could mean nothing less than the defeat of all
their original purposes.

One disappointment after another, however,
made it apparent that little was to be expected
from the Republican or the Democratic party.
Trust in individual politicians proved equally vain,
since promises easily made during a hot campaign
were as easily forgotten after the battle was over.
One speaker before a state convention of the North-
west Alliance put into words what many were
thinking: "There may be some contingencies
when you may have to act politically. If other
parties will not nominate men friendly to your in-
terest, then your influence will have to be felt in
some way or you may as well disband. If all par-
ties nominate your enemies, then put some of your
own friends into the race and then stand by them
as a Christian stands by his religion." In other
words, if nothing was to be gained by scattering
votes among the candidates of the old parties, in-
dependent action remained the only course. Hence
it was that the late eighties saw the beginnings of
another party of protest, dominated by the farm-
ers and so formidable as to cause the machine poli-
ticians to realize that a new force was abroad in
the land.

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