Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / April 29, 1890, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
.a n IMnTTCirnnill IlTrV I'mifiXWIflMXI INTh'Nk'UTX Ilk' II K PtIIHI.K fa Kim I N TflIMl. HTUk'H IMINVillHi K A f HlK'v Ilk' KThTV. Plll.ri'V ...... k - luLUu 1 IilAu nil lifuuniiuunu iiuuauuik; vi vuii uv uu ihiiiuiwii i i vnuu uiuuii uvuuivuuniiviiu vi umiu ivmuu RALEIGH, N. C, APRIL 29, 1890. No. 12 Vol. 5. THE NATIONAL FARMERS' AL LIANCE AND INDUSTRIAL UNION. President L. L. Polk, North Carolina. Address, 511 9th St., N. W., Washington, D. C. Vice-President P. H. Clover, Cam bridge, Kansas. Secretary J. H. Turner, G-eorgia. Ad dress, 511 Oth St, N. W., Washington, D. C. Treasurer W. H. Hickman, Puxico, Missouri. Lecturer Ben Terrell, Texas. EXECUTIVE BOARD. C. W. Macune, Washington, D. C. AlcA'zo Wardall, Huron, South Dakota. J.V. Tillman, Palmetto, Tennessee. JUDICIARY. R. C. Patty, Macon, Mississippi. Isaac McCracken, Ozone, Arkansas. Evan Jones, Dublin, Texas. ORTH CAROLINA FARMERS STATE ALLIANCE. President Elias Carr, Old Sparta, .C. Vice-President A. H. Hayes, Bird town, N. C. Secretary E. C. Beddingfield, Raleigh, Treasurer J. D. Allen, Falls, N. C. Lecturer Thos. B. Long, Asheville, Assistant Lecturer R. B. Hunter, Char lotte, N. C. Chaplain J. J". Scott, Alfordsville, N.C. Door Keeper W. H. Tomlinson, Fay etteville, N. C. Assistant Door Keeper H. E. King, Peanut, N. C. Sergeant-at-Arms J. S. Holt, Chalk Level, N. C. State Business Agent W. H. Worth, Raleigh, N. C. Trustee Business Agency Fund W. A. Graham, Machpelah, N. C. XEOUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE NORTH CARO LINA FARMERS' STATE ALLIANCE. S. B. Alexander, Charlotte, N. C. Chair nan; J. M. Mewborne, KinstonN. 0.; J. S. Johnston, Ruffin, N. C. PITT COUNTY ALLIANCE IN SESSION. Demands Made, Etc. "Whereas, The farmers of this county represent the bulk of the voters, as also the greatest financial interest; and Whereas, The Farmers' Alliance represent the farmer in an organized capacity. Therefore be it Resolved, That it is vitally impor tant that legislation be more friendly to the interests of farmers. Resoh-id, That the members of Sub ordinate Alliance 3 are urged to attend the primary meetings of their respec tive parties, and th it they recommend no u an for office whose moral charac ter i pensurable by the virtuous ele ment of society or repugnant to the Christian sentiment as taueht from our churches. Resolved, That the delegates elected at the primaries be instructed not to vote for the nomination of any man who will not pledge himself to the Alii ance platform or demands as for mulated at the St. Louis Convention, to wit: "That we demand the abolition of national banks and the substitution of legal tender treasury notes in lieu of national bank notes, issued in suffi cient volume to do the business of the country on a cash system , regulating the amount needed on . a per capita basis as the business interests of the country demands, and that all money issued by the government shall be legal tender in payment of all debts, both public and private. 2. That we demand that Congress .shall pass such laws as shall effectually prevent the dealing in futures of all agricultural and mechanical products, pursuing a stringent system of pro cedure in triajs as shall secure the prompt conviction and imposing such penalties as shall secure the most perfect compliance with law. 3. That we demand the free and unlimited coinage of silver. 4. That we demand the passage of laws prohibiting the alien ownership of land, and that Congress take early action to devise some plan to obtain by purchase all lands now owned by aliens and foreign syndicates, and that all lands now held by railroad and other syndicates in excess of such as is actually used by them be purchased by the government and held for actu al settlers only. 5. Believing in the doctrine of equal rights to all and special favors to none, we demand that taxation, na tional and State, shall not be used to build up one interest or class at the expense of another. We believe that the money of the country should be kept as much as possible in the hands of the people and hence' we demand that all revenues, national, State or county, Bhall be limited to the neces sary expenses of the government, economically and honestly adnv.n's tered. 