The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-03-25


dict that it will be great and magnlfi'
centsuccess; annually growing in strength
and symmetry; annually expanding Its
sphere and scope of work and usefulness
bringing money, muscle and brain to aid
in redeeming and rebuilding our state
and developing its immense resources,
now idle and useless; furnishing much
aud varied information, useful, beneficial
and interesting to the entire agricultural,
mercantile and professional community
now within our borders, and inducing
many from without to come in. Let me
bespeak for it your confidence and sup
port, in return for which it will prove
blessing to this State and people. And
now having been so handsomely and lib,
orally recognized as a class by our own
State Government, let us all, as agricul.
turist and as people, use our right OF
petition and our influence, and join our
voices to so many thousands of Others
throughout this broad Union, to induce
Congress to make the Commissioner Of
Agriculture of the United States Cabi-
net officer, and raise his department to
equality in dignity and efficiency with
the others.
In view of the immense Importance il
could be to, and the untold good it could
do for, that great producing class who
support the whole government and peo.
Pile; the niggardly support given, and
the indifference shown by Congress TO
the Department of Agriculture, is an out
rage and an insult that should no longer
be endured by civilized and enlightened
people. On this subject l have a letter,
urging action, from Bro. D. Wyatt
Aiken, Worthy Past Master of this
Grange, and now one ofthe representatives
of this State in the United States Con-
gress, which I will lay before you.
Patrons, we are here in council to de.
wise and determine for the good and
welfare of our beloved order, of our wives
and little ones, our people and our State.
Let us think for moment, and then try
to realize the immense power We can
WELD, the immense good we can do, and
the great obligation resting upon us to
fully exert that power and to DO that
good. Then at once to work; utilize this
Order. While you strive to increase,
build up and strengthen it; at the same
time use it; make it work for you; keep
it bright and smooth by constant use:
Use it how? Use it for everything good
that any social, educational. financial or
civic purpose that will benefit or interest
us and ours. All men have some special
order, organization or association to sub.
serve and promote the special interest of
o special class and to get its benefits
for that single speciality, they expend
any amount of time, thought, toll and
money needed to succeed. This order,
thus used, and thus treated, will return
a thousand fold for all expended upon it.
Then sustain it we'll, and use it we'll.
Use it at home, in the neighborhood, in
the township, in the county, in the
State, in the Union and with foreign
countries. Use it from the minutest in
terests and objects of the home and fami-
" to the grandest schemes of statesman
ship and diplomacy. 1t is actually i'm
possible for US agriculturists and farmers
to any longer derive sufficient profits from
our toll and labor to feed and support
our families, without this or some similar
organization by which we can relieve
and protect ourselves from the ruinous
exaction of State and Federal legislation,
and customs of trade, and the unjust and
extortionate determinations of corpora
tions and monopolies. The earth yields
bountiful crops, improved implements,
and increased intelligence enables the
husbandman to reap more and more each
year; the prices of produce at points of
consumption are good, and a fair de-
mand for the whole supply exists; but
still, with all this agriculture is on the
decline; the farmers are getting poorer
each year; each year more and more of
them become bankrupt; each year the
number of landowners becomes smaller
and smaller, and unless some change is
made, or remedy applied, it is only q
question of time when wholesale bank
ruptcy and ruin Will overwhelm them as
q class. Why is this3 Because there is
an abnormal and undue amount of Or
ganization and combination antagonistic
to agriculture, and absolutely none in its
defence OF behalf. The poor individual
farmer stands singly and alone confron-
ting an army of thousands, trained, drill
ed, oficered, organized, armed, equipped,
supplied and "ready to move at q
moments notice ;" and there stands the
farmer with nothingl AS one of our SOL
diers once complained, nothing to eat
and nothing to cook it in; )" nothing to
shoot, and couldn't shoot it if he had no
ammunition but dozen "bird shot," and
a spoonful of wet powder all mixed TO-
gether in his "breeches pocket" no sup
plies but little "lien," ""dry salt" meat ;
no one to help him, and he can't help
himself. So when the contest begins
who can and will get the most of the an
nual crops of this poor farmer while it is
in transitu from him to the consumer
1t can be easily seen how much chance
he stands. 1t is wonder he gets any at
all. This is repeated annually until
hard work and hard living bring him
premature death to end his misery. Is
this picture true? Look and judge for
yourselves. Look around! You will
see the evidences of extravaganza and
prodigality, both governmental and social,
puUllC duQ pl1soSO, oPSoA otS>-Ss w ~
the whole country. The government
and whole people recklessly plunging in
to wasteful and Improbable consumption
and expenditure, all of which must be
paid for by these annual products or
values derived from the toll and sweat of
the farmer. To raise the means to sup
port all this governmental and social ex-
travagance it becomes necessary to so
shape the legislation of the country, both
Federal and State, foreign commercial
treaties, revenue laws and taxes, that all
governments, corporations, combinations
and monopolies may be able to seize and
appropriate almost the entire amount Of
the proceeds of agricultural labor, leav-
ing bare pittance to support existence.
solemnly ask you is this to continue
without any effort to check or change it
To check or change it will require some
thing beside individual effort or work I;
fhnrnfrnh anH