THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OP OUR PEOPLE PARAliOOHT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY.
RAIjBIGH, N. O., DECEMBER 24, 1889.
VoL-4.
No. 46
i I ' ' I i " i :
p i
nTPECTORY OF FARMtKb UK-
DI GANIZATIONS.
.TH CABOLINA FARMERS STATE ALLIANCE.
President-Elias Carr Old Sparta, .C.
yice-President-A. H. Hayes, Bird-
t0Srftary--L. L. Polk, Raleigh, N. 0.
Lecturer Thos. B. Long, Longs, N. C.
Assistant Lecturer R. B. Hunter, Char-
l0Cha5'ain-J. J- Scott, Alfordsville,
Npo'or Keeper W. H. Tomlinson, Fay-
etteville, N. C.
Assistant Door Keeper H. E. King,
PSrgantaiArrns-J. S,' Holt, Chalk
Level, N. 0.
State Business Agent W. H. Worth,
Ealeigh, N. C.
Trustee Business Agency Fund W. A.
Graham, Machpelah, N. C.
1IECUTIVS COMMITTEE OF TEE NORTH CARO
LINA FARMERS' STATE ALLIANCE.
S. B. Alexander, Chariot e, N. C,
Chair xian; J. M. Mewborne, Kinston N.
C; J. S. J ohnston, Ruffin, N C.
OFFICERS OF THE VIRGINIA STATE ALLIANCE.
President a. T. Birbee, Bridge water,
Ya.
Vice-Pres'dent ilaj. Marm Page,
Brandon, Va.
Secretary J. J. Silvey, Arnissille, Va.
Treas irer Isaiah Printz, Stonyman,
Va.
Lecturer J. D. Shepperson, Smith ville,
Ta.
Assistant-Lecturer P. H. Strode, Step
hen City, Va.
Chaplain Wm. M. Rosser, Luray, Va.
Doorkeeper B. Frank Beahen, Kim
ball, Ya.
Assistant-Doorkeeper, Gr. E. Brubaker,
Luray, Va.
Sergeant -at-Arms Milton Pence, For
estville, Va.
State Business Agent S. P. A. Bruba
ker, Luray, Va.
Ch'mn Ex. Com. S. T. Brumback,
Ya. Ida,
DOES CONTRACTION AFFECT
VALUES?
BY OLD FOGY,. ,
The statements of any one man
without facts as data, however great
he might be, ought to have but little
weight on the burning questions of
the hour.
i What we need is to armroach the
subject, not with a preconceived
theory, but with the sole view of
reaching the truth, by collating all the
facts. Theories follow without effort.
$ $ $ $
All governments of and by the peo
ple are but aggregations of individuals
who express their will by their repre
sentatives. From this principle, by
those interested, the following deduc
tions have been made:
1st. The farmer and laborer has
nothing to sell or exchange but his
labor, or its results.
2d. If the government were to grind
out millions of what is called "fiat"
money, it would go into the National
ireasury and the farmer could only
get it by stealing, by labor or products
of labor.
3d. The corrollary that it makes
no difference what the volume of cur
rency is, so long as there is sufficient
to pay us for our crops; and if enough
to pay us for our crops, the volume is
sufficient for practical purposes.
When Major Ragland, of Virginia,
was contributing his very valuable
series of articles to our. paper, I took
the position just cited with the hope
that he would develop the ideas that
I shall novr undertake to elucidate,
knowing that he could do so much
more clearly and forcibly than I could
possibly do.
The facts are, if this theory be true,
we have no need of a fourth part oi
the currency we now have. A system
of exchange on the principle of a
clearing house with our gold and
silver would be ample.
I assert without fear of successful
contradiction that we need a volume
of currency equal in worth and value
to the value of all the product3 of
value of our country.
Two other corrections and I give
we facts in the case. The fact is, we
save labor, the results of labor and
legislation; these are the methods of
getting money into or out of vaults,
either private or public.
It is by legislation that pensions are
Paid soldiers, that public buildings
are erected, that river and harbor ap
propriations are made that tariff is
acted; all these,' and all they imply
are mediums of circulating currency!
vv e hoard and disburse millions vearlv
legislation. yeany
The second error lies in the state
ment that money as a circulating
tedium has intrinsic value. The
truth is money has a commercial value
Now to the facts:
"At the beginning of the Christian
Era, the metallic money of the Roman
Empire amounted to $1, 800,000,000.
At the end of the lo'.h century it was
less than $2oo,ooo,ooo. With the
contraction of currency, population,
commerce, arts, wealth and freedom,
all disappeared." See report of Silver
Commission.
