HISTORY OF THE FARMERS' ALLIANCE. 115 



pected that a National insurance organization will be 

 made, with headquarters at Washington and branches in 

 all the States. When this is accomplished it will be pos- 

 sible to carry insurance at actual cost. The last annual 

 meeting of the State Alliance was held at Aberdeen, South 

 Dakota, November 26th, 1889. Owing to the division of 

 the Territory into two parts, and their admission as 

 States, the Alliance was divided. The South Dakota Al- 

 liance elected the following officers: President, H. L,. 

 Loucks, Clear Lake; First Vice-President, C. V. Gardner, 

 Postville; Second Vice-President, C. A. Soderberg, Hart- 

 ford; Secretary-Treasurer, Sophia M. Harden*, Woon- 

 socket. The Ruralist, published at Huron, E. B. Cum- 

 mings, editor, was made the official State organ. At 

 present there is a wonderful amount of enthusiasm among 

 the farmers of Dakota and organizing is very much easier 

 done than ever before. At the Aberdeen meeting the 

 North Dakota State Alliance elected Walter Muir, Presi- 

 dent, and M. D. Williams ^ Secretary. 



THE ALLIANCE IN FLORIDA. 



In the summer of 1887 Oswald Wilson went from 

 Texas to Florida and began organizing Alliances. So 

 successful were his efforts that in August of that year a 

 State Alliance was organized. Oswald Wilson was 

 elected President, and Thomas A. Hall, Secretary. Since 

 then the Order has spread rapidly over the State. In the 

 way of trading they have the Farmers' Alliance Ex- 

 change of Florida, which buys and sells for the members 

 and saves them thousands of dollars. The Exchange is 

 located in Jacksonville. It consists of a cotton and orange 

 department, with a special manager over each. In addi- 

 tion to this it handles all products of the farm, and pur- 

 chases for the members direct from the manufacturers. 

 The membership in December, 1889, was 25,000, It has 



