CHAPTER IV. 



KINDRED ORGANIZATIONS Concluded. 



The Alliance in the State of New York. After much 

 trouble, I have succeeded in obtaining the following statement 

 regarding the origin of the Alliance in New York. It seems 

 rather strange that the name should have been selected by 

 an organization in Texas in 1873, and in New York in 1875, 

 without one knowing of the existence of the other; yet this 

 appears to have been the case. The history of the Alliance of 

 New York is more interesting when it is known to have been 

 the origin of what is now known as the Northwestern National 

 Alliance, and clears up the early history of that organization. 

 The following statement is kindly given me by Mr. F. P. Root 

 of Brockport, New York : 



N. A. DUNNING, Esq. 



Dear Sir, Your communication of the* 5th inst. came duly to hand. 

 In reply to your inquiries in relation to the early formation of a Farmers' 

 Alliance, I will say : I have not the minutes of the first organization 

 before me, but the proceedings are quite fresh in my memory. You 

 may have noticed an article I communicated to the Albany Culti- 

 vator and Country Gentleman on the subject, published a few weeks 

 since, in which the chief points of the early organization were given. 



The only published notice I find, is the call for the meeting to organ- 

 ize, which was in February, 1875. In pursuance of that call, the meet- 

 ing of farmers assembled, and the organization was effected. Since the 

 publication of the article in the Cultivator at Albany, I have received a 

 note from Rev. B. T. Roberts of North Chili, this county, saying that 

 he claimed to be the originator of the Alliance ; that he circulated the 

 call for the first meeting, and that he framed the constitution and by- 

 laws adopted. He says he presented the call to me, which I signed, 

 but not without some objections, that such an effort might interfere with 

 the Grange work, which I thought was already organizing farmers with 

 much promise of good. Mr. Roberts says he replied that it would not 

 be so, for he only proposed to take up their cause where the Grange left 

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