7
i
THEINDDsSiAiniBi;3 EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OP STATE POLICY.
RALEIGH, -N. C, JUNE 18, 1889.
No. 19
Vol 4.
DIRECTORY OF FARMERS' OR
GANIZATIONS. 90STH CAROLINA FARMERS 8TATI ALLIAKCB.
President S. B. Alexander, Charlotte,
N" C
Vice-President T. Ivey, Ashpole, N.
-r T. T, Polk. Raleijrh. N.
c.
0.
Treasurer J. D. Allen Falls, N. C.
Lecturer Dr. D. Reid Parker, Trinity
Asstant Lecturer D. D. Mclntyre,
Laurinburg, N. C.
Chaplain-Rev. Carr Moore, Towns-
or keeper-W. H. Tomlinson, Fay-
Ant" Door Keeper-R. T. Rush,
2JL-.A Holt, Chalk
Ltete Business Agent W. A. Darden.
ItXECCTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE NORTH CARO
LINA FARMERS' STATE ALLIANCE.
EliasCarr, Old Sparta, N.C., Chair
man; Thaddeus Ivev, Ashpole, N. U; J. ft.
Johnston, Rufiin, N. C.
THE NORTH CAROLINA FARMERS' ASSOCIATION.
President Elias Carr, Old Sparta,
Edgecombe county. a
B. F. Hester, Oxford, Secretary; S.
Otho Wilson, Vineyard, and W. E. Ben
how, Oak Ridge, Assistant Secretaries.
VIRGINIA STATE ALLIANCE.
President G. T. Barbee, Bridgewatar,
ce-Presidentr-T. B. Massey, Wash
ington, Virginia.
SecVetary-J. J. Silvey, Amissville,
Virginia.
Treasurer Isaiah Pnntz, Luray, Vir
ginia. Lecturer GK H. Chrisman, Chrisman,
Virginia.
Asst. Lecturer J. S. Bradley, Luray,
Virginia.
Chaplain Wm. M. Rosser, Luray,
Virginia.
Door Keeper B. Frank Beahm, Kim
balL Virginia.
Asst. Door Keeper Gr. E. Brubaker,
Luray, Virginia.
Serg't-at-Arms C. H. Lillard, Wash
ington, Virginia.
State Business Agent S. P. A. Bru
baker, of Luray, Virginia.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
E. T. Brumback, Jas. E. Compton and
Geo. H. Chrisman.
LETTER FROM ORANGE.
Bingham School, Orange Co., N. C,
June 1st, 1889.
Mb. Editor: As I have been elected
Corresponding Secretary for Chestnut
Oak Ridge Alliance, No. 849, I will
drop you a few lines. We have made
some progress thus far. "We number
about forty or more. Most of them
are good and truthful Christian men,
and are going to stand by the Alli
ance and see that the middle man
is knocked out of a position in our
line of business as often as possible.
The time has come when we have got
to speak for ourselves and stand for
the same. We have had experience
and somebody else the profit long
enough. Our forefathers were op
pressed in their native land, and that
led them to seek a country that might
be justly called the land of the free
and the home of the brave. They
prayed to the God of Heaven for de
liverance. They sent petition after
petition to their heartless rulers for
relief, but to no avail. The only hope
for them seemed to be in the newly
discovered American continent. To
them it seemed as a last resort; where
they would be free from under the
tyrannical oppression and have peace
and prosperity. Now there is no
country to which we can flee from
oppression as our forefathers did.
The time has come when we must
take our stand and fight for our rights
and liberties which are being taken
from us by the monied men, either
directly or indirectly. We have been
still too long now for our good, and
the sooner we get to work the better
for us. We have listened to their
silver tongues long enough. Such
men as Cheek and others did all they
could for us, but there were too many
against the farmer. The time is not
far distant when we will yet be henrd.