6. That Congress issue a snffiVi -nt amount of fractional piper currency to facilitate exchange through the medium of the United Scales mail. 7. That the means of communica tion and transportation shll be con trolled by and operated in the inter est of the people, through the Unite i States postal system." That both the political parties which control our State and national legislation are at fault for the present depressed and deplorable condition of the farming and laboring classes of the people. That we shall demand a full and free discussion of all questions appertain ing to the public without passion and without prejudice and that at our elec tions we will prefer the true interests of the farming and laboring classes of the people to the succes3 of any party, and that we will support no man for any office who is unwilling to give equal and exact justice to all with special powers to none. That nothing contained in the above resolutions shall be construed to mean that the Farmers' Alliance is going into partisan politics, but are intended simply to give force to the influence which farmers should rep resent in the political parties with which they affiliate. Resolved, That this Alliance rec ommend that social gatherings be held in different sections to which speakers shall be invited and shall ad dress them upon the principles and de mands of the Alliance, and that Alli ance meetings be held at each of these gatherings. Resolved, That the thanks of this Alliance be tendered the citizens of Pittsboro and community for their generous hospitality. Resolved, That the foregoing reso lutions be sent to the Chatham Record, The Progressive Farmer and Nation al Economist for publication and that papers in the State friendly to the Alliance be requested to copy. ANOTHER CONVERT. . The Progressive Farmer of last week had a thoughtful editorial upon the proposition laid down by some that the present low prices of agricul tural products are due to over-production. It asserts that we raised 9 bushels of wheat per capita in 1881 and 7 per capita in 1889, and that the average price in 1881 was $1.15 per b'ushel and now it is 79 cents. We assume that these figures are cor rect. If so, h is clear that over-production is not what is the matter, and our contemporary calls upon the diag nosticians to guess again. It says the trouble is with the financial system of our government, and we do not think the correctness of the conclusion ad mits of a doubt. The system which forces the farmer to sell his products in a free trade market and make all of his purchases in a highly protected market, is one of the things that is the matter, and another, as we see it after considerable reflection, is the lack of a sufficient volume of currency in cir culation. Ihe Landmark is a convert to free silver coinage. The above is clipped from the edi torial columns of the Statesville Land, mark of last week. Such conversions are worth something to the country. Our friend is an independent thinker who does not jump at conclusions. Neither will he say a thing is good because somebody else says so unless the facts are at hand. And above all, he has no axe to grind; he is courting no clique nor clan for favors. He just simply gave the matter care ful thought - turned it this way and that and then ho found that figures could not lie. We hope that the Landmark will find time to carefully weigh other propositions laid down from time to time in The Progressive Farmer and see whether or not they are errone. ous. HARNETT GOES ON RECORD. Buie's Creek, N. C, April 12, '90. Resolved by Harnett County Alii ance in regular meeting held on the 4th day of April, 1890, wishing to place itself on record in regard to the action of the National Convention, held at St Louis, Resolved , That we co-operate with the above stated convention in all its demands especially as regards the Sub-Treasury plan. Resolved, That a copy of these reso lutions be sent to The Progressive Farmer and a copy sent to each of our Representatives in Congress. W. M. Byrd, Pres't. W. M. Sexton, Sec'y. NUTS TO CRACK AT THE FARM ER'S FIRESIDE. A Senator who will wait seventeen years to inquire what his constituents wa'nt, had better be laid on the shelf. Emporia Republican. Shoot your petitions into the ballot box, and then you will place them where they will do the most good. Labette County Statesman. Ingalls has at last found the rem edy, and we may now look for a rise in the price of corn, wheat, oats, cat tle and hogs all over the West. He has introduced a bill to establish a free public bathing beach on the Po tomac river. Labor's Tribune, (Mo) Iowa demands free twine, and has asked her delegation in Congress to say so'. The only difficulty in comply ing with such a modest demand by a State so important is that the whole tariff system is so twined together that if any one twine-end should be pulled out down would come the en tire fabric. The Missouri anti-trust law has been declared " unconstitutional.'1 This is no more than might have been expected. All laws enacted for the benefit of the people, and in any way conflicting with the interests of mo nopolies will likely meet a similar fate until the people by their ballots de clare boodle legislatures and courts un constitutional. The Republican press commenting on Vance's warehouse bill to benefit the farmers treat it as a wild and im partial scheme. Somehow any sug gestion that would help the farmer is wild and impracticable. When the agricultural interests ask for the direct loan of funds on real estate they cry out in holy horror, " Oh, the govern ment must not go into the banking business;," yet to loan bankers mil lions at 1 per cent, for