t89o 
RURAL SPECIAL CROP REPORTS. 
Maryland. 
Ridgely, Caroline County, July 14.— 
We have had quite dry weather since the 
1st of June. Wheat is harvested and nearly 
all thrashed in good condition, and the 
yield has been about two-thirds of a crop 
or from 12 to 20 bushels per acre. A great 
many farmers depend on wheat and corn 
for cash ; but the farmers near transporta¬ 
tion have gone into raising berries and 
peaches. The latter are an entire failure. 
Strawberries were only half a crop ; but the 
weather was good during the picking sea¬ 
son and we realized good prices, w. A. w. 
New York. 
Wango, Chautauqua County, July 21 — 
The weather has been very changeable for 
the past month, varying from 90 degrees in 
the shade to 40 and 50 degrees within 24 
hours. Haying is progressing slowly, the 
crop is very heavy; the ground is damp 
and the weather uncertain. Wheat has 
fulfilled the excellent promises it made in 
the fore part of the season. Corn is grow¬ 
ing fast and promises an excellent crop. 
Oats are improving and will evidently be 
a better crop than was expected. Small 
fruits are scarce and high. Apples are 
dropping off. The crop will not be equal 
to the home demand. Grapes are a large 
crop. Times are improving and prospects 
for the farmers are brighter. c. H. F. 
Kafisas. 
Garnett, Anderson County, July 28.— 
It has been very dry since the loth of June. 
We have had but two light showers—just 
enough rain to keep the corn from drying 
up. Oorn will be a short crop here this 
year, probably about one-half an average. 
A great deal of flax was sown and the yield 
was good, going from 10 to 13 bushels to 
the acre. Wheat and oats are about aver¬ 
age crops. Corn is worth 28 cents and flax¬ 
seed $1.07 per bushel. Fat hogs $3.10 and 
fat stores about $3.75 per cwt. We are hav¬ 
ing the warmest summer we have had for 
many years. s. E. 
FARMERS IN POLITICS. 
(Continued from Last Week.) 
While the “farmers in politics” are a 
source of much disquiet and disturbance 
to the Democrats in the South, they are, as 
a rule, equally bothersome to the Repub¬ 
licans in the North and especially in the 
Northwest, where they are taking a very 
prominent part in public affairs. Hitherto 
the National Farmers’ Alliance and Indus¬ 
trial Union of the South has absorbed so 
much public attention, that little or no 
notice has been taken of a kindred South¬ 
ern organization almost identical in aims 
with the Alliance with which it actively co¬ 
operates—the Colored Farmers’ Alliance 
and Co-operative Union, with headquarters 
at Houston, Texas, and a membership, it is 
claimed, of fully a million. Only white 
persons are admitted to the original Alli¬ 
ance in most States and colored delegates 
are barred from the National Council, 
which shapes the policy and directs the 
affairs of the organization; but the colored 
people have formed a powerful subsidiary 
organization about which a good deal may 
hereafter be heard. Already in Arkansas, 
both Alliances, instead of contending for 
the Democratic nominations, have boldly 
joined the Republicans, and there are al¬ 
ready rumors that the agricultural organi¬ 
zations in Indiana will support the Demo¬ 
cratic ticket in return for large Democratic 
favors. Even in the “ certain” Republican 
States of the Northeast, the new movement 
is causiugit world of Republican agitation, 
as may be notably witnessed in Minnesota, 
Michigan and Ohio. 
* tr * 
In Minnesota the Northwestern Al¬ 
liance, with head-quarters at Huron, South 
Dakota, exercises a controlling influence 
among farmers. There are over 1,200 sub- 
Alliauces in the State, with a membership 
of 60,000. The growth of the Alliance there 
and in the neighboring States has been 
phenomenal since the present agitation 
hegan. It numbers in all over 750,000, 
scattered over the Northwest and as far 
south as Kansas. It is usually regarded as 
a part of the National or Southern Farm¬ 
ers’ Alliance; hut is in reality a distinct 
organization. At the convention of tue 
National Alliance at St. Louis last fall, 
when it absorbed the National Agricul¬ 
tural Wheel as well as the Co-operative 
Union of America and several minor agri¬ 
cultural organizations, an earnest effort 
was made to bring about a union of the 
two Alliances, but the Northwestern Al¬ 
liance and the Farmers’ and Laborers’ 
Union of Missouri, with its membership of 
150,000, refused to join, the latter chiefly on 
account of its opposition to the National 
Alliance’s persitent advocacy of the Sub- 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
523 
Treasury bill. Doubtless another, and 
probably a more successful endeavor will 
be made to unite the two Alliances at the 
next annual convention of the National Al¬ 
liance, in September, at Ocala, Florida. 
