43 ' A
THE INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OP OUR PEOPLE PARAMOUNT TO ALL OTHER CONSIDERATIONS OF STATE POLICY.
7oL 5.
RALEIGH, N. C, JANUARY 13, 1891
No. 45
tHR NATIONAL FARMERS' AL
LIANC& rlP IJ IHUUQl IVinb
UNION.
p-os;dent L. L. Polk, North Carolina.
Address. 344 D. St, N. W., Washington,
Vice-President B. H. Clover, Cam-
kride, Kansas.
qpVetary-Treasurer J. H. Turner,
torgia. Addr 239 North Capitol St,
xr W Washington. D. C
Lecturer J. H. Willetts, Kan as.
EXECUTIVE BOARD.
0 W. Macune, Washington, D. O.
A'.onzo Wardall, Huron, South Dakota.
t f Tillman, Palmetto, Tennessee.
JUDICIARY.
B C. Pitty, Macon, Mississippi.
Isaa j McCracken, Ozone, Arkansas.
A. e' Cole, Fowlerville, Michigan.
KATIOXAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
The Preside t3 of all the State organi
ztiont3 with L. L. Polk Ex-officio Chair
Kan. IfOBTH CAROLINA FARMERS' STATE ALLIANCE
President Elias Carr, Old Sparta, N".G.
' T;.je-President A. H. Hayes, Bird
town, N. C.
Se .retary E. C. Beddingfield, Raleigh,
N.
Allen, Falls, N. 0.
Lwturer Thos. B. Long, Asheville,
N.O.
Assistant Lecturer !, B. Hunter,
Imtersville, N. C.
C uplain S. J. Veach, Warsaw, N. C.
Dotr Keeper W. H. Tomlinson, Fay-
ttenlle, N. C.
Assistant Door Keeper H. E. King,
Peaiut, N. C.
S3rgeant-at-Arms J. S. Holt, Chalk
Levi!, N. C.
State Business Agent W. H. Worth,
Rale gb, N. C.
Tristee Business Agency Fund W. A.
ftra&a'ii, Machpelah, N. C.
IIIOUTiVE COMMITTEE Of THE NORTH CARO
LINA FARMERS' STATE ALLIANCE.
S B. Alexander, Charlotte, N. C.
Chairman; J. M. Mewborne, Kinston N.
S.; J 8. Johnston. Ruffin. N. C.
STATE ALLIANCE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE.
R J. Powell. Raleierh, N. C; N. C.
Inglish, Trinity College; J. J. Young,
Polenta; H. A. Forney, Newton, N. C.
A'OTES ON CURRENT EVENTS.
On December 29 tb, Mr. J. H.
Maner shot and killed, near Long's
Mills, Randolph county, a gray eagle
which measured six feet eleven inches
kom tip to tip, weighing nine pounds.
Our readers will please take notice
that Mr. J. R. Cline, who advertises
in this paper, has removed his busi
less from Catawba to Asheville, where
le will be pleased to see his patrons.
The Pee Dee Alliance copied an
item from this paper into its last
lumber under the caption, tl Will the
Farmers Submit," and did not credit
is with it. We presume the omission
was inadvertent.
An esteemed contemporary heads
n article, "Why Women Grow Old,"
ind then gives a column to the dis
cussion of the reasons for the start
ling fact. We had innocently sup
posed than women grew old because
they could not help it.
It is stated by the papers that the
Indues in the region of the present
war are slowly starving to death. If
their hostile attitude is due to unsuffi
uent food, it is a shame to our gov
ernment. If their starving condition
iB due to their hostility the war will
oon terminate. It is significant in
this connection that General Miles
lecommends the removal of the civil
ian agents and asks that their places
be filled with army officers.
,v
We assure all the Alliances and
brethren who have written to the Pro
bessive Farmer expressing their con
Wence in, and their esteem for Col.
folk that he appreciates their, kind
les, a ad will always be proud to have
their esteem and friendship. But he
Jtonks it would not be right to pub
a all the kindly things in the Farm
We again, on behalf of Colonel
fdk, thank all the Alliances and
fronds for their good words.
