1 Alliance and Co-operative Union 



of America. 



"We, your Joint Committee, appointed to consider a plan for the consoli- 

 dation of the National Agricultural Wheel and National Farmers' Alliance 

 and Co-operative Union of America, beg leave to submit the following report : 



" i st. We most heartily recommend the proposed consolidation of the two 

 orders. 



" 2d. We recommend that the name of the consolidated order be THE 

 NATIONAL ALLIANCE WHEEL AND CO-OPERATIVE UNION OF AMERICA. 



" 3d. We recommend that the two bodies meet in the court-house, in this 

 city, at 3 o'clock this afternoon, in joint session or in committee of the whole, 

 to be presided over by the president of the National Alliance. 



"4th. We recommend that on all questions or matters relating to the 

 organic laws of such consolidated body, each body shall be entitled to an 

 equal number of votes, and on all committees appointed to perfect such con- 

 solidation, the two bodies are to have equal representation, to be determined 

 by their respective presidents. 



" L. L. POLK, E. M. NOLEN, 



" G. B. PlCKETT, W. H. HlCKMAN, 



" W. S. MORGAN, C. T. SMITHSON, 



" Fanners 1 Alliance Committee. Wheel Committee. 



" Moved by Charles Roberts of Indian Territory, and seconded by J. S. 

 Castle of Tennessee, that the rules be suspended and report be adopted. 



"After some discussion, F. M. Sellers of Texas moved the previous 

 question, which was agreed upon, and the vote being then taken on the 

 original motion, it was carried. 



"A committee from the National Agricultural Wheel being present at the 

 door, bearing a message from their organization announcing their action in 

 reference to organic union, the president instructed Brother Polk to bring the 

 gentlemen in and introduce them. The committee, through their chairman, 

 reported that their body had by a unanimous vote adopted the recommenda- 

 tions of their conference committee, which in substance means that they are 

 in favor of union. 



" The time having arrived to adjourn, for the purpose of meeting with the 

 National Agricultural Wheel as a joint committee, the president announced 

 that, previous to such adjournment, he wanted the legal situation understood, 

 and held that, as a joint committee, the body in which they were about to 

 participate would have no power to change any laws of the National Farmers' 

 Alliance and Co-operative Union of America, and that all action taken by the 

 joint committee would have to be re-enacted by this body to become a law in 

 this order, and if such action modified the constitution, it would have to be 

 ratified by three-fourths of the State organizations within one year. 



"In the joint session of the Farmers' Alliance and Co-operative Union and 

 the National Agricultural Wheel, the consolidation, recommended by the Con- 



