North Carolina Newspapers

T 11 1 1 ( -J 11 'CQ II p. INDUSTRIAL AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS OF OCB PEOPLE PABAHOUHT TO ALL 97H33 COiSIDIBATlffe V STATS POLICY. -t to Vol.- 6 KALEIG-H, N. Q, MARCH 3, 1891. No 2 PA Ik WTO I ' 1 f c I i i ! I : ! 8 i 1 ! I l i i t .1,1 THE NATIONAL FARMERS' ALLI ANCE AND INDUSTRIAL UNION. - President L. L. Polk, North Caro lina. Address, 344 D. St., N. W., Washington, D. C. Vice President B. H. Clover, Cam bridge, Kansas. Secretary-Treasurer J. II. Turner, Georgia. Address, 239 North Capitol St., N. W., Washington, D. C. Lecturer J. H. "Vjilletts, Kansas. EXECUTIVE BOARD. C. W. Macune, Washington, D. C. Alonzo Wardall, Huron, South Da kota. J. F. Tillman, Palmetto, Tennessee. JUDICIARY. R. C. Patty, Macon, Miss. Isaac McCracken, Ozone, Ark. A. E. Cole, Fowlerville, Mich. NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Presidents of all the State organ izations with L. L. Polk Ex-officio Chairman. NORTH CAROLINA FARMERS' STATE ALLI ANCE. President Elias Carr, Old Sparta, N. C. Vice-President A. H. Hayes, Bird town, N. C. Secretary E. C. Bedding-field, Ral eigh, N. a Treasurer J. D. Allen, Falls, N. C. Lecturer Thos. B. Long, Asheville, N. C. Assistant Lecturer R. B. Hunter, Himtersville, N. C. Chaplain S. J. Veach, Warsaw, N. C. Door-Keeper W. II . Tondinson, Fayetteville, N. C. Assistant Door-Keeper II. E. King, Peanut, N. C. Sergeant-at-Arms J. S. Holt, Chalk Level, N. C. State Business Agent W. II. Worth, Raleigh, N. C. Trustee Business Agency Fund W. A. Graham, Machpelah, N. C. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE nSrTII CAROLINA FARMERS' STATE ALLIANCE. S. B. Alexander, Charlotte, N. C, Chairman; J. M. Mewborne, Kinston, N. C. ; J. S. Johnston, Ruffin, N. C. STATE ALLIANCE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE. R. J. Powell, Raleigh, N. C. ; N. C. English, Trinity College ; J. J. Young, Polenta; H. A. "Forney, Newton, N. C. EDITORIAL NOTES. The New York Herald declares that it predicted certain fogs which recently prevailed in the neighborhood of New York. We do not doubt it in the least. Nothing easier. There will be fog in the vicinity of New York every day in the year, until the Herald re tires from the discussion of the silver question. Ex-G overnor Charles Foster, of Ohio, has been appointed Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. Mr. Foster is a man of ability, a man of integrity, a good Republican, and will make a good Secretary of the Treasury as good a Secretary as any one holding single standard views can make. He is a Western man; and that is some comfort to us. It is said that Senator Gorman is maturing a plan by which ho hopes to secure the control of the Senate to the Democrats in spite of the ugly looking Republican majority. The plan is to give most of the patronage which the Senate controls to the silver Senators and to the Alliance members of that august body in return for their votes upon certain questions of reform in the public administration. We have not been invited to advise the Demo cratic party; and, to say truth, we have heard of nobody who demands or expects our advice to be given to that party. We do not pretend to say that there is any considerable clamor for our opinion in the Democratic party. But we mean to give that party some advice at a venture; and, if it does not take it kindly, why it will cost it noth ing. We think a party that calls itself Democratic has no business tinkering with men with high tariff views. We think a good Democrat will not plow with an anti-silver heifer. We think a party that has any right to be called Democratic should stand squarely upon every essential principle of the Farm ers' Alliance. We think the Demo crats party would better join the Alli ance in a body, if it expects to take any joyful part in the inauguration of the next President of the United States. Ex-Mayor Grace' of New York, said, in a recent speech in Texas, that the political issue before the country was the tariff; and Mr. Cleveland was the man who made that issue, and that he was the man to put into the White House upon the issue which he made. We have no fault to find with Mr. Uerelands views upon the tariff. But we think there is ' more than one issue before the people at this time. It looks very much to us as if Sdver or no Silver was an issue to be trie 1 in the next campaign; and Mr. Cleveland's f views upon that subject are not likely to assure his election to the Presidency. The New York Democrats are a cool set. They hold a meeting of such men as ex-Mayor Grace, and calmly select the issue to be tried, and the man to try 'it ; and then they notify the coun try of their action, and expect the boys to whoop 'em up and ratify their selection. We want it distinctly under stood that the Farmers' Alliance does not intend to stand the cool impudence of the New York Democrats any longer. We tell thetn plainly that the Alliance will not help them to elect an anti-silver man to the Presidency of the United States in 1892. If Mr. Cleveland is put forward -as the Demo cratic candidate, we intend to hold ourselves aloof and act independently. No "gold bug" shall sit in the White House in the future with the permis sion of the Farmers' Alliance. The New York Herald closes a recent article upon the appointment of a new Secretary of the Treasury with the following sentence : "In the mean time, however, it is pleasant to know that our finances will be in the hands of a man who believes in honest money." Is there any man in public life to-day that does not believe in honest money ? In the sentence we have quoted our contemporary delib erately seeks to cast the odium of dis honesty upon every man who does not adopt the one standard theory of the New York money ring. We repel the insult with indignation. There is not a silver man in America to-day who does not believe as fully in honest money as does the Herald; and there is not a silver man in this country who does not believe in something more than honest money. These men who are trying to take the finances of the country out of the hands of the specu lators in government credit, believe in honest men, as well as in honest money. The Herald stands in steadily with the dirty scoundrels who are bringing all sorts of distress upon the people by their juggling and gambling in tho money of the country, and then has the cool impudence to cast the reproach of dishonesty upon every man who is unwilling to longer hold still and un complainingly submit to plain robbery. It looks very much to us as if the Her ald was standing in with the robbers of tho people for a part of the swag. The indications now point to the fact that the Democrats of the East and West are fixing to make a desper ate effort to force Mr. Cleveland upon that party and the country as their candidate- for the Presidency in 1892. It seems certain that the Democrats cannot elect their man without the solid vote of the Southern States. In several of these same Southern States the Farmers' Alliance has the power in its own hands ; and it does not in tend to be driven by the old thread bare story of sectionalism into voting to put an enemy of silver money into the White House to succeed Mr. Har rison. The free coinage of silver is one of the most vital demands formu lated by the Alliance movement ; and we mean to secure the object contem plated by this demand, or we mean to know the reason why. We make this statement as no idle threat. We speak by the book ; and we mean exactly what we say. We shall permit no shuffling with our just demands for financial reforms. We know what we want, and we shall know how to get it. If the Democrats of the South will do so, they can put a silver man upon the ticket next year a man who will be acceptable to the Alliance and so win before the people. If they are not willing to do this, they must take what follows. There is no doubt at all that the majority of white Alliance men in the Southern States are Demo crats and would prefer to vote for a Democrat for the Presidency. But we do not hesitate to say that we will give our support to any good Republi can who adopts and stands by our principles, before we will give it to a Democrat who opposes our principles. We have been pleading against angry partizanism in the conduct of public affairs, and we mean to practice what we preach. We will vote for the man for the Presidency who represents our views, regardless of the fact as to whether he has heretofore been a Dem ocrat or a Republican. SILVER, THE MONEY OF THE PEOPLE. Speech of Hon. W. J. McConnell, of Idaho, in the Senate of the United States. Tuesday, January 13, 1S91. The Senate, as in Committee of the Whole, having under consideration the bill (S. 4075) to provide against the contraction of the currency; and for other purposes, the pending question be ing on the amendment of jlr. Stewart to the amendment of the Committee on Finance Mr. McConnell said : Mr. President: Ordinarily I should keep silent and let my vote, when the time arrives to vote, declare my senti ments upon the question before us. But there are occasions when it be comes the- duty of a man in public place to speak to tell why it is that he is impelled to follow a certain line of action, and in my opinion this is one of such occasions. Only a week ago I took my seat in this great representative body great not only because of the fact that it con tains some of the foremost leaders and thinkers of the age, but great because all here are the representatives of a sovereign people. My first act in this body was to vote to take up this bill. That vote was .cast in opposition to the views of a ma jority of the gentlemen here with whom I .am politically affiliated. I have no apologies to offer for that ac tion. As one of the representatives of the youngest of the sisterhood of States, I am responsible to it alone and to my conscience for that action. I voted to consider this measure, and I shall vote to pass it because I believe it to be the best, tho surest, the most effectual remedy for some of the evils under which the country now labors. It would be sheerest folly to deny that there is an existing condition which demands a remedy. It would be worse than folly to deny that the agricultural interests of the country are in a depressed and suffering condi tion. When we consider, Mr. Presi dent, that 44. 