Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / Dec. 22, 1887, edition 1 / Page 1
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1 ' r 'i T a Vol. 2. ALLIANCES AND CLUBS. What our Farmers are Doing and How . the Work" of Organizing is Progressing. For Tub Progressive Farmer. Gully's Mill, C. N., Dec. 14, '87. I organized two Alliances on the 10th and llthjnst., in Johnston, one with, 12 the other .with 29 members, 18 male and 11 female. I never saw greater interest manifested in 'any en terprise; it does not require much lec turing, only a little plain talk and they are ready. One country mer chant told his neighbors to organize by all means, that their pecuniary sal vation depended upon it, that although he was debarred, he knew it would be to his advantage. Another paid two of his neighbors' initiation fee. An old minister of the gospel, 82 years old; made a very strong appeal after one of my lectures. Said he had given 1 up going out to pray -meeting Sunday night, but had blundered along two miles on foot through the mud and darkness to attend that meet ing, because he felt it to be the most important meeting of the kind ever held in that community, and gave his name to head the list. Fraternally, C. E. McC. HOW THE WORK IS PROGRESS ING. The first Alliance I organized was on August 12th. Since that time I have organized six in "Wake, five in Granville and one in Nash. Total membership, one hundred and forty three. I feel safe in saying that this number has been doubled, and that the next quarterly report wTill show it. The farmers through all the terri tory in which I. have labored are ex ceedingly anxious to be organized. They feel that the,, time has arrived that they should take definite action looking to relief .from the terrible de pression that is now paralyzing their energies. Franternally, W; G. L. Allen, Deputy. Organizer. , Raleigh, N. C, Dec. 12, 1887. Col. L. Jj. Polk, Sec'y F. A." for State of North Carolina : For the encouragement and benefit of such readers of The Progressive Farmer as may feel an interest in the progiess of the Farmers' Alliance in the good old county of b ranklin, 1 beg space in The Progressive Farmer to report the success of our operations in that county. On the 2Gth of September, accord ing to appointment, we dropped off the train at Youngsville, a stranger to every citizen of that quiet, sober and thriving village ; talked with the peo ple, during the day," and at night ad dressed quite a number of farmers and citizens of that town in the academy building and organized an Alliance with 19 members. President J. T. Mitchel. Vice-President J.M. Winston! Secretary rDr. W. L. Hardister. Treasurer T. H. Whitaker. Chaplain J. J. Barrow. Lecturer A. A. Chappel. We then -.visited Flat Rock, five miles east of Youngsville, where we found a thriving, generous community of energetic Christian farmers. We were cared for by Bro. Perry Wiggins, a good man and a leading spirit in his intelligent community. Here we or ganized Flat Rock Alliance with 16 members. Officers: President C. C. Jeffres. Vice-President J. R. Tharrington. Secretary W. V Levister. Treasurer G. T. Xievister. Lecftirer J. D. Tharrington. Chaplain Isaac Frazier. On October 5th we turned up at Clifton's Mills, about five miles east of Flat Rock. Met a goodly .number of farmers of that lively neighborhood; found the people ready to do anything, almost, that would benefit, and elevate our agricultural interests. Messrs. "J.. T. Clifton and W. R. Young, as well as many others in that hospitable THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS locality, are full of energy, and as watchful of the events and movements going on in our country as it is pos sible for men not actively engaged in politics to be. Mr. Clifton represented Franklin county In : our Legislature a few years ago, I believe, to the honor and satisfaction of a large majority of the best, truest and most intelligent portion of the county. He is now try ing to live a batchelor, but expresses a desire for a change. We see no good reason for such a change failing to come. Here we organized with 1 8 members on Oct. 5th. President W.R. Young. , Vice-President-J. T. Clifton. Secretary Ni B. Young. .Treasurer P. B. Clifton. Lecturer J. W. Young. . Chaplain Li E. Bartholemew. ' , On October 13th we visited New Hope, four miles southeast of Clifton's Mills ; found the people, in hearty ac cord .with the movement. ,, New Hope Church" belongs to the Christian de nomination, served by Bro. Clapp, an able,' zealous,' wording minister, be loved by his people. Their lands in