Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1889-11-07
The Causes That Led to the Alliance.

1Hc SauScS IHHt Icu u lhe Alliance.
"A revolutions is always attended
with loss and personal sacrifice.
Even a genuine reform has it's in
convcnicnccs. The Alliance move
mcnt is a reform that partakcs of
the nature of a revolution. The
farmers who have gone into this
movement know that they will have
to make some sacrifices before they
attain desired results. They are
prepared to endure some losses and
I'inconvrnicnccs in order that they
may be recognized as intelligent
, Factors in the worlds industrial pro-
blem. Since the war they feel that
they have been as much oppressed
as the Hebrews in Egypt. Their
task-mastcrs were austcrc men, reap
ing where they sowcd not. Liens
and mortgages, with supplies at an,
enormous per cent, have bound them
hand and foot. The winds and
storms and floods seemed t, work
against them. Late frosts in the
spring and early frosts in the fall
brought want and poverty to their
doors. They laborcd year after
year and all had to go to the factor
in the city or the merchant in the
town. Their struggle has been a
hard one for the last twenty-five
years. They have been cast down,
and not without cause. They com.
pared their condition with that of
their factors and the middlcmen,
and came to the conclusion that the
farmers had a hard road to travel.
Each one stood alone. There could
he no concert Of action The indi
vidual farmer had no voice in the
sale of his products. lie would not
sample, weigh or grade his own cot
ton. lie had to take Just what he
could get, because a man with two
or three bales, on which there was a
lien, did not have the courage to
talk up and asscrt.hiS rights. Com
blnations were made by purchasers
Of their products and those who sold
supplies. All united in an effort to
skin the farmer. Supplies have been
sold t" them at an advance of 200
or 800 per cent over the cash price.
They have gruntcd and groaned
under these burdens, but they were
powcrlcsS TO roll them off. Then
they felt that they were losing caste.
Their families were not esteemed as
highly as farmers families were a
half a century ago. Their sons
were considered very good sort of
fellows, fit TO raise corn and cotton
to pay off liens, but they were not
considered in any sense equal to the
sons OF their factors and men who
had grown rich on their labor
Farmers "crc not considered suta-
bic for Offices OF honor or trust.
Thcy were not favoritrs of the poll
ticians, except when elections were
approaching. All these things they
have felt as grievances for years, but
they have been unable, for want Of
organization, to formulate their COM
plant in words. At last the Alli-I
ancr was organized and the farmers
have rallied to il, hoping that through
It's power and influence they might
have voic" that would be potent in
business circles. They knew that
manufacturers and professional men
had their organizations. Monopolics
and trusts were formed all over the
country. AIiddlcmcn entered into
all sorts Of combinations to buy ~
cheap rs possible and sell NJ tho
highest price they could get. All
these combinations worked against
the individual, whether he was ten
ant or landlord, or hired laborcr.
The farmer, the very foundation of
our society, was standing alone. In
his individual capacity he was no
match for trusts and monopolics.
AS a sheep, he was dumb before
those who had shorn him to the very !