"As the memorable 1st of May,
1823, drew near, bankers as well as
the Bank of England prepared them
selves by narrowing their circulation.
The distress, ruin and bankruptcy
which took place was universal, affect
ing both land and trade, but upon
those whose lands were mortgaged the
effect was most disastrous.
Estates encumbered for half their
values, when sold would not satisfy
the mortgages." See the Financial
History of England.
The following tables from U. S.
statistics are given as arranged in
The Philosophy of Price and they
present an object lesson we ought to
study:.
Year.
1811
116
1818
1837
1843
187
1857
1858
1865
1873
1877
C rremy in
Circulation.
$ 28,000,000
110,000.000
40,000,000
150.000,000
58;COO.OOO
. 105,000,000
215,000,000
150,000,900
1,851,288,873
738 219,749
696,443,394
Exults.
Hard times.
Good times.
Panic.
Booming times.
Panic.
Good times.
Booming times.
Panic.
Booming times,
Panic.
Prostration.
I now call your attention to facts
cited by Henry Clay in a speech in
the U. S. Senate.
In Ohio, with all her abundance, it
was hard to get money to pay taxes.
The sheriff of Muskingum county
sold at auction lo hogs at 6 1-4 cents
each,-2 horses worth $5o each at $2
each, 2 cows at $1 each, a barrel ot
sugar for $1.50 and store goods at
the same rate.
The sheriff of Pike county, Mo.,
sold 3 horses at $1.5o each, a large ox
at 12 cts., 5 cows, 2 steers, and 1
calf, the lot for $3.25, 24 hogs for 25
cts., the lot and 7 hogsheads of to
bacco for $5.
These are facts, not theories, and
we challenge those who advise "work
hard and save " to contradict them.
Keduce the currency one-half and
you will see all this repeated.
I want to ask why it is that men
who have money to loan are so anx
ious to have less currency ? Read the
following from Donbleday's History,
and you need look no further for an
answer.
" By the contraction of money in
England from 1816 to 1825, more
than four -fifths of the land owners
were robbed of their estates."
One fact is worth a million state
ments or theories, and I defy any one
to show that any country was ever
prosperous when currency was limited,
less than the needs of the community
or nation.
It has been said that economists
teach differently. Suppose they Cid,
would that alter a fact ?
Scientific men taught that the earth
stood still, that the blood in our veins
did not coarse through our systems,
but their teachings did not prove they
were right.
Scientific men laughed at Fulton,
denied Moore, sneered at Columbu3
and crucified our Saviour. But is it
true that political economists teach
that a small volume of currency is
better for us that is a cash basis
for certificates, which in this country
we call greenbacks. Hume in his
Essay on Money taught differently.
Crawford, Secretary of the Treasury
in 1820, Hunter, U. S. Senator in
1852, agree that decreasing currency
produces poverty and want The
greatest per cent, of our political
fathers so taught.
Seyed, Fauchet, Rotheschild, Prof.
Laveleye, Smith, Mill, Prof. Jevons,
Way land, Bowen, Thompson, Ricardo,
Tooke, Perry, Prof. Chevalier, Jacobs
"Walker, Smye, Linderman, Faucett,
Carey and a host of others, all tb.e
great economists of authority . agree
that contraction of currency is fatal
to the poor, to those that are in debt,
and detrimental to a country's pros
perity. I should be glad if some of the
" Gold Base " theorists would under
take to refute these propositions.
The fathers of our country thought
that
" Funding is simply robbing the people on
a great scale." Jeffekson.
" Anything that the government will receive
in Tavmentof Dublin rinp is mnrpv nml cr.-.ol
money, no natter what the form may be."
TT "
. v " HUU V V. VP
metals as money, is to abridge the quantity
of circulating medium, and is liable to all the
objections which arise from scant circulation."
Hamilton.
From these facts it is clear that ft
contracted currency is disastrous to
the poor, and fatal' to those in debt.
We challenge refutation.
A PLEASANT LETTER FROM A
SISTER.
Owens ville, Sampson Co., N. C, .
Dec. 9, 1885.
Mr. Editor: Occasionally I see a
letter in your worthy columns from
some of the sisters, and I thought I
would, in my feeble way, give you a
few lines from our Alliance. We are
moving slowly along; do not pass
many resolutions but always endorse
everything that we think is for. the
good of the order. We have enrolled
about fifty males and forty-nine fe
males in our Alliance, but am sorry
to say that some of our male members
stand suspended. But we have some
as good material as can be found in
the county who will stick to the
order till the last day, so long as we
have such men as Col. L. L. Polk, S.