The Memphis Appeal Avalanche is
01 Pinion that the.South ought to re
to the Cleture rule by an appeal to
rms. We hope the Appeal Avalanche
m Set us excused. We made an ap.
of that sort once, and our reco
is, that we wished before the
said appeal had pro seeded very far,
tht we had not made it at all. We
assure our contemporary there is no-
thing nothing at all funny about
that sort of an appeal. We beg the
people of Tennessee not to let the Ap
peal Avalanche go to war.
The Force bill has been laid aside
by the Senate and the Silver bill has
been taken up in its stead. This action
was taken by a vote of 34 to 29. It
is to be hoped that this is the end of
this measure which was unanimously
condemned by the National Alliance
at Ocala. It is also to be hoped the
Silver bill, which was taken up in
pUce of the election bill, will be
passed into a law. But there are in
dications, not a few, that the Silver
bill will meet with most determined
opposition both in and out of Con
gress. We regret this. We had
hoped that the Alliance demand for
free silver would be gracefully con
ceded. But it looks now as if we
shall be compelled to extort this
measure of relief irom unwilling law
makers. Well, it is a melancholly
fact that " whom the gods wish to de
stroy, they first make mad."
We want our friends in all parts of
the country to understand that The
Progressive Farmer is not working
in the interests of either the Demo
cratic. or Republican party. It is
working solely in the interests of the
Alliance movement. We understand
that the Alliance r&ovement is not a
political movement in the partizan
sense at all. We understand that
the Alliance seeks the help, and will
welcome to its ranks, men of all
parties, and men of no parties. The
senseless talk, therefore, of some peo
ple that The Progressive Farmer is
too favorable to the Democratic party,
and of other people that we are too
favoroble to the Republican party, is
dissreditable only to the numbskulls
that indulge in it. We are honestly
trying to serve our readers and the
order to which we belong; and we
shall not swerve to the right hand nor
to the left in our efforts to do this.
We want our friends to understand,
once for all, that The Progressive
JTarmeb is not an echo. It is an in
dependent Alliance newspaper; and
it will say, at all times, just what its
editors think about all men and meas
ures, without fear, affection or favor.
The editors "of this paper think they
have consciences; and they think it is
their duty to follow their consciences.
"POLITICS MAKE STRANGE
BED-FELLOWS."
The New York Sun, Democratic,
in its issue of the 4th inst. in its lead
ing editorial, advocates the re election
of Senator Ingalls, and publishes a
long and interesting interview with
Mrs. Ingalls, in which the good lady
also commits herself unconditionally
to the same idea. It is said that in
the event of his defeat in Kansas,
Senator Ingalls has a place provided
for him in the Sun office as one of its
editors. Whether the advocacy of
his , election by the Sun is prompted
by its malicious hatred of the Alli
ance, or the purpose to give him an
advertisement as one of its prospective
editors, that paper does not say.
Again the Sun is booming Gov. Hill,
a protectionist, for the Presidency in
1892. Again the New York Herald,
a free-trade paper, is booming the
editor of the Sun, a protectionist, and
Mr. Cleveland, anti-protectionist, for
the Presidency. Truly, "politics
make strange bed -fellows.'
There are a lot of people, by the
way, who seem to think the State of
New York holds a right in fee simple
to the office of President, but the
people propose to make application in
the high court of public opinion for a
test of this claim, and we opine that
the verdict will be a stunner to Wall
street. But won't the Alliance catch
it lively when Ingalls and Dana get j
together on the Sun f
ALLIANCE CORRESPONDENCE.
Whereas, As we think that the
taxpayers should do the voting; there
fore be it
Resolved, That we recommend and
ask the Legislature of North Carolina
to amend the law so that no man
shall be allowed to vote unless he can
show his tax receipt that he paid his
tax the year before, or has become of
age between tax listing and the reg
istration, or those exempt from poll
tax and no property taxes; further
we ask each Sub and County Alliance
to bring this before the Alliance and
to instruct their representatives to
have the same put into law.
C. "W. Britton,
Sec'y Lasker Alliance.
