Newspapers / The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, … / Jan. 6, 1891, edition 1 / Page 1
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THE INDUSTRIAL AHD EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY. tfoL 5. RALEIGH. N. C, JANUARY 6, 1891 No. 44 -ru NATIONAL FARMERS' AL Tn atf IHnilQTOIAT UNION. p dent L. L. Polk, North Carolina. Jtou, 344 D. St., N. vY., Washington, y 'President B. H. Clover, Cam- . j TTansas Drug, rr,.,Q, t Secretary- H. Turner, Georgia. Addr ss. 239 Nrth Capitol St., xr W Washington. D V W-Ly;t'urerJ. H. Willett, Ksnas. EXECUTIVE BOARD. C W. Macune, Washington, D. C. A'onzo Wardall, Huron, South Dakota, j jr. Tillman, Palmetto, Tennessee. JUDICIARY. R C. Patty, Macon, Mississippi. Isaai McCracken, Ozone, Arkansas. A. Cole, F.'Wlerville, Michigan. NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Preside ts of all the, State organi zations with L L. Polk Ex-cficio Chair man. KOBTH :aROLINA FARMERS' STATE ALLIANCE Pre ident Elias Carr, Old Sparta, tf.C. V je-President A. H. Hayes, Bird- tSe!retary E. C. Beddingfield, Raleigh, N 0. T easurer J. D. Allen, Falls, N. O. L :turer Thos. B. Long, Asheville, N. OL A distant Lecturer R. B. ' Hunter, H inters ville, N. C. C aDlain S. J. Yeach, Warsaw, N. 0. Do r Keeper W. H. Tomlinson, Fay ette ille, N. C. A distant Door Keeper 1. E. King, Pea mt, N. C. Sirgeant-at-Arms J. S. Holt, Chalk LeTN.C. State Business Agent W. H. Worth, Rale gb, N. C. Tristee Business Agency Fund W. A. Grahan, Machpelah, N. C. 1IECUT VE COMMITTEE OF THE NORTH CARO LINA FARMERS' 8TATE ALLIANCE. S B. Alexander, Charlotte, N. C. Chai nan; J. M. Mewborne, Kinston N. C; J 3. Johnston. Ruffin. N. C. gTATK ALLIANCE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE. R. J. Powell, Raleigh, N. C; N. C. English, Trinity College; J. J. Young, Polenta; John Graham, Ridgeway. V NOTES ON CURRENT EVENTS. Representatives of the Alliance papers organized the Reform Press Association and adopted a constitution and by-laws. The meetirg developed the fact that there were at least one hundred able, forceful, off hand speakers who would do honor to any occasion. Mrs. Diaas and Mrs. Vickey, the lady orators from Kansas, who took such a prominent and effective part in the recent campaign in that State, captured the crowd whenever and wherever they appeared. Five hundred men were in Ocala for nine days and nights. Half that number went on an excursion which lasted for five days and nights, and not a man was seen under the in fluence of intoxicating drink. V " Ocala possesses a treasure in that noble man Dunn," said one. True. ie gave his individual check for $5,000 for the entertainment of the body and then kept several families at the fine Ocala House at his own expense. But all Florida seemed to be all heart and hospitality. The Manufacturers' Record gives, in a editorial, a plan of its own for the free advertisement in its columns of every sort of Southern investments. By &i8 plan it is proposed to call the at tention of capitalists to Southern in vestments in such a way as to turn .some of the money which has hitherto been going Westward to the Southern section of the country. a"M nominated rresiaeni dik, nd it wa3 seconded by every State presented, amid the wildest enthu 81sm. The representatives of as ja&ny as fourteen States were on the ar at one time, clamoring for recognition. After the .unanimous vote of the body, the visitors present, W seventy, five- in number, asked th privilege to vote for him and the hole body rose, cheering wildly. The North Carolinians present at Ocala were: S. B. Alexander, Elias J M. Wood, E. A. Move, L. L. olk ad wife, E. C. Beddingfield, W. H. Worth and wife, H. A. Bland, J. Jbi. Rue, Ed. Thome, W. H. Thome, Dr. J. E. Person, A. J. Dalby and wife, J. L. Worth and wife, Col. Geo. Williamson, Miss Carrie Polk, Miss Lonnie Polk, D. H. Rittenhouse, J. H. Faison, J. A. Waller, E. R. Rouse, Killett. Mb. W. F. Daly, the former Busi ness Manager of The Progressive Farmer, is still in quite feeble health. We are sorry for this, for he is a most estimable young man. He has decided not to retain a position in our office, and we commend him most unhesi tatingly and most earnestly to any one who may wish to secure the services of a most honorable, straightforward and capable young man. We regret to lose Mr. Daly from our office, and we hope he may meet with the success which his worth deserves in any place where he casts his lot. We print in this issue of The Pro oressive Farmer the full text of Sen ator Stanford's bill, authorizing the loan of money by the government upon the security of real estate. We publish also the speech of the Cali fornia Senator, which he delivered in the Senate, in connection with a mo tion to refer the bill to the Committee on Finance. We ask our readers to give both the bill and the speech a careful reading. To us it seems an easily practicable scheme of financial expansion. This opinion is formed upon a very slight . study of the ques tion. We shall probably have some thing further to say upon this meas ure at some future time. Meanwhile we shall be glad to publish the opin ions which our readers may have formed of this measure. bC" What impressed you most at the Ocala meeting, and what do you re gard as its most important action ?" was asked W. H. Worth, our State Agent. He replied: "The thing that most impressed me was the hearty and unanimous