this part of the county are thin, but appear to be well adapted to the de velopment of fine yellow tobacco., The people are sober, benevolent and in dustrious. Here we,, organized an Alliance with 26 members. President y. Y, Mann. . Vice-President Sidney Richards. Secretary J. C. Baker. ? . Treasurer Dr. R. P. Floyd. . Lecturer E. D. Robbins. Chaplain J. B. King. Proceeding thence to Rock Springs, five miles further northeast, on Tar river. We met a number of farmers in that heavily -timbered section. The people here are, I think, all pious people ; also a good church, a large membership (I was informed,) and a good school house and facilities. They do not boast of wealth, . but live at home, producing most of the neces saries of life at home ; at -least such was told us. This is a sandy section of country, and I learned,' as well as saw, the effects ' of; a season too wet for such land. I do not believe there is any section better suited to the pro duction of fine yellow tobacco. As an evidence of it, one , man in the neighborhood purchased , 28 acres of land for $280, cash,, and on one and three-fourths acres made over enough money to pay for the 28 acres this year. Here we organized Rock Springs Alliance with 16 members. Officers: President W. H. Mann. Vice President J. H. Odum. Secretary Jno. R. Alford. Treasurer S. S. Strickland. i Lecturer W. D. Harris. Chaplain B. L. Perry. All these " Alliances are in a pros perous condition; accessions are being made at nearly all their regular meet ings, and they aie taking our advice in taking hold of our organ, The Pro gressive Farmer. I find it best for the good of the Alliance to re-visit them, worK -with and instruct them in the workings and principles of the order. This, I have done with all' tf them save the last one organized, which was at Piney Grove, three miles north of Louisburg, Dec. 6th, with 1 8 members, officered as follows, viz: - President G. G. Gill. Vice-President J. K. Spencer. Secretary Geo. W. Jones. Treasurer L. H. Jones. Lecturer H. D. Edgerton. Chaplain L. H. Jones. These people are farmers ; they " kill hogs and have plenty of butter.' Everybody knows what that means. Then they have a Sunday school in a good house that don't go into " win ter quarters." It will be seen that these six Alli ances were organized with an aggre gate membership of one hundred and twelve. This does not ' include the accessions which will be reported in January, in which month we ex pect to organize the County Alliance with 12 or 15 sub-Alliances. Early in January we expect to visit Poplar Springs, Bunn's School House, OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO RALEIGH, N. C, DECEMBER Cypress Chapel, Maple Springs and all points on that , line up east of Tar river to some place northeast of Louisburg, thence across the country west to the county line. D. P. M EACH AM, Organizer for Franklin county. GREEN MANURING. Number 17. The farmer is often uncertain what t6 do with cotton stalks, corn stalks, weeds and grass ;that are on the field, and which are inshis way. - It is more difficult to plow land that is covered with the refuse of a previous crop, and it is so much easfer to burn it than to plow it under, that many farmers ap ply the torch,' and destroy the life of their land. The following valuable article on the subject was written by T. B. Bald win, of Jexas, and published in th e A ?n erica n Rural Horn e. He says : "I .was traveling ' in Texas and stopped, at night With a farmer of considerable intelligence and some ' means. I asked him why he burned his corn stalks. He repied I burn them in order to get them out of my way. My land is so rich, and the soil so deep that it does not need the assistance of vegetable matter to aid in making a crop. I replied that just as fertile land as his had succumbed to such treatment in Indiana and Illinois, and that it was only a question of time when his own fertile acres would weaken under such treatment." " Why," said he in the old States they almost, cultivate their crops with fire. They begin by first cutting down and burning up everything that will burn, and every year afterward they burn whatever stalks and grass that may be found inxm the ground at planting time." 11 Yes," I answered, " and in those States where they once made a bale of cotton to the acre, this and similar depleting practices have so damaged the soil that it now requires from two to four acres to make a bale of cot ton." "He soon saw the truth of my ar gument,' and the following morning he told me that he had thought much and seriously about what I termed his