Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / Dec. 3, 1889, edition 1 / Page 1
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'the industrial and educational interests of our people paramount to all other considerations of state policy. RALEIGH, N. C, DECEMBER 3, 1889. Vg. 4. No. 5 1 niRECTORY OF FARMERS' OR- GANIZATIONS. HO&TB CAROLINA FARMERS 8TATK ALLIANCE. president Elias Carr, Old Sparta, C. Vice-President A. H. Hayes, Bird- Srfw-L. L. Polk, Raleigh, N. C. Treasurer-J. D. Allen, Falls, N. C. Lecturer Thos. B. Long, Longs, N. 0, Assistant Lecturer R. B. Hunter, Char- l0Ctaplain J. J. Scott, Alfordsville, N 0 Door Keeper W. H. Tomlinson, Fay- etteville, N. C. Assistant Door Keeper H. E. King, e3ergeant-at-Arms J. S. Holt, Chalk LveLN. C. State Business Agent W. H. Worth, Raleigh, N. 0. Trustee Business Agency Fund W. A. Graham, Machpelah, N. C. itECtrriVE COMMITTEE OF THE NORTH CARO LINA FARMERS' STATE ALLIANCE. S. B. Alexander, Chariot e, N. C, Chair an; J. M. Mewborne, Kmston N. C; J. S. ehnston, Ruffin, N. C. OEFICERS OF THE VIRGINIA STATE ALLIANCE. President a. T. B-.rbee, Bridgewater, Va. Vice-Pres dent Maj. Marm Page, Brandon, Va. Secretary J. J. Silvey, Arnissille, Va. Treasurer- Isaiah Printz, Stonyman, Va. Lecturer J. D. Shepperson, Smith ville, Va. Assistant-Lecturer P. H. Strode, Step hen City, Va. Chaplain Wm. M. Rosser, Luray, Va. Doorkeeper B. Frank Beahen, Kim ball, Va. Assistant-Doorkeeper, G-. E. Brabaker, Luray, Va. Sergeant at-Arms Milton Pence, For- estville, Va. State Business Agent S. P. A. Bruba ker, Luray, Va. Ch'mn Ex. Com. E. T. Brumback, Va. Ida, 44 A LAW AGAINST NESS." drunken- Mr. Editor: Under the above heading I see in The Progressive Farmer of November 12th a com munication from Bro. Vandiver, in which he makes some good sugges tions and hits some appropriate licks. And I wish to say, my brother, that you are right when you intimate that Congress is not likely to pass any national prohibitory law, but in my opinion it is not so much the word liberty that is in their way as the money of liquor dealers combined, and tbe - little brown jug" so called. I am rtady to admit that we have several Congressmen of which we have a right to be proud, but there are too many that would vote against prohibition because of their propensity for strong drink and for fear they would offend some of the money kings. There are many of them that care but little for the " dear people " (the farmers, their wives and children) after they get their votes. They are very much like some of the members of our last Legisloture who appeared to be very much concerned for the " dear people " when canvassing for Totes, but after they were elected and got to Raleigh they did not love the "dear people" well enough to stand up, speak and vot9 for a railroad com mission in the presence of the railroad kings and combines, although the " dear people sent them there for that purpose, and beseeched them by peti tions to do so. We need men in office everywhere like ex-President Cleveland, who . will advocate such measures as would benefit the poor and the masses, although it may ren der them unpopular with money lords, trusts and combines. Cleveland was defeated in the last Presidential elec tion because he was the President of the laboring class of people (a low tariff man) but just as sure as truth crushed to earth will rise again, just so sure as Grover Cleveland is the nominee in the next campaign, so sure will he be elected; for the people are opening their eyes and when fully open they will see that Clevelandism and Allianiceism are twin brothers and in my opinion they are so much alike so far as the great fundamental principles of our order is concerned that if you were to put them to bed together you could not tell them apart unless you tied a blue . ribbon around the arm of one. So I say, down with combines, trusts and high tariff every, where and drunkenness with them. But, my brother, you may have a law to punish drunkenness, which would be, I think, a good law; but if have no better magistrates than some we have, your law would do no good, provided they had jurisdiction in such cases. I say this from the fact that some of our magistrates smell like a whiskey barrel, and their noses look he a red pepper pod in the bung hole of a whiskey keg for a stopper. Aiid I verily believe they could Da bought with a one half gallon of whiskey to decide a case contrary to all law and justice; and if we had a law to punish drunkenness, and you were to report a plain ca3e, they would dismiss it at your cost. I know what I say. We must not only strive for good laws, but good officers of the law also. Geo. E. Hunt. A LINE FROM DUPLIN. Goshen Alliance, No, 400, Nov. 23, 1889. Mr. Editor: The October number of the Agricultural Bulletin is bfore me. 1 verily believe it is the best issue of the past year, and I believe it is the only one that has bad or made any mention of the Farmers' Alli ance. I have sometimes asked my. self the question, " Does Commissioner Robinson know there is a Farmers' Alliance in North Carolina?" Among the good articles in this issue, is one on page 3, headed "Scarcity of Honey The Causes and the Remedy.'' ! heartily agree with the writer in fivery fact and assertion which he se's forth, and surely the article is brimfull of truth, reason and wise counsel, and I would exhort all brother farmers to diligently ponder the facts and state ments contained in the article re ferred to. But theje are two or three things in this article which I wish to examine and comment upon just a lit tie. The writer says: "The country people have no money, neither have the town folk." Then he seems to drop the town folks and says: "But is it to be wondered at when we take into consideration the fact that our people buy nearly all. they eat or wear or use on the farm or in the house." Yes, farmers and their wives, daughters and sons are a little like other people; they have to buy a little salt; they like to have a little sugar and coffee, our wives (we think) need some cooking utensils. The farmer has to buy some implements to farm wjth, such as plows, hoes, carts,, wagons, harness, etc. Again, we think our wives and daughter ought to be furnished with a scant supply, at least, of dressing. Now there are but few farmers that can make these things, consequently we have to buy them, and just as the farmer gets his hard earned products ready for market, the money kings lay their covetous hands upon their groaning coffers and say: " Sirs, we care not what your expenses have been, it is non of our business whether your products have cost you little or much, but it is our intention to jise all the schemes and means in our power to press down the price of your products to the lowest possible cent." Now, this is one of the secrets of the scarcity of money among the farmers. Further od, in the same article, the writer says: "A gentleman from Montgomery county informs us that he sold at a little crossroads store 3,000 pounds of white western meat in one month." Further on he says: " In the matter of corn it is quite as bad. Messrs. Boy den & Quinn have baught and sold 20,000 bushels of western corn in less thar a year." Did the writer inquire of those mer chants what prices they paid for that corn and meat, ai.d what prices they sold that corn and meat to the farmer at? Whether he did or not, I will proceed to give my observation and experience concerning such transac tions. I know merchants in a certain town in North Carolina that bought some of that same western meat at 6 to 7- cents per lb. and sold it to the mer chants at 9 to 12 cents per lb. Again, these same merchants bought western corn at 60 to 67 cents per bushel and sold it at $1 to $1.20 per bushel. Now, when the farmer carries his corn to market in the fall, or at harvest, he is offered 40 to 60 cents per bushel. When he brings his pork he is offered 5 to 6 cents per pound for it. Here then can be plainly seen another secret or cause of the scarcity of money among the farmers. I will freely admit that the farmer has been led astray "through divers tempta tions" and has sadly neglected to strive as he should to supply himself at home with all the necessities of life and to live within his means. Yet be our endeavors ever so strong, constant and untiring, how can we hope to succeed while there is such odds in exchange of articles in favor of the former to the injury of the farmer? In conclusion the writer says: "Neither the Grange, the Al::ance, the Wheel nor any other organization can rely the farmer, etc., till I ceases to raise cotton and tobacco to buy bread and meat. The writer of that article ought to know that these very things are some of the very evils which te Alliance, Grange and other rural organizations propose to remedy, namely, to prevail on the farmer to raise his own supplies as near as pos sible, and by organization and co operation to demand a just and equit able return for the products of his labor, and there are some other things also which we believe are operating to the detriment of the farmer. That we propose to look after as we go along. Now if the author of the article re furred to will take the time to peruse this article (provided it escapes the waste baskec) 1 think he will hnd some other cause for scarcity of money among the farmers other than causes set forth in his article. R. J. Walker. NOTES FROM MITCHELL. Glenn, Mitchell County, N. C, Nov. 20, 1889. Mr. Editor: If you will allow me ftrLrft in vonr valuable Daner I will t- -- j ix give you a few words from Blue Ridge Alliance, No. 1,570. We were organized njne months ago with 16 male members, and have been slow ly increasing ever since. We now number 31 male and 16 female mem bers. I am sorry to say that some of our brethren seem to be of but little use to the brotherhood; they are be hind with their dues, and our Secre tary has marked them suspended. Hope they will pay up their dues and come in in good standing. This Alli ance is in a very mountainous section of country and very thinly settled. Nearly all the best citizens have joined the order that live in reach. Our trading facilities have been very poor as there was no Alliance store in reach of us till the last few days. We have now concentrated our forces on Mr. John