endorsement and election of our honored President Polk. It was worth the trip to see what a strong feeling of confidence and affection the almost entire con vention had for President Polk. The re adoption or endorsement of the Sub-Treasury plan was, in my opinion, one of the most important actions of the body. One of the most important results of our .meeting was the bring ing together of representative men from all parts of the country. Their acqu iintances with each other, and seeing that the legislation needed for each section was identically the same, and their determination to stand by their convictions as to what they thought to be right. Polk's address, the Alliance resolved itself into a sort of " love feast," dur ing which C. A. Power, an old Union soldier from Indiana, moved that all ex-Union soldiers in the hall, who endorsed the sentiments expressed in the speech of President Fouths, of South Dakota, with reference to the burial of sectionalism, rise up to be counted. The motion prevailed, and between forty and fifty stood up, amid the wildest enthusiasm. Under the inspiration of this good feeling, an ex Union soldier from Wisconsin stood up in his seat and called upon all Union soldiers present to give three cheers for the old Confederates in the Alliance. They were given with a will. Then it was the Confederates' turn, and they cheered the old sol diers of the Union with a voluminous heartiness that raised no doubt as to genuineness of their feeing. The cheers were ming'.ed with the wild, old fashioned " Rebel yell," and as its echoes died away, one aged veteran of the Confederacy shouted in a voice that rang out clearly through the hall: "That's the genuine article. I've heard it afore." ALLIANCE CORRESPONDENCE. Roxboro, N. C, Dec. 23, '90. Mb. Editor: I see from the papers that the Sub Treasury plan is thought, by a good many, not to be the thing to give relief to all classes. Some say it is unconstitutional, some say it would bankrupt the country by build ing warehouses and employing men to attend to them. Again, some say it is class legislation, but all say the farmers must have relief. But your paper, the State organ of the Farmers' Alliance, seems not to be wedded to any special scheme, just so we can have the necessary reform, and I have seen in The Progressive Farmer fre quent appeals to its readers to suggest a ay other plan that they thought would be better, therefore I make the following suggestion to you and your readers . If the Government of the United States will loan money to the different States in -the Union upon the same terms they loan to the banks and let each State be bound to the Govern ment for the amount loaned, the money loane 1 to be put in the hands of the States' Treasurers and then for the State Treasurers so send it out to the different counties for the county treasurers, to loan out to those who may need it at a low per cent interest, having it amply secured by mortgage. By this plan all can see that we would get clear from the expense of building warehouses employing men to attend to them, &c. There would be- no room for complaint, all wouid be on an equal footing. It is a known fast that tobacco can not be kept for any length of time in public warehouses. Yours very respectfully, Josephus Younger. ' Cbainville, Kan., Dec. 17, '90. Mb. Editor: I thought it might not be amiss to write you a few lines from way out here in Northwestern Kansas. We of the Alliance are pro gressing finely. The election instead of being detrimental to us wasr a means of strengthening our order. Truly we lost some members,, and by the way our losses were gains, but have gained more good, honest men than lost. Our cause is on the rjoom now. We were deeply interested in the National Convention at Ocala, Fia. The sentiments of the Kansas delega tion was the sentiment of the Alliance generally here in Kansas. We were glad Bro. Willets was elected Lecturer We love Bro. Wil lets and believe him to be worth the confidence the convention placed in him. In papers outside of our State you will read articles about the great State of Kansas, how happy, prosper ous and contented her people are, when they are loosing their homes at the rate of five hundred per week, when they are leaving the western part by the droves. Yes, we have a grand State and under natural conditions would occupy a front place among the States of the Union, but the best you can say now is mortgage ridden, poverty ridden, usury ridden State of Kansas'. God grant the conditions may be changed before the farmers all lose their homes and become mere tenents at will bowing down to masters a thousand times more cruel than the masters of the colored slaves ever were. But as sure as there is a God in Heaven such will be our fate unless we can stand firm together, hand in hand, forgetting old issues, forming new, with "united we stand, divided we fall " as our watchword. My father was a soldier in the Un ion armies for three "tong years, but should I, his son, thirty years after the war is over still bear malice against my brother in the South? God for bid. I am as ready to grasp the hand of a Southern man and wish him God speed as a Northern man. The peo pie of the North have been taught by scheeming publications to hate South ern people, to keep a solid North for them to gorge and fatten on, but thank the stars we have, as the saying goes, got our eyes open. We have found to our sorrow