Shall the farmers of the good Old
North State be the last to declare their
independence from under the com
bines, trusts and monied kings. She
was the first to throw off all allegiance
to the British Crown and declare
North Carolina to be a sovereign and
independent State. If she were in the
lead in 1775, she should be in that
same place today. Manufactories
have increased and have made their
millions of dollars in the last twenty
years. The farmers have worked long
and late, through heat and cold, and
how many of the average farmers
have laid up $100 per year for the
last twenty years and can show it to
day in cash or solvent credits and say
he owes nobody anything ? I don't
think you will find many. You can
find plenty of manufacturers who
make this much and more in one year
and never do an hour's work. There
' ' -l
is plenty of room for more enterprises;
they are needed, ami fciioum oe con
ducted more upon . i e i lan
that the Alliance Wurehm s is. See
what the Alliance Warehouse has
saved for one or two counties. If I
make no mistake, and we could have
had it ten years ago, we would have
saved $56,454.46.
That is the way our labor has been
going. Talk about reform in farm
ing; but as long as we have to pay
two prices for everything we buy, and
get only half price for what we sell,
we may expect to remain poor. Fear
ing I may take up too much space in
your valuable paper, I will close.
Trusting that you will receive your
reward for speaking so bold for the
good Old North State, I am,
Yours fraternally,
John A. Sykes, dor. Sec'y.
A LIVE ALLIANCESOME GOOD
ADVICE.
Ray Alliance, No. 603,
Alamance Co., N. C, May 31, '89.
Mb. Editor: Not for the. mere
sake of getting in print do we write,
but to encourage the faint-hearted
and weak-kneed. Our Alliance was
organized a cold, drizzly night by
Deputy Organizer Senter, some one
keeping up the light by burning a
few broom straws till the service was
read. There were only six charter
members, not enough to fill the offices,
so some of us were honored with two.
Since then we have initiated fifty per
sons, all males. We now have forty
members, the others have been dimit
ted. We have raised $70 for the
Agency Fund, and we have thus far
had nothing but peace and geod will
among the brethren. In a short time
we will build us a pleasant and con
venient hall. The attendance of the
members is good. We don't resolve
much. On the subject of using cot
ton bags, we were a little" too previous,
but only a year or two. Now, Bro.
Polk, don't you think that inasmuch
as we are doing so well and acting so
exemplary ' and receiving so much
good advice, that we are entitled to
give some advice in return ? More
over, does not the Good Book say
" exhort one another ?" In the first
place, I would say let peace abound
and brotherly love continue. Let
every presiding officer discharge the
duties of his office with intelligence
and preside with dignity. Let the
membership read The Progressive
Farmer, as does Ray Alliance. Let
each member of the Alliance, as God
has prospered him, contribute to the
State Agency Fund, for without it
there cannot be much success. Let
every member guard the honor of our
order; speak not to the outsider ot
our business matters, aims or ends;
antagonize no one without cause; do
without what you cannot pay for;
buy only half of what you think you.
cannot do without.
More anon. B. F. White.
A VOICE FROM VIRGINIA.
Hickory Grove Alliance,
Norfolk County, Va.
Mr. Editor: Not having seen any
thing in your valuable paper from our
section, with your permission I would
like to occupy a small space informing
the brethren that we, in the southern
part of Norfolk county, are beginning
to wake up, and are taking hold of
our noble order in good earnest.
There are only seven or eight Sub.
Alliances in our county, owing partly
to the fact that in the trucking por
tion, near the. cities of Norfolk and
Portsmouth, the Granges still main
tain their organization ; and who, by
the way, have saved thousands of dol
lars by their co-operation in buying
fertilizers, seeds, etc., and in reducing
the charges of freight on their truck.
With us, in our immediate section,
corn is the principal crop, though of
course, we raise peas, potatoes, oats
and some cotton, and now and then,
you will find a-farmer with hay to
sell, and I am ashamed to acknowl
edge that it is the custom with a
great many of us to go to Norfolk
every spring and make arrangements
with a commission merchant to run
us during the crop season by pledging
to ship him our. crops, and often give
mortgages to secure the advances
made. At the end of the shipping
season after paying commissions, the
9 per cent, and other losses, we find
ourselves "barely up and nothing
coming."