Danville, Iowa, Dec. 12, '90
E. R. Baker, Sidney, Iowa: Have
read with great care your new work,
" The Money Monopoly;" used it all
through the last campaign, and cm
truly say that for practical use it is
the best book in print. The general
treatment of the mighty struggle now
going on is masterly. To the public
speaker and writer, it is a cyclopedia
almost priceless. Its accuracy is
wonderful.
If it were read by the people of
fair, honest minds, it would work a
revolution of thought that would be
astonishing.
It is a grand argument for a higher
civilization; a purer Christianity.
J. Haefer.
Price only 35 cts. Best discounts
to agents.
Enochville, N. C,
Dec. 29, 1890.
Mr. Editor: I see in The Pro
gressive Farmer of December 23d the
following: "Please send me the
amount due me and stop my paper.
When I want a Democratic paper I
will subscribe. You can't make a
Democrat out of me by reading your
pretended Alliance paper. I am a
Republican Alliance." He ought to
have called himself a partisan Alliance
man. He is as far from the principles
of the Alliance as the brother who
said the Alliance belonged to the
Democratic party. I think such stuff
injures the order. Surely if mem
bers would think three times before
they spoke they would not talk that
way. It makes no difference what
my name was before I was married, I
am now a non partisan Allianceman,
and I take The Progressive Farmer
and don't you forget it.
Yours fraternally,
E. R. G. Plaster.
Whittakebs, N. C, Dec. 18, '90.
Mb. Editor : True it is that both
Macune and Rittenhouse have possibly
been indiscreet grant that they have
erred, though surely not to that extent
to- win the odium of their Alliance
brethren. Why is it that the secular
press is so ready to brand them with
epithets ? Is it for their special love
of Alliance principles or rather in
evidence of their hatred ? The alle
gations against Rittenhouse are only
in the nature of surmise, they by no
means criminate him. The Alliance
being non-partisan, where is the great
wrong in one whose pen has beerT
wielded in its support as has been
done by Mr. Rittenhouse "Old
Fogy " calling on Mr. Blaine if he
shall be pleased to do so ? I had not
judged Mr. Hinton who accompanied
him to bcT necessarily a dangerous
man, though he advocates larger gov
ernment functions, or rather predicts
that necessities will compel its as
sumption. What great wrong in
Macunes borrowing money of one, the
grandson of a man the South delights
in honoring ? As to his riding on a
free pass, did that dishonor him?
Calhoun, though a railroad attorney,
is none the les3 a strong man and he
had the boldness of his convictions to
espouse the cause of an oppressed peo
ple. I honor him for it. Macune
may have erred; he may be a mypo
crite, it is not for us to judge. Sure
ly he is and has been a thorn in the
side of those who are allied against
the interest of the producing classes
Wall street monopolists. I honor him
for the good he ha3 done, if it be that
he has fallen from his high pedestal I
at least will not join the monopolists
in their exultation.
Mr. Editor, you are a new hand at
the bellows; you wield a trenchant
pen. Direct all your shot at the
enemy, their denunciation rather than
praise should be credited. I truat
you will "cry aloud spare not"
against all wrongdoing. An accasion
al article on home economies may
be admissible, though our so called
friend, the secular press, has well
ri led that demand. When we have
indulged ourselves in a " new coat "
and our children have cast off their
rags; when plenty has taken the place
of scanty rations, then And not till
then will a homily on that line be in
order from the reform press.
M. J. Battle.
Winfall, N. C. Dec. 29, '90.
Whereas, We, the members of
Winfall Alliance, No. 1,108, in meet
ing assembled, do unanimously en
dorse the demands of the Ocala Con
vention and the course of Col. L L.
Polk, our able President; and whereas,
we are desirous of seeing the Sub
Treasury plan or something similar
becoming a law; therefore,
Resolved, That we request our Sen
ators, Messrs. Parke. and Morgan,
and our Representative, Theo. White,
of Perquimans, elected for the years
1891-'?, and all Alliance representa
tives in the State to etand by the
Sub Treisury plan and the Ocala Con
vention; and instruct our U. S. Sen
ator, elected this month, to support
these resolutions.
Resolved, That a copy of these reso
lutions be sent to our Senators, Messrs.