In the Northwest the Southern Alliance’s 
Sub-Treasury scheme is by no means so 
popular as it is in the South. The North¬ 
western Alliance is divided on the subject,al¬ 
though it has been recently earnestly advo¬ 
cated and indorsed by the Alliances of 
Minnesota and the two Dakotas. Presi¬ 
dent Loucks has also come out heartily in 
favor of the principles of the bill, “ which, 
when properly understood,” he says, “must 
be approved by all except the money 
power.” But the other officers of the Alli¬ 
ance, especially Secretary Post, and prob¬ 
ably a majority of the members in Iowa, 
Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas, are op¬ 
posed to the measure. In Minnesota the 
Alliance and the United Labor party with 
a membership of about 30,000, are acting in 
concert, and will doubtless receive the sup¬ 
port of a great majority of the members of 
other agricultural and labor organizations. 
At their joint convention at St. Paul, on 
July 17, they nominated a full State ticket. 
On the previous day, telegrams to this 
point named Ignatius Donnelly as the can¬ 
didate for Governor; but a combination 
against him resulted in the nomination of 
S. M. Owens, of Minneapolis, for Governor; 
J. O. Barrett, of Brown Valley, as Lieuten¬ 
ant-Governor, and M. Wesenburg, of Du¬ 
luth. as Secretary of State. The platform 
adopted was editorially summarized in The 
Rural of July 26. 
Like their brethren in Iowa, the farmers 
of Minnesota either “demand” or “ favor” 
almost everything in the line of socialistic 
legislation, from national warehouses tor 
grain, to “equal pay regardless of sex.” 
An attempt to add a temperance platform, 
however, failed, because, it is alleged, some 
of the leaders of the movement raise thous¬ 
ands of bushels of barley, which they wish 
to sell to local breweries. A vast majority 
of the Alliance voters have, from the first, 
been staunch Republicans ; but for years, 
in Minnesota a large proportion of the Re¬ 
publicans, especially among the farmers, 
have been strongly opposed to the Repub¬ 
lican doctrine of high “Protection for in¬ 
fant industries,” hence the extreme vio¬ 
lence of the denunciation of the McKinley 
bill in the Alliance’s platform, where it is 
stigmatized as “ the crowning infamy of 
Protection ” Indeed, among the North¬ 
western farmers generally, “a tariff for 
revenue only,” with incidental protection, 
is rapidly growing in favor. So far as the 
Grange is concerned, it is neither a free- 
trade nor a tariff organization: it simply de¬ 
mands, in substance, that if there is to be a 
tariff, the farmer shall get his full share of 
protection, and this statement seems to 
embody the sentiments of what may be 
termed even the protectionist farmers of 
the West. They want at least a fair share 
of the national “ pap ” on which manufac¬ 
turers have been growing so fat. The 
Republicans are greatly disturbed by this 
“ bolt.” They declare that the Alliance 
ticket has not a ghost of a chance of suc¬ 
cess, and that its supporters are merely do¬ 
ing Democratic work. Indeed, they charge 
that the Democrats quietly but cunningly 
captured the convention, although the six 
most prominent places on the ticket are 
held by Republicans. Indeed, it is alleged 
that the job was carried out on the suppo¬ 
sition that the six Republican nominees 
would alienate enough Republican votes to 
insure Democratic success, while the pau¬ 
city of Democratic nominations and the in¬ 
feriority of the offices covered by them would 
be used as a plea by which the Democratic 
members of the organization could be led 
to vote the “regular ticket.” In Minne¬ 
sota, as elsewhere, the entrance of the 
farmer into politics on an independent 
footing, has caused not only a great sensa¬ 
tion, but also no end of perturbation among 
the regular old parties. Of the 230,048 
males engaged in Minnesota in all the 
named occupations in 1880, 130,817 were 
employed in some branch of agriculture. 
* * +■ 
In Michigan there has been a great deal 
of politics this year. The Farmers’ Alli¬ 
ance, the Grange,and especially the Patrons 
of Industry have represented the farmers. 
The last organization, with headquarters at 
Hurou, Michigan, is in reality a rebirth of 
the Old Sovereigns of Industry and has a 
national organization. Like the Alliance 
and Grange, it is a secret association, and it 
admits mechanics to membership, though 
the vast majority are farmers. It is strong¬ 
est in Michigan where it has about 100,000 
members. About as many more are located 
in Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and New York. 
A month or two ago there was a probability 
that there would be six separate tickets in 
the field this fall, as the Patrons, the Alli¬ 
ance, the Union Labor Party, the Prohibi¬ 
tionists and the regular Republican and 
Democratic parties, each threatened to hold 
a separate convention and start a full inde¬ 
pendent State ticket. Early this week, 
however, the Patrons, the Prohibitionists 
and the Union Labor Party held three 
separate conventions at Lansing, and united 
on a fusion ticket. A. S. Partridge of 
Flushing, National President of the 
Patrons, is to be fusion candidate for Gov¬ 
ernor, and Henry J. Allen, the Labor 
leader of Schoolcraft, Lieutenant-Governor. 
The Alliance, Grange and other agricul¬ 
tural associations having a standing in the 
State are likely to support the ticket. 