I take The Progressive Farmer
and am much interested in the let
ters from the .brethren, and I notice
that one or two Alliances in your
State seem to condemn co-operative
stores. Now, Mr. Editor, we
are beginning to think we cannot
do !! without a co operative store.
Some two or three 1 Sub Alliances in
our county have made, or tried to
make, arrangements with merchants
to sell to them at wholesale or a lower
rate, and have signally failed in every
instance yet, so far as I am informed.
The N. S. R. R. runs through
nearly the centre of our county with
stations every two or three miles
apart, and sometimes nearer ; and our
idea is to locate a store at some cen
tral point on this railroad, so that in
buying goods of the manufacturer, or
in selling our grain to the consumer,
we could run it through to its desti
nation without breaking bulk, thereby
saving the extra cost of handling as
well as the profits of the middle man.
We thought of dividing the stock
into shares of five or ten dollars each,
and elect a board of directors of five
or more, or one from each Sub-Alliance
that might be interested, then
employ a suitable man as clerk etc.,
etc. We would be much obliged to
any of the brethren who have had any
experience, or a good plan to suggest
in regard to the matter, if they would
make it known through our well
merited medium, The Progressive
Farmer.
Now, Mr. Editor, you will see by
this that writing for newspapers is not
my profession, out hoping to get some
information from the brethren in re
gard to an Alliance store, etc., is what
induces me to write.
Fraternally, J. J. W0.. .
FROM THE COUNTY OF CHAT
HAM. Rives Chapel Alliance, No. 447.
June 4th, 1889.
Mr. Editor: As it has bdenv about
a year since anything was written
from our Alliance, I will write and let
the brethren of the order know that
we are yet alive. The last time I
wrote to The Progressive Farmer
we had only twenty-seven members,
now we have forty-eight. There are
some working men in our Alliance.
The wheat crops are very fine in
this section.
I must say something on the Busi
ness Agency Fund. I think the first
of all things is to get the B. A. Fund
established. It seems that there has
been enough said about it to arouse
all Alliance men, although there are
a good number that are standing
back. Brethren, let us one and all
put our shoulders to the wheel and
push forward. We all should pay
something and that will make the
burden light. We have paid about
$48.56 to the B. A. F. and more is
subscribed. I think the people in this
part of Chatham are doing more
work on their farms than they have
in years. They are beginning to
realize the necessity of making their
home supplies. Let us try to make
times better in our beautiful South
land, raise our home supplies as much
as we'can and practice economy at all
times.
The following officers were elected
at our last meeting, viz: J, M. Ed
wards, President; W. C. Burke, Vice
President, J. J. Johnson, Secretary;
L. J. Dark, Treasurer; W. P. Dark,
Chaplain; Capt. J. A. Pugh, Lecturer;
T. M. Watson, Assistant Lecturer; D.
F. Andrews, jDoorkeeper; C. W Burke,
Assistant Doorkeeper ;C. B. Temples,
Sergeant-at-Arms, " .
I will close. Success to you and
The Progressive Farmer.
Fraternally,
J. E. Dowd,
Sec
LETTER FROM RIDGEWAY.
Ridgeway, N. C, Smith Creek Alliance
No. 351, May 27th 1889.
. Mr. Editor: Our Alliance is pro
gressing but slowly, but we hope to
continue to climb step by step until
we can reach the top round of the
ladder, but we need not expect to ac
complish much in some time to come
yet, for until the Business Agency is
raised we can hardly do anything.
We are doing all we can at every
meeting to get the amount raised.