Parker and Morgan, and our Repre
sentative, Theo. White, and a copy
be sent to The Progressive Farmer
for publication.
Jos. B. Baker, Pres't.
Joseph White, Sec'y.
Okisko Alliance, No. 1,044.
Mb. Editor: Permit one who lives
within hearing of old ocean's roar and
in the county where they say "the
frogs jump from bank to bank " (but
an Allianceman inside and out, up
one side and down the other) to con
gratulate you as editor of The Pro
gressive Farmer. I feel satisfied
you will do your duty, and may I not
indulge the hope that the brethren
will sustain you in every way, espe
cially by subscribing to our paper
the friend of the farmer.' Yes, my
good brother "cry aloud and spare
not." "Hew to the line, letting the
chips fall where they may." It is
sad indeed to hear the poor down
trodden farmer complain about his
coarse and scanty food and rags, his
actual needs of the comforts of life
and enormous taxes, while the
products of his labor is being bought
and soli many times before it is even
planted, by speculators and gamblers,
they figuring out a mere slave's ex
istence for himself, while they appro
priate the balance to make millionaires.
Phantoms in mortgage shrouds must
certainly khaunt the farmers when the
iron tona of the midnight bell is pro
claiming the hour of twelve.
Since the war we have had storms,
cyclones, floods of water and floods
of political partisans, the last of which
I think if his " Satanic majesty " was
made umpire would pronounce the
moLt efficient arm in his service. And,
Mr. Editor what do you think must
be the state of the average Congress
man's conscience in the matter ?
Don't you think his conscience con
demns him for betrayal of confidence,
provided he has any? Down with
nUional banks, trust companies and
all other combines against the general
welfare clause.
Political bosses may take warning
from the 4th of November last.
Alliancemen, keep 'your powder dry
for 1892. Watch the intrigues of the
enemy. We want and must have the
Sub Treasury bill whether we get
Vance or not. We hope our repre
sentatives and State Senators will bear
this specially in mind, or they will be
left next time. " Country first, party
last " is our motto. Long life to you,
Mr. Editor, Col. Polk and much love
to all. Fraternally,
M. G Gregory.
Dardkks, N. C, Dec. 16, '90.
Mk. Editor : Please find enclosed
the renewal money for subscription to
The Progressive Farmer by ,h C.
Smith, A. B. Waters, W. W. Gurkin
and T. E. McCaskey, all of whom you
know to be subscribers for the past
two years. It is indeed a reform pa
per of merit, and we endorse its every
utterance. We only hope to find its
present associate editor as much a
patriot as brother Ramsey has shown
himself to be. Our love follows him
wherever he may go, and we con
fidently predict that, though he may
be redheaded and as some few say
presumptuous, because he dared to
oppose Vance, that such aggressive
ness in defense of the people will win
him fame and honor; when in truth
that editor of a western paper that
said he made the mistake of his
life in attacking Vance, will be dead
figuratively speaking never to rise
again.
Our Alliance, Beaula, No. 1,056, is
a unit in regard to all pertain ug to
the Alliance and especially the Sub
Treasury; and we all say, sixty in all
that the man or men that can't sup
port the plan or a better one can't
have our votes" and influence.
Yours fraternally,
T E. McCaskey,
Sec'y Martin Co. Alliance.
Kehnersville, N. C,
Dec. 27, 1890.
Mr. Editor: At a regular meeting
of Bluff Alliance, No. 1,602, the fol
lowing resolutions were unanimously
adopted :
Whereas, The use of intoxicating
liquors as a beverage has become a
great evil in our land; and whereas,
the Constitution of the Farmers' Alli
ance requires a person to be of good
moraLhabits in order that he may be
eligible to the order; and whereas,
we firmly believe the following resolu
lutions do not conflict with the Con
stitution-of the order:
Resolved, That we, the members of
Bluff Alliance, No. 1,602, will not
grant any one an application card for
membership in our Alliance who is
given to drinking irdent spirits to
drunkenness.
