The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-08-21
ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT S. B.
ALEXANDER.

Delivered Before the North Carolina State
Farmers Alliance in annual Con-
vention assembled, Raleigh, N.
c., august l4th, 1888.
FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE NORTH CARO-
LIMA FARMERS ALLIANCE:
Only last year the Farmers ALI
ance was introduced into our State.
The first Alliance was organized in
Robson county, on the goth day Of
April, and the State Alliance was or
ganized at Rockingham, on the 4th
day Of Oct, with eight County Alliances
and 1872 Sub-Alliances. Now we have
50 County Alliances and LOIS Sub
Alliances. The unparalleled growth
of our order has astonished every one.
1t shows that our farmers feel the,
necessity of organizing for their own,
protection and for the advancement of
their educational, social and financial
interest. It is my duty to make such
suggestions to you as l may think
proper for the good of our order. T
have deemed it important to organize
the State as thoroughly as possible
and leave the details of arranging the
business interests of our order for
your consideration. The reports of
the Secretary and Treasurer will give
you all the information you may de-
sire in regard to the work done. The
condition of our farmers is not salts
factory; they work hard from Janu-
airy to January, only to find another
year of hard labor before them. The
profits of farming are so small that the
most rigid economy has to be used to
save the homestead; and often a farmer
realizes less profit han if he hired
himself and family for negro wages
and hal lived on negro rations. Why
is this :? 1t is the great question for
the Alliance to solve. Our State pro-
duces every species of plant that grows
between Mobile, Alabama, and To-
ronto, in Canada. Yet with this great
variety of soil and climate, we are
forced by our environments to raise
for market the two great staple crops,
cotton and tobacco. To understand
our environment, it is necessary to
refer to our condition before the civil
war. Then our State was a slave
State, our labor slave labor. We had
only one town of over four thousand
inhabitants, we had very few manu-
features of any kind. Slave labor cut
down magnificent forest, wore out the
land, threw it out to grow up in old
field pines and cut more forest, to
wear out the land in like manner. The
slave owners did not desire large
towns or manufactures near them.
They cared naught for the develop
ment of the State, and were content
to live in comfort on the proceeds of
slave labor. The war ended; slavery
was abolished, and so great. were the
sacrifices of our people that but little
property except land was left them.
With no home market for anything,
they were compelled to raise the only
two crops that would bear shipment
cotton and tobacco. Fortunately
these crops brought very high prices,
and many believed they would soon
be richer than they were before the
war. Supplies were purchased based
upon the spring prices of the crop.
The fall prices of the crop were so
much below the spring prices that but
little profit was realized; and thus it
continued until the price of the crop
has reached the cost Of it's production.
70, The farmers generally believe the
merchants are the cause of their not
receiving due reward for their labor.
They think the mortgage system and
time prices enable the merchants to
exact such exorbitant rates as to leave
them no profit. 1t is true there may
be a merchant here and there that has
acted the Shylock. But it is not true
that the merchants are responsible for
the farmers condition or for the sys-
tenn that causes farming to be unproft-
able. We must look beyond them to
find it. Politics engages the attention
of u people to a very great degree,
and the politicians guide the people
and our politicians know but very
little of the practical questions that
now confront us. While they have ex-
cited the people upon sectional and the.
oretical issues a great industrial revolu-
ton has overtaken us; even our laws
made for a past era do not compass it.
Steam and electricity have revolution
lied the industrial pursuits and methods
of mankind to a degree that has no
parallel in history. Crops that were
profitable in some sections are not so
now. Even mines have been closed
and manufacturers forced to change