1 per cent, of all the per sons, male and female, engaged in' gainful occupations, and 48 per cent, of all the males of all ages who do any kind of Arork, are engaged in agricul tural pursuits, we can have some idea of the magnitude of tho interests at stake. Nearly one-half of the people of this vast country who produce anything are engaged in agriculture, and 11 per cent, of the remainder are engaged in transporting the products of one sec tion to the people of the others. Whenever the interests of these GO per cent, of our people is endangered the whole country suffers. Such is the condition. The farmers are making no money. No matter what they produce, whether it is wheat or potatoes, cotton or sugar, whether tho snows of the North are required to make their grain germinate, or tho hot sun of the South to ripen their cotton bolls, they are all suffering. The cost of production and living is greater than the price of the product. Here is a fault. It is our duty, if practicable, to discover tho cause, and most undoubtedly our duty to provide the remedy, if within our power. It is almost universally admitted that the scarcity of money is the cause of the depression. In fact, there can be no other cause. Our farms are producing abundantly. Our mines of iron, copper, silver and gold are yield ing up their stores of metal. Our manufactories are turning out finished products of all kinds, and yet the peo ple are not prosperous. We have the richest, the greatest producing country in the world, and yet the people are poor. In the ten years just passed our farmers have produced by their labor from the teeming soil articles for food and clothing valued at the enormous sum of $25,000,000,000. The miners have dug from the earth minerals, iron, gold, silver, lead copper, coal, etc., valued at $5,000,000,000, and the artisans engaged in skilled toil have turned out of the factories and work shops articles valued at $50,000,000,000. These figures are so enormous as to almost stagger belief and pass beyond comprehension, but they are true. They come from the official records of the country. . Look at a few of tho principal items of the farm production of the country in these ten years : : norn bushels. . 16,000,000,000 ; Oats !-. 4,200,000,000 Potatoes'. do ... . 2, W.Ol 10,000 Cotton bales.. 65,000,000 Htiy ".V tons.. 400,000,000 Wool pounds.. 2,n00,000,000 Butter ..'.'.'.'.'. -do. . . . 8,000,000,000 And yet the men wh do this are poor and suffering, what is the cause of this anomaly? Why is it that the vast majority of the people who pro duce this eighty thousand million dol lars' worth of food, the clothing, and the implements the world needs are to day poor ? Why is it that this army of over eighteen million workers after ten year's of productive labor are no better, if so well off, as when the bat tle began ten years ago ? The eartli has been generous and responded to the call of the farmer who asked it to give him corn, wheat, cotton, hay and the various other articles he raises. It has not refused its treasures to the miner who delved in its depths for coal, or iron, or gold, or silver. What, then, has been the c'ause that the re turns for labor are so small, and that discontent is abroad in the land when there ought to be peace, contentment and plenty ? This is the problem we are called on to answer. Mr. President, I believe that this condition is caused by a scarcity of money, which enables the few to con trol what there is to the detriment of the many. This being so, what is the remedy ? We believe that it is the making of more money. Gold and silver have always been money. But they are only money when some gov ernment puts its stamp upon them and says this piece of gold and that piece of silver shall have a certain value. The gold and silver as it comes from the mines or the assay office is simply a commodity like wheat or cotton or beef. It is not money. When tho government takes any specified amount of it and says, this is $10, that is $1, it becomes money ; and neither of these metals ever has been or ever will be money until some government does this act. Hie shekels with which Abraha tn paid for his burying ground had the value of each stamped on it. The "penny'" with which the Pharisees attempted to entrap the Divine Master had the stamp of imperial Caesar on it. During these past ten years the pro duction of gold and silver in the world has be .is follows : Gold. Silver. United States $.B5,000,000 ;V35.0O0,0O0 Balance of tho world. 