Resolved, That we, as brethren, use
all of our influence among ourselves
in brotherly love to prevent our
brethren from using the same to ex
cess; and, as far as in us lies to build
up a better state of morals among our
brethren, so that we may look back
with pride on the Alliance in after
years, and our children's children
may rise up and call us blessed.
Resolved, That a copy of these reso
lutions be spreid on our minute
book, and a copy be sent to The Pro
gressive Farmer for publication.
Yours fraternaljy,
Chas. S. Hasten, Sec'y.
Trinity College, N. C,
Dec. 15, 1890.
Mb. Editor: I read many valuable
communications in your noble paper,
and I am glad to see such a speedy
growth towards independent manhood
among Alliancemen. But I see
statements by some Alliancemen, and
even resolutions by Sub Alliances that
would lead one to think that the
order, in the Southern States, had
thrown its arms around the neck of
the Democratic party in congratula
tions over its great victory in the lat
elections. Now I protest against in
suiting our Kansas brethren by call,
ing what they did "a Democratic
party " victory Our brethren of the
Northwest proved their loyalty to Al
liance principles by downing their
great party leaders, regardless of
party names, because they opposed
those principles. And they did it aa
Alliancemen, not as Democrats; and
our inconsistency will be read and
known of all men, if we persist in
calling it a " Democratic victory," and
then supplement that inconsistency
by electing our great party leaders,
who oppose those principles for whick
our Northern brethren fought so
nooly. AH honor to that section
which can first down all sectional
prejudices. They saw that Ingalls
would give them nothing; and we, if
not blinded by party name, can see
that Vance will give us nothing. If
we are so heedless as to send to Con
gress and the U. S. Senate such Demo
cratic leaders as Vance, Gordon and
others, then we will contribute largely
to the tidal wave of reproash that will
ere long, greatly retard, if not disrupt
our great organization.
Why should we, so foolishly, per
sist in contributing ammunition to our
enemies with which to slaughter us ?
If we were freed from the galling
party yoke, and would read the official
records of both parties for the last
twenty years with reference to the
evils under which we groan against
which we are beginning to fight, we
would turn with righteous indignation
from both of them, and we will never
accomplish our righteous purposes
until we do. J. R. Means.
My subject is a practical one one
that every farmer in the good old
North State should take to his heart
and reflect upon one that is of the
greatest interest to every person who
desires the prosperity of his country,
State and people. And I feel, in
speaking of this class, I speak of the
noblest men on earth. When I say
the educated farmer I do not mean
one who is educated in the technicali
ties of agriculture or the art of farm
ing. I refer to one who is polished
and finished by as thorough a literary
course as the professional men of onr
day receive. And why not, for Nortk
Caaolina is emphatically an agricul
tural State from the storm clouds
with its fringes of fire girding tke
mountain's waist to where the mighty
billows of the Atlantic lash her fertile
shores, she is populated by tillers of
the soil Some one has said, "if men
constitute a State, farmers constitute
North Carolina." Then educate the
farmer and you educate the State.
Educate the farmer and sead men to
our State Legislatures who are able to
cope with the learned professions.
Educate the farmer and let men rep
resent us who will give us pure and just
laws. Who has a better right to legis
late for the great class than those of
the same calling who breathe the
same pure air, whose feelings, inter
ests and wrongs are the same; one
whose heart is. not blackened by
party intrigues. Then the farmers con
stitute our school committees. They
are entrusted with the school fund,
the selection of instructors; in fact
the management of our common
schools qualify these men to keep the
financial affairs correctly; qualify
them to select efficient instructors, thus
elevating thg standard of learning.
Educate the farmer, and let him be an
example for influencing the youths to
drink deep at the fountauTof knowl
edge. There are many positions too
tedious to mention that the educated
farmer would adorn and; grace. The
efficiency and ability of these men the
peace, the happiness, and I might say
the prosperity, of the communities
coming under their jurisdiction de
pend. The morals and refinement of
society, the promotion of industry, the
growth of wealth of a community is
effected in a great measure by this
class. Then educate the farmer to
fill these positions and properly ad
minister the lawg, producing peaceful
communities; these uniting making
prosperous counties and the coantiei
joining forming a great la wabiding and
wealthy State. Emma C. Shabpk.