Jimerson. a merchant, who agrees to sell to us at 10 per cent. I was appointed Corresponding Secretary for Fhe Progressive Farmer two months ago, and as some of the brethren have been looking for some thing from this part of the State, I feel that it is my duty to let the brotherhood know that we are still living and looking forward with great anxiety to be redeemed from under the yoke of monopolv and combines and set back upon the same founda tion that our forefathers established more than a century ago. The only hope that I can see in the future for our liberties and freedom depends upon the progress of the Farmers' Alliance. Now, brethren, lets work together as a unit, all aiming for the same thing and it will be established. I hope and believe that every true Allianceman in the old North State will lay down all political prejudice at the ballot box, and vote in a strictly non-partisan spirit for the good of the laboring classes who sustain this government of ours. I am sorry that Blue Ridge Alliance has done nothing for the agency fund, and I hope it will do better in the near future; yet I feel that it is my duty to beg leave to state some reasons why it has done nothing. . This is a high, cold country, and the seasons ata vftrv short, and there was so much rain through the summer that corn crops were very late and unusually sorrv. Then early frost came this fall, and, I think, has damaged the crop one fourth in this county; and we are expecting next summer to be one of the hardest summers yet ex perienced in this mountain country. The Alliance move in this section has a strong opposition, financially, and its progress is rather slow, but I an glad to say that it is gathering up all the best material that this caunty affords. I think if our State Lecturer, brother Thos. D. Long and brother R. B. Vance, will come and lecture through this county it will be of great value to the Alliance. I think the greatest drawback we have in this county is, our brethren don't read The r rogressive j armer, the organ of the great Alliance move. I am the County Lecturer and Organ izer: am sorry to state that I have done but little in my official duties for several weeks. If my presence could be spared from my farm I would can vass the county in every nook and corner. I will now close by saying to The Progressive Farmer that I was ap pointed as agent to solicit subscribers at our last county meeting. I will do all that I can to introduce ihe rRO- oressive Farmer into every Alliance family in Mitchell county when I go out on my omcial duties. Yours fraternally, S. M. Siler. THE COW-MACHINE, BY ONE WHO UNDERSTANDS IT. Mr. Editor: The Board of Man agers of the N. C. Insane Asylum, at Raleigh, last week discussed the pro priety of selling their dairy herd and buying the milk supply needed by the Institution. The report stated that there are 28 cows in the herd and 15 giving milk. These 15 were giving but 17 gallons of milk daily. If this is the best they can do with cows, of course they had better buy the milk, for if the cows are well fed the food consumed makes their milk cost for food alone about 30 cents per gallon. But I expect the trouble is that the cows are not well fed and cared for. Too many men have a mistaken notion of economy in food for cows. They forget that a cow is simply a machine for turuing food into milk, and that to make milk a cow must have a larger supply of food than is needed merely to keep her alive. The aim should be to find out how much food a cow can be made to eat and digest profitably a cow that uses her extra rood in living on flesh is not a profitable cow fpr a dairy, nor is one which goes dry for months before calving. The proper cow for dairy purposes is one that will consume large supplies of food and which has a tendency to use her surplus food in secreting milk, and which comes from an ancestry in which the habit of keeping in milk has been developed. The question then should be, having such a cow, how much milk-making can we get such a cow to do by giving her all the food she can consume and digest? not h6w little we can keep her alive upon. Stye is, as I have said, merely a ma ctjine for turning food into milk, and if the material is not supplied of a suitable kind the machine will not be profitable. No one can afford to keep a herd of 28 cows that will only aver age 17 gallons of milk daily. In fact, no cow should be kept in a dairy herd that will not average over 1 gallons a day the year through. : By a proper weeding out of poor cows, and bring ing up a herd by the use of a thorough bred bull of a good milking breed, it is easy enough to make a better aver age than this, and to produce milk ai a cost' of not over 10 cents per gallon. The writer once took charge of a hercl of 18 cows which, on scant food, were giving nine gallons per day. w ithin four years 1 had bred up a herd of 28 cows, which made an an nual ivciage of over 50 gallons daily, and in the hh of the 6eason went to 75 gallons. Tij actual co it of the milk inducingfood,-vares an interest. was less than 10 cents er gallon. ,It was sold at a uniform trice of 16 cents per gallon and was a ofitable