Thursday, September 19, 1912.]
THE CAROLINA UNION FARMER
Page Five
A Progressive Convention.
H. Q. Alexander, Pres. N. C. Farmers’ Union
The Farmers’ Union Convention at Chatta-
I'ooga, Tennessee, was a progressive convention.
This does not mean that it Avas in any sense a
‘Bull Moose” Convention. It was strictly a non-
Purtisan convention. But it was really and truly
Pi’ogressive in the broadest and best meaning of
ihat term. It was characterized by progressive
thought, progressive talk and progresive action.
it was distinctively a business convention,
^very delegate was intensely interested in every
proposition that promised benefit to the agricul
tural class in ,any way whatsoever.
I will mention briefly a few of the subjects that
elicited the most intelligent discussion and ac-
tion. I also give some conclusions in the
truth of which 1 am more firmly convinced than
^'er before and which 1 hope to press upon the
udnd of every reader.
The distribution of wealth was alluded to by
several speakers.. Much less than a century ago
tile farmers owned nine-tenths of the wealth of
tile nation. Today they own only one-fifth of it,
llieugh they have created about ninety per cent
It. Less than two generations ago a large'ma-
-®rity of our population owned their own homes.
Today two-thirds of the population are renters.
^ generation ago the large farm of from one to
^uv’eral thousand acres was the exception. Today
lliere are tens of thousands of farms of a thous
and
acres or more and thousands of them
ten thousand to ten million acres each.
think of one man holding ten million acres
land, while two-thirds of the people have no
He holds that land but does not own it.
^ al ownership can only result from giving
'alue received,” and no man ever did that for
*
million acres of land. The same might be
of the wealth held by the hundreds of mil-
’miaires of our country.
half century ago there were no miilti-million-
in Q^J. country. Today there are several
usand millionaires, but not one millionaire
^ ^mer who made his million out of the farm; and
the farm is the source of ninety per cent of
Wealth.
half century ago there were no gigantic cor-
^^^I’ations in our land. Today corporate wealth
nopolizes all the manufacturing industries, all
int ^^^^^tiortation industries, all of the banking
and all of the large commercial interests,
is ill-gotten gains of corporate wealth
t)eing used to monopolize the ownership of the
vvhich is the God-given heritage of all the
•'^ople.
'vas Daniel Webster who said, “No free gov-
ent can long endure where the tendency of
' 1
a\\s is to concentrate the wealth in (he hands
Ol 4.V
^’ght ^ Impoverish the many.” In the
hes nbove facts and the well known busi-
fo existing today, any man w'ould be
mi to deny that the tendency of our laws has
be
to
are
sympathy and interest are closely allied with the
classes.
There is another reason why they have served
the classes instead of the masses. The classes
have kept in close touch with the representatives
after election, while the masses go back home and
forget what manner of man he is. The represen
tative concludes that it is wise to make friends of
the mammon of unrighteousness and he quietly
does it.
Now then, the first conclusion is that the far
mers and laboring people are largely to blame
themselves for allowing their own government to
discriminate against, them in favor of the few by
granting special privileges to the banking inter
ests, the manufacturing interests and the trans
portation interests; and all to the detriment of
the farming interests; and all to the detriment of
the farming and laboring classes. What are you
going to do about it?
Concentrate the wealth, that the masses
^^cating, in the hands of the few.
ej, it been done? It has been done by.
and combination. But it was made
special privileges and class legislation.
Cor° I’cspousible for class legislation? The
lawyers who have dominated our gov-
gpojj ^ quarter of a century. Who are re-
for their being in charge of our gov-
1q ®Pt? The masses of (be people who have al-
politicians to fool them into electing
the I’opresented the class interests and not
of all tlie people. Does that mean
these representatives wero necessarily cor-
elected? Not at all. But because of
cnvironinont and for business reason, their
The Chattanooga Convention adopted the most
progressive political program that has been adopt
ed by any national convention since the days of
the Alliance. This program has been, or will be,
published in many of the leading papers of the
State. Some men wdll criticise it because they
belong to that aristocratic class that formed our
national constitution and who do not believe in
the rule of the people. They are always harping
on the ‘rights of the minority,” forgetful of the
fact that legislation has nearly always been con
trolled or predetermined by a small majority of
Congress. This is also true to some extent in the
legislative assemblies of the States.
Others will indorse the political program but
criticise the Union Convention for adopting it on
the ground that it is “going into politics.” And
yet there is not a partisan proposition in the pro
gram. It is simply an effort to get the farmers to
reading and thinking along these lines that may
come to understand that real democracy means the
rule of the people; and there is little of it in our
government.