Some of the members of some of the
Alliances in this county (Warren), I
am informed, are beginning to get
very impatient and anxious to see the
Alliance do something for them. We
would say to those wishy-washy weak
kneed Alliance brothers, that if they
would attend their meetings more
regularly and take more interest in
its workings, and read The Progres
sive Farmer regularly they would
cease to complian or grumble and
would soon become better Alliance
men. We do not think that they
have ever heard an Alliance speech,
those lukewarm members I mean.
Brother, does this cap fit you? If it
does, take a true Alliance brother
advice and cease to grumble, be true
to the cause and I hope you will reap
your reward. '
We have not yet been blessed with
the presence of any ladies, but think
they will begin to make applications
soon. We will gladly welcome the
presence of brother Harry Tracy, of
Texas, provided he visits old Warren
county, which I hope he will do, for
an Alliance sermon will do a good,
deal towards strengthening the cause.
At our last meeting our Alliance
endorsed by a unanimous rising vote
the action of the Birmingham Convene
tion held the 15th inst., to use only
cotton bagging for a covering for our
cotton. Fraternally,
J. F. P-Horton, Cor. Sec.
HE BRETHEN IN OLD BUN
COMBE. MjJNFORD Farm, tf. C, May 30, '89.
Mb. Editor. Perhaps you and your
many readers would like to hear a
little news from this part of old Bun
combe county. The Farmers' Alliance
is now thoroughly organized in our
county and is in fine working order,
and it would do your soul good to
visit our County Alliance on July 5th
an4 6th, at which time our County
Alliance meets in the city of Asheville.
We are expecting President Alexan
der to deliver us an address on that
occasion, and you may be assured that
never has in the annals of Buncombe
county before so many of our good far
mers meet together as on that appoint
ed time. It is publicly announced
that Capt. Alexander and some other
good speakers will meet with our
County Alliance, and address our peo
ple on the good of the Alliance and from
what I can learn the Sub-Alliances of
the county will turn out to a man to
hear our President of the State Alli
ance on that day. The ladies are also
going to be on hand, and it would be
quite a pleasure to many of your
readers of The Progressive Farmer
toxsee you on that occasion-., and why
not attend "and let us have one of the
greatest days ever known among the
farmers of Buncombe county ? Our
people are delighted with the Alliance,
and see. more good accomplished by
the workings of the order than any
organization ever in our county.- The
best farmers of our county belong to
the order, and while a few outsiders
say the Alliance is of but short dura
tion, my opinion is that it has come to
stay, and in a very short time all our
counties in western North Carolina
will be organized , and our section in
this part of good old North Carolina
will be a unit.
Now, Mr- Editor, I think the farm
ers in this part of our State see the
importance of standing together and
working for one common cause, for
if ever a class of people since the
formation of our State has been
ignored, it is the farmers of North
Carolina, and they begin to see it
every day they live. It is true we
have had men who pretended to be
friends to our toiling farmers that
they were their iriends and would do
everything in their power in State
Legislatures and other high places for
the relief of the dear farmer?, but our
good" people have given up all hope of
the politician ever doing much for the
relief of the people. Hence the neces
sity of our people standing firm and
working together for the common
good of our country.
Very respectfully,
J. H. Harris, Vice-Pres't.
TO THE PEACH GROWERS OF
NORTH CAROLINA. '"
The; peach crop bids fair to be a
very heavy one this year, and it is im
portant that it should be handled in
the most careful and judicious man
ner, in order to realize its full value.
:At a conference held a few days ago
by a number of experienced fruit
growers and shippers, with the Super
intendent of the Express Company,
and the Superintendentvof the freight
department of the R. & D. R. R. Co.,
this matter was fully discussed, and it
was thought best that the N.. C. State
Horticultural Society should issue a
letter of advice on this subject, for
the fruit growers and shippers of the
State- In accordance with this idea,
we would present the following, as
embodying what was said and done at
that conference, and respectfully ask
the newspapers of the State to give it
space in their earliest issues.