concern. So instead of abom,; their herd the managers of t he Insa Asylum had better improve it and make their milk cheaper than they can buy it. Halifax. Rolesville Alliance, No. 53. Mr. Editor: A few wors in regard to our Alliance. No doubt we, like too many other Alliances, have some members who expect "40 acres and a mule." We frequently hear the cry, "you are doing nothing, why don't you do something, 1 can't keep pay ing money and never get anything." We have about 50 members, all told in the Alliance and in the woods. We have about 25 we can rely on. We are now revising our books, and day light is just beginning to dawn on us. We are just learning to gov ern our Alliance by the Constitution, and those of us who are Alliancemen in "spirit and in truth" will be faith ful whether, we get the mule or not. I think the trouble with some, they do not exercise patience. This is no small organization, and its plans can not be perfected in a few days, weeks or months. I think if our complaining brethren wolud attend more punctually and keep up with the working of the Alii ance, they could receive benefits they have not received. Our county agency alone promises to save to each member many times more than the cost of the Alliance if they will avail themselves of the opportunity and ac cept the services of our county agent, Bro. Powell, who is fully competent and wide awake to our interest. Too many of our brethren do not read our constitution, and too many do not re member the obligation. Too few at tend the regular meeting of the Alii ance and do not know what is going on or they would be better members; they certainly have forgotten what vital interest it is to them, to be faithful to their trust, and not betray it. They certainly do not understand the great fundamental principles of this great organization. Wake up, brethren, and equip yourselves for the contest; rally to our banner, be solid and be more zealous in the future. Now the bagging trust, I gues, is pretty well satisfied, let us now begin to fortify ourselves against any other trust while we have time and oppor tunity. We are fully conscious of the pres ent short crop, and feel almost like starvation is already at the door. Not so, I feel like this is a providential in terference with our arrangement and one that will prove beneficial. The merchant, not from choice but from actual inability to continue to slaughter us by the wholesale, will wash their hands of time trade to a great extent, and while a great many will be put to their trumps to live, no one wil suffer much. You can stand it one year, then be a free man; you will then be clear of a mortgage on your crop and if a short one it will be pyours. 'Let every Alliance recom mend their members to plant less acres to the horse, improve the farm, put less acres in cotton, saving both horse power and labor; plant more .grain, sow more wheat, raise more meat, live at home, and what care we for trusts or monopolies? That's inde pendence, and we can have it if we will and after all these things are aided to us, have an eye single to our legislative interest. "A woid to the wise is sufficient." Pardon me for taking so much space. Yours truly, S. W. Terrell. LETTER FROM CHATHAM COUNTY. It was a lovely day that last Sat urday m September, 1889. The as sembling of the people from the north, east, south and west, at an early hour, indicated a degree of enthusiasm and anticipation rather unusual. The fair daughters and mothers, the noble" sires and sons of three counties swelled the number to one thousand people. The scene was this; Somewhere be tween the North and South poles, pre cisely where some line of latitude crosses some one line of longitude, is a hill, a sort of a plateau hill. This is very definite a hill. To be a little more definite, there is a church on that hill. Now that is precise, as any one knows who has seen a number of churches built on the baldest, bleakest hills that could be found. Now that church on the hill was Mt. Pisgah, in the eastern part of Chatham Co., N. C. I have seen it in winter and in har vest, in spring and in autumn, and I assure you that nature has done her work there in a grand, picturesque style worthy of herself. It is a grand, historic spot; and the grand panorama of hills and valleys that girt it, as the mountains and plains of Moab around Pisgah farther "t is in keeping. Mt-Pisgah Alliance, No. 191, and the goou Deople of E Chatham, who don t do th.,,s by halves, gave invi tation at large Jo their neighboring Alliances and friex to participate an intellectual and scj entertain ment. Now, I have btn a great while getting at it, but thu &g real cause of the assemblage; so,. farmers of the several Alliances Ox the adjacent counties came together at this, their second annual occasion of festivity, to salute and congratulate each other to look back upon the past and compare it with the present to gratify an honest pride in con trasting the feebly sickly infancy of our Alliance with her present vigorous growth and power, and to breathe a common fraternal prayer that that vigorous power may long flourish and widen. Impromptu speeches from