The new party is yet without a name. Its 
platform as reported from the committee, 
declares in favor of progressive politics; 
the Australian ballot system; the election 
of President, Vice-President and Senators 
by the direct vote of the people; no disfran¬ 
chisement on account of sex; the limitation 
of the private and corporate ownership of 
lands; the governmental control of the tele¬ 
graph, telephone, and railway systems; 
such a tariff as is necessary to raise revenue 
sufficient to carry on the affairs of Govern¬ 
ment on an economic basis, and this tax to 
be levied so as to be least burdensome to 
the laborer and producer. It also favors 
the free coinage of silver and the increase 
of currency to meet the demands of busi¬ 
ness, all money to be issued by the General 
Government and to be full legal tender for 
all debts, and also to be loaned to the 
people by the Government at a low rate of 
interest. In general terms, it declares 
against trusts and combines and monopo¬ 
lies in every form, and demands State and 
National laws so adjusted that all producers 
shall receive a just and fair proportion of 
the results of their labor. Its principles, 
therefore, are strictly in line with those of 
the Alliance and other agricultural organ¬ 
izations so far as they go, but no indorse¬ 
ment is given to some of the Alliance’s 
schemes, especially to the Sub-Treasury 
warehouse bill, which the Grange 
also discountenances. According to the 
latest figures the combination will start 
with an assured vote as follows : Patrons 
of Industry, 100,000; Union Labor Party, 
30,000; Prohibitionists, 20,000—a total of 
150,000. Some put the figures much higher, 
as they include the members of other 
farmer organizations. The Republican 
party, the dominant party in the State, is 
reported to be honestly and outspokenly 
frightened at the outlook. The great 
majority of the recalcitrant farmers have 
always been stout members of the party, 
and their withdrawal must necessarily 
cause no small amount of uneasiness. 
Doubtless, a Prohibition plank will be 
inserted in the platform, as the Prohibi¬ 
tionists were the first to nominate Part¬ 
ridge. Fusion legislature and Congres¬ 
sional tickets will also be nominated. The 
Democrats are a trifle jubilant at the new 
departure—perhaps a little prematurely, if 
they expect to make any gains for them¬ 
selves by it. Of a total of 514,191 males 
engaged in all named occupations, in the 
Peninsula State, according to the census of 
1880, 239,356 were employed in one form or 
another of agriculture. 
* * * 
In Ohio the farmers appear resolved to 
make their influences felt in State and 
National politics. Upwards of a week ago 
a call was issued for a State convention of 
delegates from all the agricultural societies 
in Ohio, to meet at Columbus on August 
13. Reports from all parts of the State in¬ 
dicate that the call has met with such a 
favorable reception that 3,000 to 4,000 dele¬ 
gates and representative farmers are likely 
to be present. It is understood that the 
Grange, the Alliance, the Patrons of In¬ 
dustry, the Farmers’ Mutual Benefit Asso¬ 
ciation and the Farmers’ League will send 
delegates. The Grange, the oldest and 
most thoroughly organized combination of 
farmers, with more than 22,000 subordinate 
Granges in all parts of the country, has 
long had a firm footing in the Buckeye 
State, where it has of late been largely in¬ 
creasing its membership. The Farmers’ 
Alliance, though comparatively a new¬ 
comer in the State, has been mak¬ 
ing rapid gains and has now over 350 
sub-Alliances there, and the total mem¬ 
bership is probably not less than 25,- 
000. The Patrons of Industry, though 
most numerous in Michigan, have prob¬ 
ably 20,000 members in Ohio. The Farm¬ 
ers’ Mutual Benefit Association, with head¬ 
quarters at Mount Vernon, Ill., aims at 
nearly the same objects as the Alliance^ 
It -claims a membership of 500,000, princi¬ 
pally in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, 
Tennessee, Kansas and Kentucky. Its 
members establish co-operative stores, 
make contracts for supplies, and otherwise 
combine for mutual advan age. It has not 
indorsed the sub-Treasury scheme; but it 
does favor government loans on real estate 
at low rates of interest. It advocates a 
system of loans by the general government 
to the States at one per cent, interest, by 
the States to counties at two per cent, and 
by the counties to the farmers at three per 
cent. Negotiations are in progress for the 
amalgamation of the association with the 
Alliance. The National Farmers’ League 
is a new, non-partisan, non-secret, indepen¬ 
dent organization started about six months 
ago at Springfield, Massachusetts, solely 
for political purposes. It is in harmony 
with all other agricultural organizations 
and kindred associations, and it aims to se¬ 
cure a just representation and treatment of 
agricultural interests in Congress and the 
various State legislatures. It consists of a 
National League with State, county and 
town leagues. It has local organizations 
in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Mas¬ 
sachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New 
York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Georgia, 
Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Wis¬ 
consin, Minnesota, and the Pacific Coast, 
and bids fair soon to rival some of the 
older organizations in membership and in¬ 
fluence. 
From present indications it looks highly 
probable that farmers will impart an un¬ 
wonted degree of liveliness and uncertainty 
to Buckeye politics this fall. 
(To be continued.) 
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