B. Alexander and others to lead us.
Every week I read of the death of
some brother or sister in The Pro
gressive Farmer, and we feel that
God, in His unbounded wisdom, has
been more than kind to us, inasmuch
as He has not laid His icy hand upon
us nor taken from our ranks a single
member.
We have had only one marriage,
our worthy Lecturer, Mr. Street
Brewer, to Miss Repsie B. White.
The insurance question has not
been brought before our Alliance yet
but some of the brothers favor it. I
think Old Hickory a crazy old bache
lor with no one to care for, and no
one to care for him.
Inclosed I send you a list of s:x
subscribers; hope to send more in the
near future. A long and happy life
to The Progressive Farmer and its
worthy editor.
S, J.v Cooper, Sec'y. r
FROM BRUNSWICK COUNTY.
Excelsior, N. C, Dec. 9, '89.
Mr. Editor: I take pleasure in say
ing through your paper that Capt. W.
A. Darden has been down here in old
Brunswick dealing out the plain un
varnished truth of the Alliance, and
we are more than happy to state that
we believe that his arguments hav3
been generally accepted. We had the
pleasure of attending his meeting at
Union Chappel, which was quite an
interesting occasion. The church
house was densely crowded, and for
an hour or more Bro. Darden enter
tained the audience with a very happy
speech, setting forth graphically the
condition of our country. First, that
the farmers were oppressed; organiza
tion was necessary to relieving the
farmers in their oppressed; that by
such organization the farmers did not
mean to antagonize other professions,
but that they simply meant to take
care of themselves better than they
had been doing heretofore. He pic
tured the dilipidated condition of
farms and buildings in the country,
and contrasted it with the evidences
of progress which may be seen in
towns and cities, and urged such as
incontestable evidence of where we
are drifting to. But an attempt to
outline his speech is gross injustice to
the speaker. We will therefore desist
from any further attempt, so patient
and elaborate was his portrayal of our
country's condition and the position
occupied by the Alliance. Therefore
suffice it to say that his speech was
both instructive and conciliatoryf and
will, we predict, have much to do in
showing to the world that the Alliance
means only to build up and not to
tare down, as has been claimed by its
opposers.
And now, Mr. Editor, please in
dulge a few remarks about our lodge
(No. 408). We are doing very well,
considering. The Progressive Farmer
is read by our members; also the
Economist is read and handed around,
which are two of the best school mas
ters for our membership that we could
have at such small expense, and I
take pleasure in urging the importance
of reading these two papers. Brethren
everywhere, don't neglect this impor
tant duty, it will do you good and make
you stronger in faith. Fearing that
a want of every saving quality (save
length) would consign this to oblivion,
I will close for the present. .
Hoping success to the Alliance and
to The Progressive Farmer, its noble
advocate and defender, I remain,
Fraternally yours,
W. S. Millikex, Cor.
The inventor of the roller skate
made over $1,000,000.
HARNETT COUNTY TE CHERS'
l- INSTITUTE.
Sum merville, N. C, Dec. 13.
Mb. Ediitor: The Teachers' Insti
tute held in this county during the
present week, was a decided success.
The attendance of teachers was, on an
average, fairly good, there being
about thirty-five or forty present.
People who are interested in poublic
education turned out en masse at the
public exercises, and were highly en
tertained. The Institute was con
ducted by Prof. E. R. 'Alderman, a
gentleman fully competent to dis
charge the duties of his position.
On Friday he delivered a public
address at Lillington in the presence
of aj large and attentive audience. His
lecture was full of interesting facts
and figures, and believing that your
readers would be glad to know what
good Prof. Alderman is doing for the
cause of education in this State, I give
below a briwf synopsis of his remarks
on that occasion.
In the outset he discussed several
general propositions in which he
clairied that it was the duty of the
Stat$ to provide means for the educa
tion! of its children, and that these
children had the right to demand
that they be educated. He took the
position that if the tax on property
for public education was not a legiti
mate tax then all taxation was mere
robbery, and that men who were op
posed to public education had no logi
cal position among men. According
to his argument we have to face and
settle the great question of the educa
tion of the masses. The schools were
here to stay and they either had to be
improved or abolished. He showed
in a very comprehensive manner how
important the child was to the State.
In this State, he said, the average
number of days of the public school
was sixty-three which was much
lower than some of the other Southern
States. Eleven-twelfths of the chil
drenfin the State go to the public
schoii" while only about 20,000 in all
attended private sahools, and hence
the great question of the homo was
the importance of the public sch ol.