080,000,01)0 tH0,000,OUO Total 1,005,000,000 1,185,000,000 This shows that of the total the United States produced 32.4 of the gold, that is less than one-third, and 44.3 of the silver, that is nearly one half. In these years Great Britain, the great creditor nation of the world, the nation which insists upon tho gold standard, produced $300,000,000 of gold and less than $4,000,000 of silver. Yet at the request of English money lenders whom wo owe, and English merchants and manufacturers who fear our rivalry in trade and manufactures, we trample under our feet and make merchandise of it instead of coining it into money. I find by the reports of the Treasury that in the Lost ten years we have coined of tho $525,000,000 of our silver product $280,000,000, leaving $265,000, 000 of it to bo traded as men trade in horses and cattle ; yet under the law as it existed, allowing the coining of $4,000,000 per month and compelling the coinage of $2,000,000 a month, we could have coined nearly all of the silv er product. Would not the addi tion of this $2-10,000,000 to the currency of the country have made it easier for the farmer who toils in the field, the miner who delves in the earth, and the artisan who labors in the shop, to ob tain more of it ? We were told in 1878, when silver was practically remonetized, that this action if taken would drive all the gold out of the country and we would have nothing left but "the base white metal."' Now that we are striving to fully restore silver as one of the stan dards of value, we are told the same old story. Yet in tho last ten years our exports of silver have exceeded the imports by largely over $100,000,000, whilst imports of our gold have been largely in excess of our exports. The Treasury reports show that on January 1, 1879, we had in gold in the country, "in the Treasury $130,000,000, in cir culation $143,000,000," making a total of $278, 000, 000. The report of January 1, 1891, shows "in the Treasury $293, 020,214; in circulation $411,080,597," a totolof $704,100,811, and an increase of 426,100,811. The gold product of tho country from the 1st of January, 1879, to date has been not quite $400,000,000, and fully 10 per cent, of this has been used in the arts and for mecanical purposes; so, to say the least and admit that none has been hoarded, every dollar of the gold product has been added to ; the currency of the country. But the Director of the Mint in his report for I 18SS says that at least $275,000,000 in i gold has been put away hoarded by tne people, m aauition to tne amount that is known to be in circulation. The prophets of 1S78 were false prophets, so that we need pay no attention to their prediction of to-day. The first movement for the relief of the people should be the restoration of silver as money. Silver is the money of the people. It is the money of trade. It permeates every section, every town, every hamlet, every house hold. Gold is the money of the bank ers and speculators and money lenders. And it is these classes, and these alone, who oppose the remonetization of silver. Mr. President, let any member of this body walk to the other end of the Capital, ascend the stairway on the west side of the House and look at the great painting by Lutz, "Westward the course of empire takes its way." There is pictured an emigrant train on its wav to the West. There he can see represented the sturdy pioneers who won an empire from the wilderness and desolation. They felled the forests east of the Mississippi river and then crossed over plains and mountains to the golden shores of the Pacific. Every where they left the impress of Ameri can civilization. States sprang up in their pathway as rapidly as Aladdin's palace. Mighty structures, where hu man lilerty was assured as certainly as it was when the sturdy pilgrims battling with stern nature on the one hand and with savage Indians on the other, planted the colonies of New England. The gentlemen on this side of the Chamber who are opposing this meas ure must not treat us of the West as strangers from a strange land. "We are of your own kith and kindred. " We are the sons and brothers of your constituents, who have battled with mountain and desert and savage, as your fathers who were our fathers did to build up new States where your in heritance is as great as ours. You have, progressed to a condition of afflu ence; we are striving for it. Every thing that. you have asked for we have supported. You .wanted protection that manufactories might be built up and you could be enabled to compete with other nations in the markets of the world, but while you asked for this you were willing that the tillers of the soil should be protected as well, and we blessed you for it. We have sustained you even as Aaron and Hur upheld the hands of Moses when he prayed for his people. Now we tell you that the people of the West are asking for relief from the troubles that embarrass them. We are asking for bread ; do not give us a stone. The West has been loyal to you and to your ideas. It is loyal to you now not only loyal, but we are proud of you as well ; proud of the statesman ship you have shown in the past; proud of the grand and heroic deeds you have accomplished. It is not the silver kings who are here asking for free coinage of silver. It is the people who need more money with wThich to transact their business more money, because more money will make prices better; more money, because more money will rescue them from the hands of the usurer and the land shark. Mr. President, I suppose, sir, I ought to appologize for having taken so much time in this discussion, when so many abler men and older Senators than myself desire to be heard. And I do, sir, because I know it is a viola tion of one