A Little Summing Up

The resnlts of the last election were remarkable in many way. But there wasn't any feature of the lections that was more remarkable, yea, ?vc □ more astounding, than the part played out west by the Farmers' Nationnl Alliance, an organization that has praclieally sprang up in a day. While the political battle was raging ihere carne a dispatch from Kansas. It iold the startling, the wonderful news ïhat th.3 candidato of the National Farmra' Alliance had been elected governor. rhi3 news, to be sure. was premature, but it is a fact that the Alliance really jaane very near landing ita man, and íhat waa a remarkable thing. The farmer candidato for attorney general was actually elected, and everybody knows that the most important ofÏC3 in a i rohibition state is that of attoraey general. More startling information oame boonding in over the wires a little later Dn. For the first time in the history of the itate tho solid Republican congressional lelegal'on wa3 broken in Kansas, and the Alliance f ellows whipped the Republicana so hard that there were only about two or three of them lef t in the delegakion. That wasn't alL Out in Minnesota the Alliance candilate for governor cut into the vote of the regular Republican standard bearer, so that there was the difference of only % few thousand vote3 between the DemDcratic and Rppublican nominee. The Alliance besides elected two congressmen in that state, and gave the otter three to the Democrats. The farmers hold the balance of power in the Minnesota legislatura. They havo retired Senator Ingalls to private Ufe in Kansas by capturing the legislatnie, and the man that filis the saber tongued senator's seat will be sither a Democrat or an Alliance. In Nebraska also the political result was very materially atfected by the Alliance vote. Unquestionably the Alliance power influenced adversely for the Republican the result in Wisconsin. That is iU effect wherever the Republicana are in power. In niinoia only six Republicans wore left of ; congressional delegation of twenty. An exhibition of the Alliance influ;ncii in a Democratie state was made in 6oui.ii Carolina weeks ago, when Farmer rillmu.il, the Alliance candidato, whipped olï tlie Democratie nomiuation and elect::li'. The iüfluence of the Alliance is not app;:rent east of the Indiana line, and om; Blightly apparent in Indiana. Tha Btroftghold of this poweriul ors;anizaiiori is oentered in the Mississippi and Missouri valleys. lts power is abüolutely mfelt beyond the Rockies. It h:i9 no history. lts Lrowth was ludden and immense, and before anybody co ulJ hava tima to find out muqh abcrat it it was moving forward with giant strides.' lts offlcers claim an active membersbip of 2,000,000. It is boasted that S.000,000 will represent the memberghip more accurately. A parallel movement to this Allianc was that of the Granger3 sixteen yean igo, but ttiey didn't begin to have the iiiftuence on the tidal wave of 1874 that the Alliance had on the tidal wave of bh ia year. Like the Grangers the Allianoe possesses great fascination for the isolated farmer of the west. It gives him a chance to expresa long restrained opinions and sentiments. Wherever the AlLiance organizers have gone into littlo chool districts, and on several night in % week have converted the schoolhouse ínto a forum, the farmers ñocked to hear them. So the organization has become Qot only the medium for the expression sf political views and politica! indignaron, but it is the farmer's social diversión, and when ho goes to the meeting be brings hi3 wife, and they ai-e both intensely interested and vastly amused. This kind of thing has awakened all the farming neighborhoods in the west The organization afforda a chance for the ïevelopment of leaders in every school iiouse district and the election of farmers to the legislatura, and even, as tra liave seen, to the congress of tho United States. And what is the effect of the Allianco power on the two big parties? Naturally enough the Alliance folks u-e against the powera that be, and whera they haven't elected their own caadiiates they have given aid to the Demoera ts. When their representatives get into eongress they will be against the administration which upholds the conditions that they are