suicidal practice, and that he had de termined to banish fire from his fields." " There are thousands of farmers North and South, whom I would be glad to convert from this wasteful practice of burning the vegetable matter on their farms. Do not burn anything, get a stolk cotton and a disc harrow, and after putting the stalks, weeds and grass in proper shape for plowing under, let your land have the full benefit of every particle. I have seen acres of excellent coat grass burned which if turned under would have been worth hundieds of dollars to the next crop. Instead of burning off anything haul on more grass and leaves and turn it all under. A re cent writer says the torch has wrought more ruin to farm lands in the South than all other causes. Many grain growers burn their wheat and rice straw, Instead of planting and plow ing under peas, rye, grass, &c., they use the torch to destroy the refuse from the previous crop. Almost as well burn up the corn and wheat with it." All farmers are not so short-sighted. Many are now seeking to increase the supply of vegetable matter instead of destroying it, and are making money. A. ( While at the Shreveport meeting wo met the man of which the North Carolina State Alliance should be proud, Bro. L. L. Polk, editor of The Progressive Farmer, the organ of the State Alliance of North Carolina. We have for sometime had it on exchange and have been perusing its columns and -we are happy to know that such a man with such a journal has espoused the Alliance cause. Gather around it, brethren, and give it that support it deserves, arid you will never regret it. Dallas Mercury, Good advice from an able journal, ana we appreciate the compliment. Ed. ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF 22, 1887. A STRANGE FACT ACTED UPON. The present rates of postage on seeds and plants has been increased from 8c to 16c per lb. By the present rate it only costs half as much to send a pack age of seeds or plants 'to Australia and other distant countries as it does to send the same package anywhere in our'own country. It is thus evident that this discrimination is to benefit the express companies,, and manifestly against the interests of the farmers. Therefore it was urianirnously rssolved by the national 1 grange' ot the Patrons of Husbandry in 21st annual session at Lansing, Mich., Nev. 19, that the grange, national, state and subordi nate, should by petition to Congress, and by all other lawful means, seek the reduction of the present rate, and the restoration of the original rate of 8c per lb. Farm and Home. Yes, and the Alliances all over the land should do the same thing.! Pro gressive Farmer. Have you elected your delegates to the Annual Convention of farmers at Greensboro? OFFICIAL ORGANS OF FARMERS ALLIANCE. National Alliance Southern Mer cury, Dallas, Texas. Alabama Alliance News, Calera. Arkansas State Wheel Enterprise, Little Rock Mississippi The Farmer, Winona. North Carolina The Progressive Farmer, Raleigh. Louisiana 2 he Union, Choudrant. Tennessee and Kentucky 7 he Toiler, Union City, Tenn. 1 Free Speech, Beaumont, Texas, of the counties of Jefferson, Orange, Tyler, Hardin, Chambers, Liberty. DEMANDS OF THE NATIONAL FARMERS' ALLIANCE UPON CONGRESS. Below we print in full the demands made by the National Farmers' Alli ance in convention at Shreveport. They are sound to the core and show in ringing language the more impor tant purposes of this great body, and the ends they 'propose to achieve. " This body was composed of farmers representing all the Southern States, and the resolutions appended were passed unanimously, Resolved, ' That we the National Farmers' Alliance and -Co-operative Union of America, in convention as sembled, advocate and endorse the fol lowing principles as in accord with the sentiments and demands of the tillers of the soil: 1st. We demand, first, the recogni tion, by incorporation, of trades, unions, co-operative stores arid such thoer associations as may be organized by: the industrial classes to improve their financial condition, or promote their general welfare. 2d. . We demand that the all public lands be held in small bodies, not ex ceeding three hundred and twenty acres to each purchaser, for actual set tlers, on easy terms of payment. 