458 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
THE OHIO FARMER’S UNION. 
Decides against Separate Political 
Action. 
A close vote; what has been done ; the plat¬ 
form; an exciting debate; the probable 
outcome. 
[RURAL SPECIAL REPORT.! 
The Farmers’ Union of Ohio Is a body 
composed of representatives of the various 
farmers’ organizations of the State. It has 
the usual officers and executive committee 
whose power is limited to calling meetings, 
naming basis of representation for each in¬ 
dustrial organization, etc. It is only a plan 
for securing combined effort on the part of 
all organized farmers. 
This union held a meeting at Columbus, 
Wednesday, May 27. Great interest cen¬ 
tered in this conference, as it is very influ¬ 
ential, and the question of separate politi¬ 
cal action by the farmers would arise. The 
Cincinnati Union Labor Conference had 
formed a People’s party, and a committee 
from the Ohio delegation to that conference 
had been appointed to press upon the Union 
the question of indorsement of the new 
party. 
President S. H. Ellis presided over the 
meeting, and while awaiting the report of 
the Committee on Resolutions, Colonel J. 
H. Brigham of the Committee on Legisla¬ 
tion, appointed by the union last August, 
made his report. His committee had found 
an unwilling State legislature, but of the 
demands made by the union the following 
had been secured: The Australian ballot- 
box system; passage of the Rawlings Bill, 
which provides that manufacturer* shall 
pay tax on all manufactured goods, instead 
of enjoying special exemption; a new fee 
and salary law, as applied to county offic¬ 
ials; and a law making the office of Food 
and Dairy Commissioner elective, thus 
opening the way for securing an efficient 
officer. The demands for school books at 
costand reduced railroad rates had not been 
granted. It was held that the union was 
becoming a controlling factor in State leg¬ 
islation, the implication being that a new 
party was unnecessary. The Committee on 
Resolutions made a report which was 
amended and adopted as follows: 
We, the delegates representing the sev¬ 
eral farmers’ organizations of Ohio, in con¬ 
vention assembled, in the interest of good 
government and the welfare and prosperity 
of the entire people of this State and Na¬ 
tion, and claiming equal representation in 
our law-making bodies, both State and Na¬ 
tional, for farmers, declare In favor of the 
following principles, and will work and vote 
for their enactment into law : 
First—Equal and fair distribution of the 
necessary burdens of taxation on all forms 
of wealth, to be listed at actual value, less 
actual indebtedness. 
Second—A system of school books at ac¬ 
tual cost. 
Third—Suppression of all traffic of in¬ 
toxicating liquors as a beverage. 
Fourth—Suppression of free railroad 
passes or other gifts to legislators, judges 
of courts, county editors and other public 
officials. 
Fifth—That we demand the issue of not 
less than $50 per capita of full legal tender 
money to consist of gold and silver on 
parity with each other and paper. 
Sixth—For the carrying out of this 
declaration of principles wedeclare in favor 
of and recommend to the farmers of Ohio 
to see to it that no man be nominated or 
elected a Representative or Senator from 
any agricultural county or district in Ohio, 
who will not stand squarely on this plat¬ 
form. 
Seventh—To this end we call upon and 
invite all laboring and legitimate business 
men to cooperate with us. 
The committee from the People’s party 
asked that the Union join in the call for a 
convention for the nomination of a State 
ticket for the coming election. A five 
hours’ discussion followed, that was re¬ 
markable for its character. Notwithstand¬ 
ing the importance of the matter at stake, 
and the interests affected, there was no 
undue excitement and all respect and at¬ 
tention were accorded the speakers on each 
side. The discussion was free and full, and 
every delegate had the privilege of the floor. 
Scarcely one unkind word was spoken, and 
these representatives of tens of thousands 
of organized farmers seemed desirous of 
seeking the best way to secure justice for 
their class. There was little partisanism 
and nearly all the speakers seemed to think 
the only question was in regard to the best 
time for the formation of the new party. 
It is a matter of time and not one of fact. 
At 10 o’clock in the evening, the yeas and 
nays were ordered, resulting in a vote of 64 
to 63 against a new party. When it is re¬ 
membered that some single delegates repre¬ 
sented 2,000 people in their county organiza¬ 
tions the significance of this vote may be 
realized. 