twenty years and others millions without any inter est at all, is all right. You see it makes a difference whose ox is gored. Under all forms of government the ultimate power lies with the masses. It is not kings nor aristocracies, nor land owners nor capit ists, that any where really enslave the people. It is their own ignorance. Most clear is this where government rest on uni versal suffrage. The workingmen of the United States may mold to their will legislatures, courts and constitu tions. Politicians strive for their favor and political parties bid against one another for their vote. But wha avails this ? The little finger of ag gregated capital must be thicker than the loins of the working masses so long as they do not know how to use their power. Ex. The Alliance in this part of the State has passed from the experi mental stage to a fixed reality. It is not a theory here any longer but a condition invincible and certain. No other movement ever made such rapid progress as has been made by the Al liance in the country. Six weeks ago there were only four Alliances in the the county with a memoership of perhaps 120. Now there are thirty six lodges with perhaps 1,500 Over four hundred were taken in during the last week. I think the number will reach 2,500 which will I think work a much needed reform in the public and private affairs of the coun ty. I think your paper will have a great circulation in this county. Kansas Advocate. The United States is considered a wealthy nation because it has vast sums of idle money stored away in its subterranean vaults. The human mind was never deluded by a greater fallacy. That a goyernment can be wealthy while the masses of its people are poor, is an absolute absurdity. True national wealth and prosperity was never known except where every industry flourished, where labor re ceived its just reward, and where the masses of the people were prosperous and happy. Where all this idle money so invested as to infuse life and activ ity into every American industry, and were the United States treasury with out a dollar in its vaults, the nation would exhibit far more of the evi dences of wealth than at the present time. Advocate. In New York, the indications are that the farmers will revolutionize the whole tendency of legislation as a result of next fall's election. Long before then the Farmers' League will have 100,000 members pledged to pro mote the farmers' interests in the caucuses and at the polls. The same movement and federation is spreading rapidly throughout the Middle, Soutb em and Western States. In Kansas, not only have the Alliance, Grange, Farmers' Mutual Benefit Association, Agricultural wheel and Farmers' Union united politically in one grand League to advocate the farmers' cause' but the organization of other workers and laborers have agreed to co-operate wiih this League of farmers. The sooner our farmers get our political parties back to tha principles of self government that legislation should be for the many and not j-he few, the better it will be for our whole peo ple. If our friends the politicians fail to see the signs of the times, they will be asking after the fall elections, " What struck us?" I arm and Home. Topeka, Kan., March 8. The Farmers' Alliance movement has had a marvelous growth in the last thirty days. In every county in the State from three to fifteen Alliances have been organized and the total member ship in the State is now fully 125,000. It is claimed by the leaders of the movement that before the fall elec tions are held fully nine tenths of the farmers of the State wiL be member of the organization. The politicians are watching the rapid growth of the Alliance with fear and trembling. What will be the outcome of it is vi-t uncertain. There is no longer any doubt, however, that they propose to elect farmers to the Legislature, and it is quite possible they will put a State ticket in the field. Committees representing the Farmers' Alliance, the Grange the Farmers' Mutual Ben efit Association and the Knights of Labor have been in session this week and adopted a platform looking to the consolidation of the different organiza tions for political purposes. It is pro posed to organize a formidable minor ity that shall have influence enough to secure favorable consideration from the government toward the interests represented in the combination. What does it all mean ? South Carolina farmers nominating a ticket for ratification at the annual State Democratic Convention. E. D. Chase, a leader in the Dakota Alliance, ap pointec...3tatft railroad commissioner. W. J. Northen, President of the Geor gia State Agricultural Society, the leading candidate for Governor. J. H. Hale, ex Master of the Connecticut State Grange, regarded as "the only Republican for Governor who can carry the State." Farmer candidates coming to the front in many Congres sional districts. Illinois farmers even talking of sending a farmer to the United States Senate ! New York farmers getting ready to elect their