. When it comes to marketing, if
you have any small inferior fruit
caused by the neglect to thin, which
is all important, if the tree3 are over
loaded, or small and inferior from
any other cause, do not think it will
be to your advantage to ship it, either
by itself as seconds, or by working it J
pff with the finer fruit. Especially if
you pack it, it is a very great mistake
to think that if you put smaller fruit
inside the package, where it will not
be seen until opened, you gain any
thing. All inferior peaches thrown
on the market are a direct injury to
everybody concerned. They will not
bring enough to pay you, but only
help to glut the market, and bring
down the price of the better grades.
Therefore we strongly advise you to
use at home, or throw to the hogs,
everything but the finest. Carefully
pack and ship those, and you will save
money for yourself and your neighbor
shipper. And you packers, who buy
from the grower to ship, need this
advice as well, and we do hope you
will take it as kindly as it is given,
and follow it. j
While the Express Company will,
receive and ship cherries, plums, &c.,',
in baskets, the managers say they will
positively decline to receive peaches
in baskets unless they are craled. Not
tied or corded together, but packed in
a firm crate or skeleton box. Peaches
in crates of any size will be received.
It is very important to mark crates on
both ends.
The rates, per express, will be the
same as heretofore, all our efforts to
get a reduction having failed.
Hoping we may all realize a satis
factory profit on our fruit, we are,
very sincerely, yours,
The N. C. State Horticultural So
ciety.
J. Van Lindley, President.
J. A. Lineback, Sec'y pro tern.
TRUSTS.
By Jamee P. Mintwn, In Belf ord's Magazine, for
June.
Senator J ohn Sherman said, during
the last summer, in the Senate of the
United States, "that combinations to
prevent a reduction of price by com
petition may and ought to be met by
a reduction of duty." Last spring
the New York Tribune said: "Combi
nations to prevent competition are
radically hostile to and defeat the
very object of the protective system."
Judge Cooley, one of the ablest jurists
of our day, in a speech at Boston last
January said of them: "They are
things to be feared. They antagonize
a leading and most valuable principle
of industrial life in their attempt to
curb competition and bring it under
strict control. And when we witness
the heartless manner in which some
trusts have closed manufactories and
turned men willing to be industrious
into the street in order that they may
increase profits already reasonably
large, we cannot help asking our
selves whether the trust as we see it
is not a public enemy ; whether it is
not teaching the labor dangerous
lessons ; whether it is not helping to
breed anarchy." On his return from
Europe Mr. James G. Blaine set out
to justify trusts by telling us that
they were private affairs, and that we
had nothing to do with them. We
might have replied that the saloon,
the liquor traffic, private property of
all kinds, and the transaction by
which I am relieved of my money by
a footpad, are all private affairs, but
but that we neverthless undertake to
regulate, suppress, or abolish them
when once we fell that they invade
the principaL ' Sauls populiest suprema
lex; but the people simply laughed at
it ; and Mr. Blaine never repeated it,
for, recognizing the voxpopuli against
him, and with his known versatility
he set out to prove instead that trusts
after all were controlled by Demo
crats, and therefore were unquestion
ably public affairs and a fit sebject f or
discussion, dissection, and destruction,
if necessary for the restoration of
Republican supremacy. Not only
are the ' legislatures of the States,
which are supposed to reflect public
sentiment, enacting laws to crush
them but the courts and judges
throughout the land declare them "-illegal'
whenever the question arise for
judicial determination. In the famous
leading case of The Monopolies "
( 2 Coke, 84 ) Lord Coke declared a
monopoly illegal and void ; that it led
to three results : (1) An increase of
price'; (2) A decrease in quality ; (3)
The improverishment of artisans, and
workmen. In 1711 the King's Bench
declared that to obtain the sole exer
cise of any known trade through En
gland is a complete monopoly and
against the., policy of the law. A
New York , act of the legislature
makes it" a conspiracy for two or more
persons to do any act "injurious to
trade or commerce." Ordinary s la
borers organizing a strike have been
prosecuted under the previsions of
this act. It remains to be seen how
the trust managers will evade it.