the brethren entertained the audience with reminiscences of persons and things long gone by the longer the better; and with various expressions of encouragement and c ;ngratulation, Historic, practical and comic. A sumptuous repast, with barbecue, all prepared in the. best style, was riot the least of the entertainment. All were strengthened and pleased all were guests. Hospitality is a characteristic trait of the Southern man, and Chat ham ranks first in this distinguishing virtue. We hope such gatherings and ex- prcssions as were here called forth will prove a blessing to our beloved South. " North Carolina looks to her sons and daughters. Let us make our homes congenial to the tastes of mod ern social and intellectual advance ment. The children of our dear old State are our stock in trade; what we make of them will tell to the future just what stuff we are made of. What ever the financial condition of the State may be whether it be good or bad the farmers make it. We need educated citizens, morally and intel lectually. Amongst the great aims of our Alliance, stands prominent the culture of the morals and the intellect It is the mind that makes the man. Some of our most substantial men are going to towns for intellectual and social advantages, while the farmers are patronizing some distant boarding school. If they would unite, they might have all the educational advan tages in the country, for which the one moves to town and the other sends his children from home, 'and thereby foster a taste for country life; have their children under their own watch care, and assist their poor neighbors to ed ucate their own children also. With out discussing duty, vour money can not be more wisely expended than in the improvement of jour own family first, and those of your ntiyhbors next with hom you and yours are to live aud die. Spectator. FAVOR'S INSURANCE. COUNTYLINE ALLIANCE, No. 759, Hycote, Caswell Co., N. C, Nov. 18, 1889. Mr. Editor. As correspondent from our Alliance, I write to let the brethren know we are still at work. At our last meeting we resolved that we feel it our duty to raise a fund to help the widow and orphans of our deceased brethren. We appeal to the brethren of our State to reflect. Could they be in a room and see the mother and the little ones standing around the bedside of a father cold in death, the one who, by the sweat of his brow, earned their daily bread; would it not melt the heart of adamant? Now just think; if we have about 2,000 Sub-Alliances and each averaged 50 members and each pay one cent when a brother died and left his family in dependent circumstances, it would be about $1,000, and they would not miss the amount. Brethren, it is a part of the motto of our order to help each other bear the burdens of life; also remember that he that giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord. I will close, hoping to hear from some other lodges in regard to their views about this matter through the columns: of Tttw "Pw-rt'o,aoTTro W a duvd Fraternally, Ida N. Pentecost, Cor. Sec. NOTE FROM VANCE. Kittrell, Vance Co., N. 0., Nov. 9, 1889. Mr. Editor: As we have no Cor responding Secretary in Oak Grove Alliance, No. 112, to write to the organ of the Alliance, I thought I would communicate a few lines for publication, which will inform you and the brethren that we are m exis tence. We organized February 9, and to-day we number 33 members with several applications on file. So you see that we are progressing All of our members are very much, inter ested in the Alliance and as we have decided to meet tsrice a month during the winter, 1 think it will sur U3 up to do our duty to the cause in which we are enlisted. I will close by. say ing: (jp Pbogre9sivk Parmer i th paper, indeed, Wea-i5011 verX farmer BhoaM r ad. And vnP1,Se-' anl columns tn onah, 3 ind something gund fcnd true. J. F. C. INSUK NCE AGAIN. M. Editor I hav lor someone and just plan of insurance for znemuers, uui uave seeu uuo tuau t think to be at all practicable and just' i i: a n : i, . -- 1 1 1 to want any more insurance than the promises of God to the industrious and careful, " He that tilleth the soil verily shall be fed." We ought not to want our good brethren to be taxed to pay for our indolence and thrift lessness while living. If the Alliance is to be an almshouse or insurance company, every tramp and deadhead who can will come in, and after leav ing a suit of his old clothes by some deep stream, go off to ''Hell or Texas,"., leaving his family to be sup ported by better men. I would say 1 to brother Hicks, ol fcassatras oris, and all others who wish the Alliance to insure their families from want, to go behind the house, pull off their coats, roll up their sleeves and swear by the grace of God and their own exertions that no more patches shall be placed on the seat of their pants, and. that they will not allow their good brethren to be taxed to support their wives and children when they are gone. No good Allianceman wants something for nothing. "Old Hickory."
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 3, 1889, edition 1
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