own Legislature next fall. Whew ! Why can't the farmers continue to pay about all the taxes and bear most of the burdens ? What do they want to bother with politics for ? Why don't they sit back and let the same little ring of non-producers in both parties get up the tickets ? Don't the farmers know that as the office should seek the man, the farmer should keep still while all the other fellows are seeking the office ? Why can't the farmer remain the conservative ele ment the "bone and sinew " of the country, etc ? Sure enough, why not ? Farm and Home. WHAT " ECONOMIST " WAS IT? BY OLD FOGY. My attention was directed quite recently to an article in The Progres sive Farmer of April 8th, 1890, in which a quotation is made, as follows: " I would like the book (Bellamy's Looking Backward) in the hands of every Alliance family," etc. "The above suggestions from the Economist of March 15th are the best and most practical of anything I have yet seen," etc. "What Economist is not stated, but our readers no doubt thought, at least those who do not read our national organ, that the reference was to our Economist. The truth is our Economist of March 15th, 1890, said under caption of Nationalization of Industries: " A na tion in which the industries of the country were divided into groups numbering, say, fifty, and each group having a complete and legal govern ment as the various States now have, except that instead of being geo graphical dominions of the nation they would be industrial divisions of the nation and each division would, of course, be national in extent, would be a'condition of nationalization of in dustries without the objectionable and socialistic features advocated by Ed ward Bellamy." There is a movement on foot in San Francisco to bring into the Fed eration all the union men engaged there as sailors, firemen, dock labor ers, stevedores and ""longshoremen. FARMERS' ALLIANCE OF HEN RICO COUNTY. Richmond, Va., April 7, 1800. It is the desire of the Henrico County Alliance, that all the Alliance men of this and othep States who can do so, shall take part in the procession in connection with the unveiling of the Lee Statue, on May 29th, 1890. In order that this may bo done in a manner which shall do honor to our noolechieftain, and shall fairly repre sent the Farmers' Alliance, the Com mittee on Arrangements desire to ob tain from each Sub-Alliance informa tion as to the number of its members who will agree to take part in the pro cession on the following conditions: 1. That all shall be mounted as far as possible; but if any cannot mount, they shall come in farm wagons. The committee, if notified at once, will do all they can to furnish wagons for those who come from such a distance that they cannot bring their own horses. - 2. That eoch one shall wear a badge to be obtained from the committee at a cost not to exceed 25 cts. (The com mittee expect the cost to be much less than this.) The committee will furnish at cost a large banner for eash county desir ing it. Information in regard to this will be given to any one communi cating with the committee. The Sub Alliances are urged to send this infor mation to the chairman of the com mittee just as soon as possible. The replies must be in the hands of the committee certainly by the 10th of May, or those who fail to reply by that time may be left out in the ar rangements. H. Adolph Mullir, Chairman Committee. Postoffice, Thistle, Virginia. LETTER FROM JOHNSTON COUNTY. Pleasant Hill Alliance, No. 964. Mr. Editor : As we have never been heard of through the columns of The Progressive Farmer, I will ask space for a few lines. We were or ganized in July, 1S88, and now num ber about thirty-five faithful and ener getic members. And while we have not been heard of through the col umns of your valuable paper, we have not been idle drone3 in the great cause pertaining to our order. We bought our fertilizers this year through the State Business Agent. We are also doing some other trading through the same channel. In reading notes from some of the brethren, I see that some of their members are not faithful, and don't attend their meetings regular. Now, brethren, this will not do ; for we need not expect success in our grand cause without punctuality. No, not even in social life, in politics, or even in the sacred precincts of religion. Then, brethren, attend your meetings, ana don't be behind time. Punctuality means the economy of time, and time is the measure in which all success must be achieved. Titus, having idled away a day, was troubled in mind, and lamented the circumsiance. He could never recall the lost time. In business and social life it is the same. The Rothschild immense fortune was buiii upon the promptness and punctuality with which the founder of the house acted through a long and prosperous career. It was punctuality that made the for tune of Stephen Girard, and if we should examine carefully the history of every successful politician, minis ter, mechanic, lawyer, teacher, &c., we shall find that