Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1888-08-16
The Farmers Alliance.

ANioo'ooiPP' 10 to'oay oHc vi TUE
strongest and most powerful organi-
cations that ever existed in the State
the masses Of the uninltiated arc
comparatively ignorant of its objects,
purposes an d methods. Many
through want of information as to
the real facts, and others through
cynical motives oppose the Alliance
in geheral way, but are unable to
par-icularize or cite any tangible
reason for a single objection to IT.
The facts are simply these: Twenty
two years ago the war closed eav-
irg the farmers OF this country a
poor and helpless mass of land own
ers, without the ability to turn a
wheel in the way of farming. The
only relief for them was found In
the credit system. The merchants
of the country saw their opportunity
and embraced 1t. They advanced
the poor farmer the supplies upon
which to exist while he made crop
OF cotton, which was pledged to the
| said merchant from whom he was
obtaining supplies, and to whom he
was paying from 35 to 40 per cent.
premium on the 81 for what he re.
ceived from said merchant, and the
result was, at the end of the year the
farmt9 found himself In debt to the
merchant. The next year found
him starting off in q worse condition
than he was the first year, as he had
nn old debt hanging over him from
the last year and which he had to
secure the merchant in the payment
of by giving mortgage on his place
! before the merchant would furnish
hlm the second year.
The second years experience was
similar to that of the first, and SO it
went year after year, paying interest
on money, with which to go deeper
in debt until the merchan. found
himself the owner of the land and
had the farmer for a tenant, work.
ing on shares or giving up what he
made for land rent and supplies. 1t
was manifest to the farmers that
there was something wrong in their
method of doing Business; the think.
ing and more intelligent class began
to cast about for some method by
which they could rectify the existing
evil. The grange was inaugurated
and was deemed adequate to bring
about the desired results, but while
it bad many good features it hsd It's
defects and failed to reach the end
sought; nothing daunted by this tenn
porary hackset, these earnest work.
ers in the cause soon improved upon
the grange and brought about an
entire new organization which COW
cred every defect OF the old one, and
called ii the Alliance. The advan-
tages offered by the. systems and
methods of this new organization
were easily comprehended by the
most llllterate and Impractical, as
we'll as the most enlightened farmer
in the land, they being based upon
honesty, economy, and cash sys,
TEN. The result was, success attend
cd the Alliance from its infancy; il
spread from cotnty to county and
state to state: although but, two
years old, the strongest organization
ever known ip Mississippi. Itis
now strong and aeli.snstaining body
composed OF the best material of the
state. Men. and women who have.
aftera strict Investigation Of their
moral characters, heen found, worthy
TO enter the ranks and become co
workers IN building up the fortunes
OF a large class Of the people, farm
iers, whom SO called paternal gov
eminent bas during the last 25 years
by a seeming careleasncss or willful
negligence allowed to drift unaided
and unprotected down to poverty,
mortgages, debt and despair, seeing
the utter hopclessness of combating
with the numerous combinations
which had sprung up throughout our
lcountry, seeing that all branches OF
trade, all professional caIlings, and
commerce in our country there were
formed associations with the avow.