148 AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS. 



refuge," and our cause its citadel of safety, in the loyal hearts of a 

 devoted membership. 



Let our primary bodies barricade their doors against unworthy and 

 designing men ; and if such be found already within the gates, let them 

 at once be furnished a safe and speedy exit to the camp of the enemy. 

 Let these primary bodies standing as sentinels at the outer gates be 

 constantly on the alert, and watch with ceaseless vigilance, lest they 

 admit dangerous emissaries from corporations, or political or monopolis- 

 tic combinations. Let us, as an order, adopt as our rule of action the 

 inflexible test of loyalty to Alliance principles, as the first and most 

 essential prerequisite to membership and to our confidence. Apply this 

 test in the selection of officers, from the steward of a primary body to 

 the president of your national body. Apply this test rigidly to all men 

 who aspire to represent us in any capacity, and especially to those 

 whether of high or low degree who are to be intrusted with the duties 

 and powers of legislation. And if, in the faithful and impartial applica- 

 tion of this test, any reasonable doubt should arise, do not hesitate to 

 give our cause the full benefit of such doubt. Place no man on guard 

 who is not a loyal and faithful friend to our cause. Herein lie our 

 strength and our safety. 



Let us stand unitedly and unflinchingly by the great principles enun- 

 ciated at our St. Louis meeting. In the light of our recent experience, 

 the important work of discussing and elucidating these principles must 

 devolve upon us. In Congress, on the hustings, in conventions, and in 

 the partisan press of the country, there was a significant silence on these 

 principles, except and only in cases where we forced their discussion. 

 All propositions presented by us, looking to financial reform, and notably 

 the measure known as the sub-treasury plan, were ignored by Con- 

 gress, and even the discussion of this plan was suppressed, notwithstand- 

 ing the petitions of hundreds of thousands of our members for financial 

 relief in this direction. Neither of the great political parties of the 

 country, nor indeed did the leaders' of these parties, indicate a favorable 

 inclination to heed the demands of these millions of oppressed and long- 

 suffering farmers. 



A careful review of financial legislation by Congress, for the past quar- 

 ter of a century, together with the disregard manifested by that body to 

 the just and urgent demands of the people for financial relief, has fixed 

 upon the public mind the alarming apprehension that the seductive hand 

 of monopolistic and corporate power has lifted the American Congress 

 to that dangerous eminence from which they can no longer hear the cry 

 of the people. But the decree has gone forth that this dangerous and 