that waving the bloody shirt fails to bring money in our pock ets. We are henceforth going to vote for Betoy and Bake. We voted that way this fall and were well pleased. We shall try it again. We wero glad that Bro". L. L. Polk, our beloved President, was again elected to that office. May God bless him in his noble efforts for a re-united country. If the Alliance fails may God of Heaven tell us what will unite us. Fraternally, L. L. Van Winkle, Sec'y Liberty Alliance, No. 2,341. Mb Editor: All hail! The an nouncement made in the Senator's letter in The Progressive Farmer of the 23rd of December in reply to Eiias Carr, Esq While the Sub Treasury plan is not only the best, but the only plan which has been pro posed ; giving promise of the much needed relief sought in the interest of the masses of the people; and while Senator Vance's several communica tions and speeches relating to this plan left some of his best friends very much perplexed, this letter thoroughly har monizes all disaffection. It puts the responsibility of the advocacy of this measure where it rightfully belongs. It leaves the matter in the "hands of the members of the Legislature, the representatives of the people. Sena tor Vance's record in our national council, as it relates to the welfare of his people, is vithout a spot, and now if the'Legislature shall fail to instruct on this plan of most vital importance, J&e-iii'wiU. hold its members re sponsible, and Senator Vance will be guided in his deliberations by the dictates of his own judgment in formulating some plan of relief; for the successful issue of which, he alone, will be responsible. If on the other fiand the Legislature shall instruct for the advocacy of the Sab-Treasury plan and our Senator shall well and truly observe such instruction (which we doubt not), then the Sub Treasury bill will no longer remain "pigeon holed," but will be fully and freely discussed and thoroughly ventilated, and some plan will be perfected adequate to the absolute needs of the people, and our object is attained. We congratulate Vance-Alliance men upon this successful deliverance from the dilemma in which we were placed, for now we can consistently with previous obligations gladly and cheerfully support Senator Vance's re election. Henceforward let harmony be our watchword. E. A. Thobne. Fayette, Wis., De z. 26, 1890. Mr. Editor : Being a farmer, and of course deeply interested in every thing that effects the interests of farm ers, I have closely watched the growth and development of the farmer's move ment the Farmers' Alliance. It is evident that we are now in the midst of a period of depression. For such a state of affairs there must be a cause probably several causes. I have little sympathy with him who pins his faith to a cure all for a disease having several causes. The insuffi ciency of money is no doubt one cause of the present depression. Excessive railroad rates is another and fruitful cause of poverty among farmers. Spesulation in farm products, with its consequent instability of prices is an other cause. Enormous tariff taxes on the necessit es of lite is another and very grievous burden the farmers have to bear. x - For these various causes of agricul tural depression there are several remedies. An intmediate reduction of the tariff shouldv bejnade. Nor should a halt be caUel . .when one re duction has been made.' Each reduc i . - I tion on raw materials cheapens the cost of production and opens and pre pares the way for further redactions L)t them be made. Speculation, or grain gambling, should be prohibited. The speculator produces nothing He renders no use ful service to his fellow men. He is nothing better than a pirate on com merce, and should be treated as such. Railroads and telegraphs should be under the strict control of government and I may add, the government should be by the people and for the people, not by a few wealthy men and politicians for their own selfish ends. For the scarcity of money there may be several remedies. One rem edy is an " inflation of the currency," either by means of free coinage, or the issue of government notes, or both. There is another remedy for the present depression which is advocated by an earnest, though small body of our people. That remedy is to pro hibit the traffic in intoxicating drinks. The waste of the drink traffic is en or'm dus. One billion of dollars is the annual drink bill of the people of the United States. One billion of dollars more than $15 per capita, is an nually taken from the legitimate chan nels of trade and turned into the tills of those who, like the grain gambleis, produce nothing, render no useful service to their fellow-men, and who should be compelled to earn a living by honest hard wor k or starve. The amount of circulating medium in this country is now about $22 per capita. Fifteen dollars of this, or about two-thirds, is annually spent for drink, which does no good. If all of this money should be spent for more and better clothing, boots and shoes, hats and cap3, groceries, as it would be spent but for the useless liquor traffic what a boom would be given to those industries ! One billion of dollars annually added to our cir culating medium would materially aid in remedying the pressent depression. It is manifest that money spent for liquor, cannot be spent for bread, meat, clothing, or groceries. Reliable statistics fix the minimum at $1,000, 000,000 per annum. Merchants