It was a matter of surprise that many of 
the instructed delegates in favor of a 
People’s ticket were representatives of the 
Grange. This organization seems about as 
progressive as the Alliance. The fear that 
third party action is premature restrained 
many from voting for it. Many hope to be 
ready for 1892. The action of the Union 
will not deter the People’s party from put¬ 
ting a ticket in the field, and a convention 
is called for August 5, at Springfield, O It 
is impossible to tell at this early date how 
much the Union’s failure to indorse the 
party will affect the vote, but it is probable 
that the majority of organized farmers will 
be inclined to remain within old party lines 
as regards the State tickets but separate 
action will be taken in many counties. 
The legislature is considered an especial 
object of interest, and some candidates on 
the People’s ticket will doubtless be elected 
to that body. alva agee. 
THE PEOPLE’S PARTY. 
What Agricultural Papers Have to Say 
About it. 
“We Want No Class Party.’’ 
If the formation of a third party at Cin¬ 
cinnati would serve to give the farmers 
their due proportion of political power in 
the nation, we should be slow to oppose it. 
If it would secure to farmers better eco¬ 
nomic conditions and bring to the business 
of agriculture adequate and just returns, 
we would not only advocate it, but. had we 
believed this even probable, we would have 
been there to cast all the influence of our 
journal and all possible personal influence 
in its favor. . . . The nation as a whole 
—even the farmers—are not ready for it. 
If there is a want of unanimity among the 
agricultural classes themselves, would it 
not insure a failure 7 The South, in gen¬ 
eral, is not ready for it. The farmers in the 
South hope to get all the legislation they 
need through the Democratic party. The 
farmers’ organizations in the North are 
divided between the Democratic and Re¬ 
publican parties and believe the most prac¬ 
tical way to obtain what they want is to 
play one party off against the other and 
hold the balance of the power by faithful 
representatives of their own. 
The time for a farmers’ national party 
has not come. The necessity for it is to be 
deplored. We want no class party. It 
would be unfortunate for our country to 
inaugurate a class party of any kind. 
Never yet has one class in this land been 
arrayed against another. Of course, we 
can imagine such conditions—such an utter 
ignoring of agricultural interests by the 
great political parties—that a move of this 
kind would be forced upon us. It would 
TUNE i3 
be difficult to maintain that any such con¬ 
ditions now exist.—Farm, Field & Stock- 
man, Chicago, Ill. 
This “ Third ” will be “ First.” 
Formidable, aggressive new parties are 
necessary to scare old ones into spasms of 
goo I behavior. When Reform peacefully, 
quietly eaters an old party and asks that 
its demands be recognized the party ten¬ 
ders a hospitable smile of welcome, may 
make a promise or two, by way of a tether 
to prevent escape, but that is all. But 
when Reform, with large, well organized 
forces behind it, marches upon an old par¬ 
ty as an enemy, storms its citadels and 
makes wholesale captures of its soldiers 
and supplies, there may be some hope of 
getting favorable concessions from the 
frightened old fellow. But it does not fol¬ 
low that because third parties have been 
unsuccessful heretofore they always will 
be. This is a history-making era, full of 
surprises, and destructive of precedents. 
The present is a time when a “third” is 
more likely to become a “ first” party than 
ever before In the country’s history. There 
is a deal of commotion in the sub-base¬ 
ment, and it is always uncertain just what 
such commotion portends to other parts of 
the building. The next few years will see 
much history born, will see some huge 
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For Your Daughters: 
“ Side-Talks With Girls,” edited by 
Ruth Ashmore— a page of wise coun¬ 
sels and instructive comments on social 
affairs and wholesome advice for our 
growing daughters. 
Some valuable articles in summer numbers 
include— 
“After Dark in the Country” 
“Those Little Summer Larks’ 
“A Girl’s Summer Dangers 
A series, pronounced to be the “freshest 
magazine feature of the year,” will be con¬ 
tinued in each of the spring and summer 
numbers of 
The Ladies’ 
Home Journal 
and present the portraits of the wives 
of famous men whom the public 
have never seen. 
The series will present portraits and 
sketches of 
Mrs. John Wanamaker 
The Princess Bismarck 
Lady Tennyson 
Mrs. Will Carleton 
Lady Agnes Macdonald 
Mrs.ChaunceyM. Depew 
Mrs. Levi P. Morton 
Mrs. James G. Blaine 
And several others to be 
announced in the 
autumn. 
“ The Summer 
Young Man ” 
Will be described so that 
every girl will know the 
JA good from the bad. 
A _ 
^ ®S=»We offer THE LADIES’ HOME JOURNAL on trial from now [/ 
to Jan’y, 1892, balance of this year, on receipt of ONLY 50 CENTS ff 
CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY, Philadelphia, Pa. 