3d. That large bodies of land held by private individuals or corporations, shall be assessed, for taxation, at such rates as they are offered to purchasers, on a credit of one, two and three years, in bodies of one hundred and sixty acres or less. : 4th That whereas, large bodies of our public lands, have been sold to foreign capitalists, thus tending to the establishment of a landed aristocracy in this country, similar to that which has reduced the people of Ireland, and other monarchical Governments, to a condition of abject serfdom; we de mand the passage of laws forbidding the ownership of lands, by aliens, whose allegiance belongs to other nations, and that the public domain be held as the heritage of aur own people and our children after us. : : ; 5th. That all lands forfeitable, by railroads or other corporations, imme diately revert to the government and be declared open for purchase! actual STATE POLICY. No. 44. settlers, on the same terms as other public lands. 7th. We demand that all fences bo removed, by force if necessary, from public lands unlawfully fenced by cat tle companies, syndicates, or any other form or name of monopoly. 8th. We demand the extinguish ment of the public debt of the United States by operating the mints to their fullest capacity, in coining silver and gold: and the tendering of the same' without discrimination, to the public creditors of the Nation, according, to; contract. f, A 9th. We demand the substitution; of legal-tender treasury notes for the issues of national banks ; that the' Congress of the United States shall iegulate the amount of such issue by per capita circulation, that shall in- crease and keep pace with the growth; of the country's population, and the expansion of her business interests. -We further demand the repeal of the. present National banking system. j 10th. We demand that the depart-: ment of agriculture be made one of the. departments of State ; that it shall be increased in scope arid efficiency,"' and in connection therewith, there: shall be established a bureau of labor statistics. 11th. We demand the enactment of laws to compel corporations to pay, their employees according to contract,' in lawful money for their services,; and the giving to mechanics and laborers a first lien upon the products rf of their labor to the extent of their, full wages. T 12th. That the laws relating to the suppression of the transmission of im moral, profane or obscene literature through the mails, be made more, stringent; and be extended so as to suppress the. transmission of such; literature by any public carrier. 13th. We demand that the U. S. Government purchase, by right of eminent domain, the telephone and telegraph lines, and operate them as adjuncts of the U. S. postal service. ? 14th. That in view of the fact that1 the delegates to this body represent a' majority of the cotton producers of ; the cotton belt of America, which belt! produces over two-thirds of the cotton; of the whole world, and in view of the further fact that two-thirds of the cotton in the cotton belt is demanded 1 and used for export - to a foreign) power, which fixes the price on every; pound of our cotton; and , in view of; the fact that the said power is debar-! red from returning to this country a' single yard of manufactured cotton, thereby making said power interested! in crowding down, to the lowest figure; the price of cotton; we hereby demand! that the U. S. Government adopt a! speedy system of reduction of the im-j J port duty on manufactured cottons, in such a way as to do jus'tice to this,! the greatest of all classes of producers.! 14th. We demand such a revision of the tariff as will lay' the heaviest; burdens on the luxuries and the light-j est on the necessaries of life ; and as will reduce the incomes from imports to a strictly revenue basis. 1 5th. That as a remedy against the unjust accumulation and encroach ment of capital, we demand a gradu-; ated income tax. 16th. That as upon the intelligence of the people depend the stability and perpetuity of our own free govern-, ment, we dfmand for the masses .a well regulated systefn of industrial and agricultural education. V T '' 1 7th. That we oppose the continued influx of pauper labor from the mon-1 t ' n 1 1 arcnies oi nurope, wnose anarcmc views and communistic doctrines are breeding discontent, and disloyalty to law, order, peace- and good govern ment; and by an overplus of worth less labor, reducing our own laboring classes to starvation, we therefore de mand more stringent laws to prevent this country being further used as an asylum for the communists and pau pers of other countries. ' ,. 18th, We demand that the consti tutions, both State, and National be so amended as to provide for the election . of U. S. Senators by direct vote of the people. ' 1
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 22, 1887, edition 1
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