In Central Ohio Salt Case (35 Ohio
State Reports), a salt trust was or
ganized, and the court in declaring it
illegal said : "Public policy unques
tionably favors competition in trade
to the end that its commodities may
be afforded to the eqpsumer as cheap
ly as possible. The clear tendency
of such an agreemont is to establish
tompetition in trade. It is no answer
to say that competition was not in
fact destroyed, or that the price x)f
the commodity was not in fact ad
vanced. Courts will not stop to in
jury inflicted on the puplic. It is
enough to know that the invisible
tendency of such contracts is injuri
ous to the public." In a Pennsylva
nia case five coal companies organized
to control the output of a certain dis
trict of coal, and in Morris Run Coal
Co. v. Barcley Run Coal Co. the court
decided the arrangement a conspiracy.
In Arnot v. Pittston Coal Co. the
New York Court of Appeals declared
that such a combination was outside
of the pale and protection of the law.
In Louisianna a jute-bagging trust
came up for review before the courts
in India Bagging Co.- v. Kock, and it
was declared to be an agreement
palpably and unequivocally in res
traint of trade, contrary to public or
der, andunenforcableinacourt of jus
tice In Illinois, in Craft v. McConoughy
the court said : "The four firms by a
shrewed, deep-laid secret combina-"
tion attempted to control and monop
olize the entire grain trade of the
town and surrounding country. That
the effct of this contract was to res
train the trade and commerce of this
country is a proposition that cannot
successfully be denied."
In New York, in 1832, five liif&of
steamboats made a trust of the steam
boat business. The Supreame Court
said : "It is a familiar maxim that
competition is the life of trade. It
follows that whatever destroys t)r
even relaxes competition in trade is
injurious if not fatal to it." The
Court of Louisianna, acording to the
New York Times, gave what that pa
per called a black eye to the oil trust.
The suit was brought to compal - a
forfeiture of its charter on the ground
that it had amalgamated with the
cotton seed oil trust, and the court
said : "Corporations have no power
ordinarily and without express authr
ity to consolidate or from partner
ships with other corporations, and
still less can they make such combi
nations in order Jto establish monopi
olies and unlawfully restrain the
natural and legitimate course of com
merce." That these combinations are - a
mencaae to the liberties and material
prosperity of the people seems un
questionable. Organized to control
the very artereis of popular substance;
in league with one another ; support
ed by immense capital ; unscrupulous
in their modus operandi controlled by
a bond of secrecy based on mutual
self-interest ; ready to 'cast their in
fluence, power and wealth with the
political party which may bid for
their strength by sacrificing popular
interests, they form a tower of
strength against popular indignation.
But the remedy is simple : without
the encouragement of a paternal gov
ernment imposing taxes on Peter to
hand to, Paul in order to assist him in
his business, these monstrosities could
never exist a year in a free land.
And when once the system of legal
ized robbery--known as a protective,
tariff, which makes these things pos
sible, shall be repealed, its protege,
the trust, will fall like the walls of
Jericho before the trumpet of for
eign competition. "Trade restric
tions," says Herbert Spencer, "are of
the same race with irresponsible gov
ernment and slavery ; interferences
with the freedom of exchange are as
certainly their progeny as are the
worst violations of human ' rights
they are constantly found in the so
ciety of these ; and although not popu
larly classed as crimes, they are in
both origin and nature "closely related'
to them." James F. Minturn.
It is wonderful what strength and
boldness of purpose and energy will
come from the feeling that we are in
the way of duty.
Our Idiomatic English. Miss
Langham (reading an American pa
per). "What a strange country yours,
is, to be sure, Mr. De Yank?" Mx.
De Yank (of Boston). "I don't think
it much stranger than yours. But
why?" "Well thi3 paper gives an
account of a game, of baseball (I
think they call it), and it says that
'Chumpy saw a red-hot ball coming,
for him in centre field, but he prompt- '
ly froze to it.' " -Lawrence (Mass.)
American.
!