of the customs of this body ; but Shakespeare said "Nice customs must courtesy to great kings."' Every American citizen is a sovereign in his own right, and I am here as the rep resentative of a number of American sovereigns these "great kings' and so I have brushed "nice customs" aside, that the voice of the reop!e of Idaho, the youngest and fairest of the sisterhood of States, could be heard in behalf of free coinage, as it will always be heard in favor of everything that tends to the benefit of the people and the growth and glory of our country. Como, N. C, Feb. 7, 1891. I am requested by Como Alliance to report, through TnE Progressive Farmer, that our Alliance has re sponded to appeals of sister Hill, of Durham, N. C, of P. F. Pope, of God win, N. C, and to our South Dakota brethren, who are represented to be in such deep distress. Our contribution to each was in money. These appeals are frequent now, and if they increase in frequency we all should respond. We send our South Dakota brethren $1.50 a small sum but let it be multi plied by the sum of all the Alliances even of our State, and it will amount to enough to relieve much want. Now is the time to show that in truth we have buried the hatchet ; that wo love and will help our brethren alike North, South, East and West. Now is the time to prove that our Alliance is a band of brothel's and sisters engaged in a grand, noble and Christian work. We want no thanks. We have only done our duty, and will do it every time. J. II. Picot, Lecturer. FROM EVANGELINE. My! I feel rather frightened, see, I am almost a stranger, and not even acquainted with the new editor. How ever I trust we will be good friends ere long. Really I don't believe I've lcen here since that other editor was here, the "red-headed" one What was his name ? This is a poor way to do one's duty, and I am truly penitent (?) for if I pre tend to have a mission and neglect it, " how can I blame others for the same fault ? Now I am trying to recall to your memory (without having to tell you( that I am the same old corres pondent of Long Branch, one of the most prosperous Alliances in Cumber land county. And as our County Lecturer said: "It is owing to the fact that the ladies predominate. " Oh yes, we are ' getting there," as fast as determined, steady, thinking farmers can, who read The Progres sive Farmer and partake in anything pertaining to the good of -all true Alli ance principles. And you can believe it or not, just as you like, but our membei's are better off financially and intellectually than they ever were since the war, and wit h renewed energy and persistent pluck, they begin the next year's crop with still lighter hearts, and can even whistle "Shoo Fly" to the time of "share round." We have a thriving Alliance store in this (Cedar Creek) township, and we have on hand a trial about a horse trade and a land suit and a dog fight, etc. Such things are to be deplored, still they have to be endured. You invited us to say when we thought you were in anything remiss, and we can candidly assure you that if you continue as you have begun, we can only appreciate and admire your course. Though it was not intended as personal, we trust you will consider this free from flattery. Now with our prettiest bow to old friends and a cour tesy to Bro. Cade, we are gone. Evangeline Usher. TO THE GENERAL X ASSEMBLY Now in Session at Raleigh, N. C. Warren, Co., N. C, Feb. 10, '91. Gentlemen : I most heartily en dorse a communication in the Chron: icleoi Jan. 14th, '91, on "Compulsory Education"' from an Ex-Teacher, to which I again draw your attention. I have for years been a school com mitteeman in the district where I re side. We have about sixty children of school age. The average attendance has not been over twenty for years past, and sometimes not over fifteen. Ought this to be allowed? But say these parents. Would you compel me to send my children to school, whether I will or not ? Yes, if I am forced to pay taxes, to build school houses, and pay teachers to educate your children. You ought to be forced to accept it. You and your children belong to the country and the country's people must be educated for the good of the coun try. The time is coming, and is now at hand, when a man without education will stand no chance. If war comes you will have to go, whether you will or not, and will not be asked to give your consent, because it will be for the good of the country. Some years since the Hon. Judge Merrimon was presiding at our court, and in his charge to the Grand Jury upon obligations resting upon them to ferret out crime and bring offenders of the law before the court to be punished said: "This is your duty, gentlemen, but if you would do the greatest good for your people, go home and establish a Sabbath School in every neighbor hood in Wan-en county, and my word for it, you will have but little use for court houses and jails." This is high authority for educating the people. Make the school fund strong; build school-houses; employ good teachers, and establish prohibition for two miles around them, and my word for it, you will have a happy and prosperous, people. " Shocco. i i