The number of voters in 1888 in
this State who could not either read
or write he placed at 145,000, and of
these 58,000 were white and 87,000
colored. He advocated six months
schools, the employment of good
teachers, and the building of substan
tial and comfortable school houses.
j-His description of the average country
school house created much merri
ment,, yet at the same lime it was
nothing but the truth. In some of
these school buildings, he said, a
farmer would not allow his boys to go
for fear that they would break their
legs or otherwise injure themselves in
trying to make their exit through the
holes. The hogs could be protected
while the poor children had to suffer.
He advised the people to act in har
mony and appeal to the legislature
for relief. . When that body saw that
the people were in earnest they would
enact laws that would furnish better
educational facilities. He gave those
men who opposed taxation for public
education some hare raps. He said
they were doing nothing themselve to
make the schools better. There was
a certain privileged class, he said, who
did not want the people educated be
cause they would not then submit to
their methods and practices.
In his remarks to the school officers
he gave them some wholesome advice.
In the first place they should select
mutable buildings, then elect compe
tent teachers and by all means not to
interfere with them. He was unal:
terably opposed to letting out schools
to the lowest bidder, and in order to
secure competent teachers they should
lessen the term if there was not money
enough to justify a good teacher in
accepting the position.
In discussing the " negro problem "
he said it was folly for some men to
be saying that they were opposed to
being taxed to educate the children of
the negro. In this they were simply
cutting off their noses to spite their
faces. If all the negro labor was
drawn from the State, it would have
to be replaced with some other which
likely would be more objectionable
than the negro element. When these
foreigners were put in the negroes'
places the people would have to pay
to help educate their children. So, it
was simply six of the one and a half a
dozen of he other.
Prof. Alderman advocated the en
dowment by the State of an institution
for the education of women. There
-was no such an institution in the State,
and as many of the public schools
were taught by ladies, he thought
that one was sadly needed.
Prof. Alderman's work here has
had a wonderful effect. It has awak
ened a desire for better public schools,
and I have no doubt that the teachers
have been greatly benefited by his in
struction. There were About a dozen
applicants for State certificates, but
the names of the successf ul ones have
not yet been made public.
Spectator.
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED AT
THE SCOTLAND NECK
MEETING.
By request we publish tb.9 following
preamble and resolutions adopted by
the farmers' meeting held- at Scotland
Neck, Halifax county, N. C, Dec.
6th, 1889:
Whereas, Owing to the almost total
failure of crops, there prevails at this
time in this section of the State and in
this community, a feeling of depres
sion and uneasiness, and this being an
agricultural community, many of the
people are uncertain as to how they
will be enabled to carry forward their
farming operations the coming year;
therefore we, the merchants of Scot
land Neck, in convention assembled,
believing that it is the duty of all men
to unite for the common good of their
section, and believing that ''each com
munity -will have to find the remedy
for the present distress within itself,
and in order to relieve this feeling of
depression and uneasiness and to give
our assurance of aid,
Resolve, That whilst, the condition
of this section is without a parallel in
its history, and the burdens upon us
all are heavy, there is no cause for
alarm and uncertainty and loss of
hope.
Resolved, That the situation de
mands the strictest economy and the
exercise of prudence and wisdom upon
the part of all, and absolute candor
and fair dealing between debtor and
creditor.
Resolved, That we can and will aid
fall of our customers and patrons the
coming-year as we have done in the
past, and we promise that wewill
make" sacrifices for them, "knowing
that they will measure their demands
upon us by their necessities.
Liesolved, That we desire all our
friends, both farmers and laborers, to
feel that there is no cause for alarm
and that there will be plenty of work
for willing hands to do.
Resolved, That a copy of these reso
lutions be sent to the News and Oh
server, Star, Messenger, Chronicle,
Southerner, Progressive Farmer,
Roanoke News and Democrat with the
request that they be published.
D. Edmundson, Chm'n.
E. I. Whitehead, Sec'y.
FROM IREDELL COUNTY.
.Fairfield Alliance,
Statesville, N. C, Dec. 12, '89.
Mr. Editor: As you were so very
kind as to allow my first, uninterest
ing epistle to be published, I feel
greatly encouraged to ''try again."
Our little lodge is still in the land of
the living, but sometimes I fear that
some, and a "good sized some" of
our members are I ' don't know
when, but I do know they are seldom
atjthe meeting of the Alliance. Only
the meetings previous to the last our
President, Mr. .7. C. Lentz, (and not
Fenty, as it was printed before), had
forgotten all about it being Alliance
day and consequently didn't go out
that evening, and on the very same
evening our Lecturer, Mr. Kimball,
stayed at home to pull up grubs. Those
are two of oar enthusiastic members
that I spoke of. Bro. J. F. Eagle
was elected Chaplain of our lodge
about a month since, and has never
put in an appearance since, though
we all know he is a good, pious man,
and is not afraid to pray. So he is
not scared away by any means Our
Secretary, Bro. J. W. White, is very
faithful and attached to the great cause.
