35^ HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL. 



exchange, by which the necessity of barter was eliminated, an endless 

 number of elements, conditions, methods, and factors has been added 

 to the term now known as business. 



In the evolution which time has brought about since the days of 

 barter, many other materials have been used in the place of shells and 

 beads, but the functions have remained the same. Usury soon made 

 its appearance, and, as now, became a flourishing and remunerative 

 occupation. Banks were operated with the usual results. Bank bills, 

 or paper money, were invented, and the fine art of appropriating the 

 substance of the people, without due course of law, has been carefully 

 and successfully systematized. In all ages of the world the producer 

 and consumer have protested against the demands and intrigues of capi- 

 tal. Sometimes these attempts have been successful, but as a rule they 

 have resulted in failure. It would be both interesting and instructive 

 to trace these different attempts, at different periods in the world's 

 history, but space will not permit. 



One of the most important parts of the declaration of principles of 

 the Farmers' Alliance is the one that gives sanction to the idea that the 

 membership are to strive for financial improvement. A belief seems to 

 have prevailed in the order, from its earliest history, that direct financial 

 improvement might be expected, as a result of co-operation in a business 

 system by the membership. An outline of the effort made to secure this 

 important result by that method, will be sufficient to show the principles 

 involved and the lessons to be learned. 



The first Farmers' Alliance was organized for business, and the entire 

 order has been a business organization, for business purposes, from that 

 day to the present ; but the methods of co-operation to secure that end 

 have been many, and often conflicting and expensive. The first effort 

 at co-operation, to develop the business feature of the Alliance, seems to 

 have been in the establishment of Trade Committees, as a part of the 

 various County Alliances in the State of Texas. They usually consisted 

 of five of the best men, chosen from different sections of the county. 

 They were expected to meet the merchants and dealers in the county, 

 and to receive, consider, and act upon any trade arrangement that might 

 be offered. The idea upon which the system was based was that often 

 a country town contained six or eight stores and dealers, where two or 

 three could transact all the business, without an increase of force or 

 investment, and that, could the trade be concentrated so as to employ a 

 less number of men and less capital, the saving thus made should accrue 

 to the purchaser, in the shape of lower prices on the commodities pur- 

 chased. The Trade Committees, therefore, sought to get one or two 



