Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-10-17

Gentlemen and Brethren: lam no
public speaker. Never having felt
myself gifted with oratorical powers,
1 have always RETAINED from appear
ing in public as a speaker; hence
you need not expect me to entertain
you with flowing periods and f1oWery
dashes, but | will simply try to give
you a short talk OF the Farmers AL
lance. When l heard the objects,
aims and purposes of the order ex-
planned by Capt. j. d. Smith, who
was sent out by the National ALI
ance as an organizer for the Fifth
Congressional district of South Car
olina, l perceived that the workings
and operations of the Alliance were
similar to those of the Grange, an or
ganization which / considered one Of
the best and the most suited for the
farmers that we have ever had, and
which, through bad managementand
lack of zeal on the part of it's MEM
bers, has almost dWindled into insig-
nifcance-a result which has been
and ever will be the case with any So
ciety or organization if the members
fail to bestir themselves and instill
life and interest into its operations.
And now, brethren, 1 know Whereof
speak. IWasa member of the Grange
for four or five years and became
we'll acquainted with its workings
and having seen and reaped many
benefits from it, and feeling, as l pre-.
sumo many of you did, that the
times and existing circumstances de-
manded that we farmers, as a class,
needed to do something to raise US
from the slough of depression and op-
preston into which we had sunk, 1
was ready to unite with my fellow
farmers and organize an Alliance.
What is the Alliance? 1t is an
organization for the improvement
and protection of the farmer; and it
is patent to the most casual observer
that we need Improvement in every
respect. Why, attend one of our
county conventions, or any assembly,
and you will see the whole affair
manipulated by a mere handful, and
they mostly lawyers and merchants,
who are ever on the alert for their
own interests, and are we'll tickled
at how easily they have made dupes
of US. How many Of u farmers
are competent to become members
of the Legislature? You all know
that they are like hens teeth-feW
and far between. Now, why is this?
It is not for a lack of common sense,
but for a want Of proper training
and culture of the mind. We exer-
else the muscles, but we allow the
mind to grow dullandtorpid. Hence,
I urge the necessity of our reading
more, and to ponder, think over and
discuss what we do read, and in this
way post ourselves concerning the
affairs of State and other things pc
culiar to our interests. 1t was we'll
enough as it was before the war, to
leave the management of the govern
ment, &C., to professional politicians;
for then the farmer owned both land
and labor and was generally in well.
TODD circumstances but if he should
get into a tight place, he could sell a
negro or two or borrow money from
his neighbor at 7 per cent. and relieve
himselfof the pressure.
But things were changed after the
war. The farmer had nothing left
him but his land, and perhaps it was
encountered with debt. The Gus
toms and habits of the people were
also changed. We would raise cot
ton and buy our supplies, which sys-
tenn then was almost a necessity,
from the fact that it was almost an
impossibility to keep a hog or a cow.
Hence we drifted into the habit of
buying, and, eventually, buying on
credit. The merchant, seeing his
chance, adopted two plans of trade,
cash and credit, which last has been
the ruin of most of us farmers. 1t
has become quite common for the
farmer to buy almost entirely on
credit, and if his crop will bring
enough to pay him out, he is salts
fed and will arrange to run on the
next year on a larger scale, taking no
thought as to what per cent. over the
cash price he is paying the merchant
for the advances furnished, thus
making himself a worse slave than
was the negro before the war, and
running himself morally and finan-
cially; for it is human nature for a
a man, if he works hard from year
to year and comes out behind, to be-
come careless and reckless, and event
ually become an Outcast of society.
But enough Of this. How will the
Alliance improve? Its aims are
high and its purposes noble. Search
the world over and you will find no
better code of morals than those in
culcated in the Alliance. If an indi-
vidual will only put them into prac-
tice, in my opinion, he will be ena-
bled to place himself as near perfec-
ton as it is possible for mar to attain.
The teachings of the Alliance are
pure and sincere. Their foundation
is truth, and if we will only study
and apply them in Dull daily walk
and avocations, we will find our
selves gradually improving, morally,
mentally and socially, and be better
fitted to improve our financial condi-
ton.
The leading feature of the Alliance