GROWTH OF THE ALLIANCE. 295 



When the Alliance made its entrance upon the world's stage of action, 

 it found the farmers, as a mass, absolutely devoid of interest in, or 

 knowledge of, government. They had tacitly given over to the politician 

 the entire control of economic matters, and, as a rule, voted as parti- 

 sans, without regard to, or consideration of, the consequences. Preju- 

 dice ruled their councils instead of reason, and the Alliance found them 

 fighting one another over imagined differences that had no real exist- 

 ence. It would be hard to conceive of a condition seemingly more 

 hopeless ; but at the Cleburne meeting it was determined by the Alli- 

 ance as farmers, without regard to party to make known its wishes 

 in regard to the policy of government, and to that end the celebrated 

 Cleburne Demands were made and published to the world. 1 



Demands i, 2, 3, 7, 8, 13, upon which the State could legislate, have 

 been complied with, and 9, so far as to greatly improve the condition from 

 what it was when the demand was made. Demand 15 was not pressed 

 by the State Alliance, they, after investigation, concluding that it would 

 not be practicable. Demand 14, on the general government, has been 

 complied with in name, but did not yield the results demanded and 

 expected of it ; and so it is continued, and finds expression in the pres- 

 ent demand in regard to railroads, promulgated at Ocala, Florida, on 

 December 2, 1890. Demands 10 and n form the basis of the present 

 demand as to finance. Demand 4 is still continued, and finds expres- 

 sion in the demand opposing the alien and corporate ownership of land. 

 Demand 5, to prevent dealing in futures, is still urged. Demand 6, by 

 the action of Congress, has become the law. 



Thus it will be seen that all the demands made upon the State have 

 been, in whole or in part, complied with. Of those made upon the gen- 

 eral government, numbers 6 and 12 have been acted upon favorably, 

 and we now have the Secretary of Agriculture a Cabinet officer, and all 

 lands reclaimed by the government held for actual settlers. 



When these demands were made in Texas, the Alliance was at once 

 bitterly assailed by the partisan press, as a dark-lantern, secret, political 

 order, dangerous alike to the liberties of the people and the best inter- 

 ests of the country. Every effort was made to cause dissension in the 

 ranks, but the great mass of the Alliance stood firmly by its demands. 



As in Texas, so in every State it has had the same conditions to meet. 

 If the State was or had been Republican, then it was a Democratic trick, 

 and the same torrent of abuse was heaped upon it by the Republican 

 papers ; if Democratic, it was abused by that party. 



In looking back over the past four and a half years, since that ever-to- 



1 See page 41. 



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