134 HISTORY OF THE WHEEL AND ALLIANCE. 



the State Alliance, December lyth, 1889, the Northern 

 Alliance numbered about five hundred members in the 

 State, and the Farmers' Alliance and Co-operative Union 

 perhaps twice as many. The sanguine hopes of the or- 

 ganizers induced them to unite their forces and push the 

 work of organization until it had extended a helping 

 hand to every farmer in the State. A call for a meeting 

 of delegates to organize a State Alliance was responded 

 to by a sufficient number to effect a State organization. 

 The two forces were combined and a State charter 

 obained from the National Farmers' Alliance and Co- 

 operative Union. J. H. Brammier was elected President, 

 and W. S. Starr, Secretary, of the State Alliance, The 

 Alliance has joined other labor organizations in placing 

 an Independent State ticket in the field. 



NATIONAL ORGANIZATION. 



As we have before remarked, a National organization 

 was effected in the city of Waco in January, 1887, with 

 C. W. Macune as President. We have also seen that 

 Mr. Macune commissioned and sent out organizers in 

 many different States. Further steps were now taken to 

 perfect and extend the National organization. Invita- 

 tions were extended to the Wheel in different States to 

 send representatives to meet the Alliance in Shreveport, 

 Louisiana, in October, 1887. *The object was to estab- 

 lish a uniform plan of co-operative effort throughout the 

 whole country. The convention met on the i2th day of 

 October. The States of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, 

 Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, 

 Kentucky and North Carolina were here represented. 

 President Macune delivered his annual address, contain- 

 ing many suggestions, and forcibly presenting the 

 importance of more perfect organization among the 

 fanners. "It seemed," said he, "to be an admitted fact, 