The second conclusion is that the masses of the
people must study politics in a non-partisan way,
and thus be able to act intelligently, instead of fol
lowing political leaders blindly; for it is well
known that all reforms in politics originate with
the people and never with the professional poll
ticians or law makers.
The most important matter that engaged the at
tention of the Chattanooga Convention w'as the
question of economic marketing by means of the
farmers warehouse. And only second to that in
importance and interest, that of co-operative far
mers banks. Some splendid speeches were made
on each of these subjects. It was very clearly
shown that speculation in farm products is due to
(he fact that the products are forced on the mar
ket too rapidly; that the demand is oversupplied.
The storage warehouse will solve the problem in
marketing the staple non-perishable crops, w’hile
, equitable transportation rates and proper distri
bution will find a remunerative market for all
perishable crops. An attempt was made to have
the convention indorse a national warehouse com
pany but it failed. That will be done later, after
the several States have established a complete
system of warehouses covering every county. I
believe that every county union should take up
tliis question at once and never give it up until a
stock corporation is formed and a warehouse built.
The state company in the North Carolina Union
will work for the establishing of warehouses at
a few central railroad points. But the stock for
these will have to come largely from the counties
in which they are located.
I believe the North Carolina Farmers’ Union
should adopt the Charter granted by the last legi
slature and thus become incorporated as a busi
ness organization. We are operating under a
fraternal charter of the State of Texas which the
Texas State Union has already repudiated anc
secured a business charter. W'ith this business
charter our State Union could put active, experi
enced solicitors to work in the counties to pro
mote county warehouses; the State Union taking
stock in each county warehouse so promoted to
the extent of the cost of promotion. In two or
three years time we would have suitable ware
houses in every organized county in the State.
This would strengthen the State Union by making
it a stockholder and part owner of valuable real
estate throughout Nc/rth Carolina.
There are other .reasons why this State Charter
should be adopted which will be fully explained
if this question comes before the next State
Union Convention.
Co-operative fanners banks elicited much in
terest and some very intelligent discussion. The
delegate from the State of Washingon, a native
born German, gave a very interesting and instruc
tive lecture on this subject. He convinced the
'I 'Convention of the advisability and feasibility, yea
of the absolute necessity of backing-up the ware
house system with farmers co-operative banks.
He showed that even with a complete chain of
warehouses throughout the Union, the farmers
ivould still be at the mercy of the money trust,
which controls the volume of the circulating
medium. Prices would be forced down just as
they are noiv, by contracting the currency while
the crops are moving. Outstanding loans would
be called in and new loans would be limited in
time and quantity, thereby compelling the major
ity of farmers to sell their crops in three to five
months time instead of extending the sales over a
period of twelve months.
The farmers of North Carolina have money
enough on deposit in our State and national banks
to establish a farmers’ co-operative bank in prac
tically every county in the State. The farmers
would then control their own finances and pro
mote the prosperity of the agricultural class.
Through the medium of the storage warehouse,
supported by farmers’ banks that were not subser
vient to the money trust, or other classes, the far
mers could put their prices on non-perishable
crops and hold them until the demand became
great enough to move the crops at the price fixed.
A remunerative price for perishable crops would
be established and maintained by proper grading,
packing and labeling in the local warehouse, and
then by proper distribution to the consumers. y
Let every county and local discuss these ques-
tions.
*
* * * *
“ NOTICE OP MEETING OF TOBACCO
* FABMEUS.
* Notice is hereby given that there will be
* held in the Carroll Hotel, Lynchburg, Va.,
* October IG, an Inter-State Meeting of the
* tobacco farmers of Virginia and North Caro-
* lina. All county organizations in the Tobacco
* Belt are requested to send representatives.
* The meeting will be held at 10 o’clock.
* H. Q. ALEXANDER,
* President North Carolina Division.
* D. M. GANNAWAY,
* President Virginia Division.
*
* NOTICE OF MEETING OF EXECUTIVE
* COM.MITTEE.
*
* The Executive Committee of the North
* Carolina Farmers’ Union is hereby called to
* meet in the Carroll Hotel, Lynchburg, Va.,
* October IG for the purpose of selecting a place
* for holding the Annual Convention and the
* transaction of such other business as may
* come before the meeting.
* H. Q. ALEXANDER, President.
* W. B. GIBSON, Chairman of*Committee.
APPOINT.MENTS OF H. Q. ALEXANDER.
Elizabethton, Bladen County, Saturday, Septem
ber 21st.
North Wilkesboro, Wilkes County, Tuesday,
September 24th.
Ernul, Graven County, Thursday, September
2Gth.
Warren Grove Local, Person County, Friday,
October 4th.