He is always ready and willing to do
" whatever his hands findeth to do,"
though it was rather amusing in our
last meeting to see him bounce up
like a "spider on springs" and say:
" I make a motion that we elect Belle
Barkley Corresponding Secretary,"
and of course as he is a great worker
the house would submit to almost
any proposition he would make, al
though they do it reluctantly, though
I fear he, as well as others, will see
wherein they have made a great
blunder.
Well, while I have been censuring
our good brethren for their tardiness
in attendance, allow me to say that to
see a half dozen of the 21 female
members there at one time would
scare every man off the place, not
withstanding we have members who
are not afraid . of ghosts, cyclones,
earthquakes or anything of the kind
But why would the good sisters have
a great desire to attend ? If she gives
her opinion in regard to anything
that may be under consideration,
some pert young gent will say, " she
does think she is so smart," or some
thing of the kind.
Our Alliance has not come to any
agreement in regard to the insurance
.plan, as some are seeming to "sorter"
pull back. What do you think about
" Old Hickory's " letter in The Pro
gressive Farmer of last week ? I
simply think that the good farmers
ought to take him " behind the house "
and make his pants need a "patch on
them."
Well, what shall we do for a merry
Xmas? With best wishes to the
dear old Progressive Farmer and
all our band of christian workers, I
am, Very respectfully,
B. B., Cor. Sec.
"The true and only cause of the
stagnation in industry and commerce
now everywhere felt is the fact every,
where existing of falling prices, caused
by a shrinkage in the volume of
money." Report Silver Commission"
p. 121.
FROM HENDERSON COUNTY.
Pump, N. C, Dec. 14, '89.
Mr. Editor: We, the farmers of
western North Carolina, are looking
forward to better times. We are
looking and longing for the time to
come when we can work twelve
months in the year and get a return"
for our labor. At present we do not
work more than one half the time and
we have at present a surplus of corn,
cabbage, potatoes, beans and onions,
fruits of all kinds, both green and
dried, and a vast amount will have to.,
rot and go to waste for lack of a
market, ail on account of the greedy,
craw of the bloated railroad kings. I',
want the brethren all over the State t
to give their support to the man who ,
will go teeth and toe-nail for a rail
road commission. We could live by
iarming if we could market our sur-
plus, but the freight is so awfully
high it pays us better to dump the
produce in the manure heap. Bear
Wallow Farmers' Alliance is proud
to Know tnat tne JNauonai Jbarmers
and Laborers' Union has chosen one
of our best and wisest leaders to pre-f
side over that grand and noble body.
There is no other words that this Alli
ance can utter mors appropriate than
these: May God bless him in the
great effort he is . making to save
America from the curse of monopoly,
and Alliance No. 1,629 answers,
Amen. Fraternally,
" Hickory."
"Diminishing money "and falling
prices are not only oppressive upon
debtors, but they cause stagnation in
business, reduce production and en
force idleness. Falling markets anni
hilate profits, and as it is only the ex
pectation of gain that .stimulates cap
ital to invest in operations, inadequate
employment is found for labor, and
those who are employed can only be
so on diminished wages. American
Review. OVERPRODUCTION.
If there were two overcoats for sale
in Newton and only money and credit
en ugh to buy one, our street corner
politicians would of course be obliged
to conclude that there was an over
production of overcoats, although half
the men were without. They would
of course say that supply and demand
control the market for all commodities
and therefore conclude that when the
overcoat was sold for which there was
a " demand " that the supply had ex
ceeded the demand, without for a mo
ment considering that if the money
supply had been smaller, and prices
necessarily and correspondingly lower,
that even one overcoat could not have
been sold, ho matter how severe te
weather or great the need of " protec
tion." The control of large capital destroys
the theory of supply and demand com
pletely. Suppose for instance that a
millionaire should come to Newton
and engage in the business of mer
chandising, build a big warehouse,
keep all classes of goods and under
take to "runout" all competition, and
this is the way business is already be
ing done, to a great extent, on the
Pacific coast he could sell one class
pi gooas ior less man cost anu sua
"make money" and in this way "cor-
ner' supply and control demand. And
this is precise j what is being done to
day in our ill eat markets and just
what we are corning to in all our
smaller towns if the present control of
the nationall finances continues.
r 1 B 1 I - . J ill
Nothing in the "money question
Wait and see. Kansas Commoner.