each and every one of them was strictly punctual to every engagement. Napoleon and Welling ton, Washington, Lee and Grant were not only punctual themselves, but ex acted punctuality from all who were subject to their orders. Another trouble among some of our order is impatience. The person who starts out in the world, expecting to accom plish his purposes in a few days or months, is almost invariably sure to make a failure ; it make3 no difference what his avocation in life may be. Four-fifths of all the mercantile, finan cial and professional failures are trace able to the impatience of the persons who could not wait for success. They are men who do not want to endure the performance of duties which alone can secure excellence. The bulk of the colossal fortune of Yanderbilt was .accumulated after he was fifty years of age ; but he only reaped the fruits of previous labor. Then, brethren, if we expect to prosper, we must be patient and wait, for it will take time to accomplish our purposes. The man who is in too great haste for results will not wait for the ripest fruit. Jonah's gourd vine came up and grew to maturity in a single night, but fif teen centuries were required to mature the cedars of Lebanon. The vine perished with the rising sun; the cedars endure for ages. Th-.j making haste to the top round of tLo ladder has resulted in the disastrous fall of more men who have entered the arena of business and professional lif 3 than any other one cause. Wei. I have already intruded, so I will close. Suc cess to our order and The Progress ive Farmer. Yours fraternally, N. B. Lucas, Cor. Sec'v. DEMANDS OF THE ALEXANDER COUNTY FARMERS' ALLI ANCE, NO. 1,315. 1. We recommend all the demands made by the St. Louis National Far mers' Alliance and Industrial Union, December 6th, 1S89. 2. We also demand that our repre sentatives in the Legislature shall favor railroad commission to regulate the freight and tariff in North Car olina. 3. We demand that all property under mortgage shall be exempt from taxation to the amount, of the mort gage. 4. We demand that the farmer be exempt from taxation on the products of his soil'as all other home interests are. The above res olutions or demands were reported by the Committee on Demands and adopted u 11 an irnously in the county meeting, April 4 th, 1870. W. E. White, Pres. Alexander Co. F. A., No. 1,315. W. J. Davis, Secy. CORN, 1889. The crop of corn for 1889 was the largest ever raised in this country. The entire product amounted to 2,113 million bushels. Unused and on hand March 1st, 1890, 970 million of bushels. We have I S3 millions of bushels more thar now than last year at this time, and 4G2 millions more tha a in 18S8. The States of Ohio, Indiana, Illi nois. Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Ne braska had on hand, March 1st, 667 million bushels of corn, or twenty times more than the entire product of North Carolina for the year past. The value of the crop at present prices is 504 millions (the amount on hand March 1st.) The value at prices December 1 at was 35 millions in ex cess of the present prices. That is to say, the decline amounts to 0 per cent, in three months. WHEAT, 1889. The crops of wheat for 1889 amounted to 490,500,000 bushels. Last year the crop was 4 1 5 million bushels. . In 1881 our crop was 498,519,868 bushels, in 1883 it was 504 million bushels and in 1885, 512 millions of bushels. On hand March 1st 150,000,000 bushels. In 1885 we had on hand at same time 169,000,000. Most of the wheat in farmers' hands is in the States that do not raise more than they consume. The six spring wheat States have only 15,000,000 bushels more than will be needed ir seed and their own supply. The six winter v. heat States east of the Rockies have a surplus of 24,000, 000 bushels. The wheat crop is a large one, but there is less in those States that Bup ply export and more in the States that supply their own demand. A BILL BY SENATOR PLUMB. Mr. Plumb introduced a bill for the disposition of certain funds in the Treasury and asked that it be read in full, as he desired to call the attention of the Finance Committee to it. It provides that the money required to be deposited for the redemption of the national bank circulation shall be covered into the Treasury and treated as funds available for the reduction of the public debt and for the current expenses of the government; that all funds held for the payment of the ma tured debt and interest, due and un paid, shall be similarly treated; and that hereafter no funds available, above the sum of $10,000,000, shall be retained in the Treasury this not to be construed, however, as permanent ly diminishing the fund of $100,000, 000 now held for the redemp'iun of Treasury notes. He said tLa,t there was less than $700,000,000 of circuit tion for the use of 65,000,000 people of the United States probably net more than $10 per capita.
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
April 29, 1890, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75