will all tell you that drinking men are paor paying customers. They must pay cash for their drinks, and they buy of the merchant on time, or not at all. The experience of Atlanta ought to convince any fair-minded man that prohibition pays, not only in happier homes, in better clothed wo men and helpless children, tnt pays city or the commonwealth in cold hard cash. In conclusion I would again say that the addition of one billion of dol dollars annually to our circulating medium would materially aid in re lieving the final stringency. I do not advocate prohibition as a cure all. The above mentioned reforms should should all be pushed. But I do think that prohibition takes high rank among the suggested remedies, and should receive the careful study and consid eration of the farmers of the entire country. Very truly yours, L B, Howeby. Wilton, N. C, Dec. 20, '90. Mb. Editob : While the matter of reforming the National finances is deemed the most important of the hour and is receiving so much discus sion, I wish to make a suggestion con cerning it. Several plans have been proposed to remedy the great scarcity of money, to most of which objections have been raised. The Sub Treasury plan of the Alliance seems to have these objec tions : It would be class legislation in that it provides for loaning public money on the products of farm labor and on those of no other labor. It would be impracticable and very inconvenient to 'haul and store the bulky farm products in the towns. It would be expensive, and not all farmers could get the benefit of it. Besides these there are other objec tions which I will not attempt to men tion. But the objection that any pro posed law i3 clas3 legislation, if estab lished, ought alone to defeat it One purpose of storing the grain, etc., in warehouses, I suppose, is to hold it for an advance in price; at least, it cer tainly w Duld tend to have that effect. Now, while this would doubtless af ford a needed advantage to many farmers, it would also be a hardship to multitu les of working people who earn their bread by their daily labor, the price of which would thus be in creased. The Government cannot help one class of citizens in the struggle of life without hindering other classes. The farmers have long suffered the effects of dissriminating class legfsla tion. The protective tariff and the National banks have robbed them of a large share of the profits of their labor, but not them alone. There are other classes who have felt the same injustice and to the same extent. The Sub Treasury plan is evidently not in harmony with that sublime motto of the Alliance, "Equal rights to all and special privileges to none." Let us as Alliancemen not demand for ourselves what' we would refuse to others. Another plan proposed is to estab lish State banks with authority to issue notes. There seems to be a fatal objection to this found in the Consti tution of the United States. It Art. 1, Sec. 10, we read . "No State shall make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts." How could any conscientious legis lator vote to do that after taking an oath to support that Constitution which is the supreme law of the land? Again, the bank notes would pass at a discount in other States and would cause inconvenience. The A lliance has demanded free coinage of silver as one means to the desired end. Bit could not an extension of this policy be made to remedy the whole difficulty? Sap pose free coinage is adopted, and with it a provision to reduce the weight of the present standard silver dollar, say 20 per cent, or to a point at which it would be reasonably certain that the equilibrium between the value of the gold and silver dollar would be re stored by the increased demand for silver in this country, at such time as we should be supplied withthe-desired amount of silver coin. In that event silver would come here from every where to be coined and we should soon have an abundance of money. There might then be no necessity for National bank notes or any other paper currency except gold aad silver certificates. It may be objected that this policy would cause all the gold to leave the country. The same objec tion was made when it was proposed to re monetize silver some twenty two years ao, but experience has proven the contrary in that case. Again, the trade dollar was worth but 80 cents and contained more silver than the standard dollar doe3. We greatly need more money (coin), and there is plenty of material of which to make it (silver). Then why not have it ? To supply this need would create great demand for silver and the reduced dollar would soon equal the standard gold dollar in value. Money is noth ing but a measure of price and an in strament of exchange. A quart pot is also a measure and an instrument. Is there a good reason why the people should have a supply of the one and not of the other when there is plenty of material to make both ? Again, it may be objected that this policy would give an undue advantage to the holders and miners of silver everywhere. But this could be easily prevented by fixing the charge for coinage &t such ft price that the Gov ernment would absorb most of the ad vance in the price of silver. By thts means the people could be relieved Cl much taxation. W. R. Walters. V
The Progressive Farmer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 6, 1891, edition 1
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