The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-09-11
TERRELE'S PLAIN TALK.
FARMERS ALLIANCE AND WHATIT
IS INTENDED TO oACCOMPLISH.

IS INTENDED TO ACCOMPLISH.
It's Object the Organization Of the Farmer
to Act as Unit in all Things Afectlni
Their Interests-A Plan to Raise tn
Price Of Cotton and Reduce the Price o
Supplies-A Bountiful Barbecue.
(From the Columbia Daily Register. Sept. !.
Columbia is hard place to ''enthuse'
and its people do not turn out to public
gatherings as generally.as in many othel
places. This fact, and the threatening
weather, prevented the Hon. Ben Terrell
the national lecturer of the Farmers
Alliance, from being favored with
very large audience at the fair grounds
yesterday.
The farmers of the County, too, were
by no means out in full force, but
though small in numbers the gathering
was fairly representative one, and in,
cluded, beside many prominent citizens,
quite number of prominent farmers
from this County and Lexington.
The audience were seated on the
grand stand and speaking platform
covered with an awning, had been i'm
provised from a couple of wagons drawn
up on the race track.
Upon this platform were seated Gov,
ernor Richardson, ex-senator klnsler,
Capt. J. c. F. Sims and Mr.. Terrell, the
speaker of the day.
GOVERNOR RICHARDSON
was the first speaker. He said If any
body imagined the alliance was intended
to affect injuriously any industry or any
individual in South Carolina, or any
where in America, they had very diff
ferent idea of the alliance from what he
had of it. Ii was simply an olganlzed
effort to advance the interests of the
farmer-to remove the difficulties and
remedy the restrictions which now hin
dercd the farmer from securing the full
return of his labor. That difficulties
and restrictions did exist was as certain
as that the sun was shining. Let all
come forward and aid this legitimate
movement, the success of which would
rebound TO the interests of every citizen
of this great republic.
He thought they could see light ahead.
In the spirit of the utmost friendliness
to all classes the farmer asks simply JUS
tice. A farmer himself, he would be 10th
to injure the rights or property of any
individual or class in this or any other
community. They were all brothers in
one boat. The lawyer and those who
follow other professions could not do
without the farmer. Neither could the
farmer do without the lawyer, the doc
tor. etc.
Let the farmers lead the way by
proper united effort to general prosper
irv, ard all the world would unite in
according all praise to the farmer.
In few well-chosen words the Gov
crnor introduced as the speaker OF the
day,
The HON. BEN TERRELL OF TEXAS.
Though not much above medium
stature, Mr.. Terrell is a man of rather
striking presence. Straight as an ar
row and well proportioned, he carries a
vell-shaped head above his broad
shoulders, and studying how to make the
raising of cotton pay, or something
else, has left the hair little thin-to
put it mildly-on the crown of his dome
of thought. His face is a good QUE,
suggesting good nature blended with
determination, and pair of keen, blue
eyes light up an expressive countenance.
Mr.. Terrell has a good voice and
knows how to use it whether in the
suavity of persuasion, the ardor of
assertion or the emphasis of denuncia-
ton.
THE FARMERS DO THE ROWING.
Mr.. Terrell spoke substantially as fol-
lows: Fellow Citizens-Without any pre-
face I will say few words to you. |
agree with Brother Richardson that We
are all in one boat. Whatever enriches
one class must to some extent help
another. But ] do think heretofore
the farmers have had the oars and
the rest have been riding free.
The farmers have been directed and
controlled anu taken advantage of by
others. They haven't had any voice in
the disposal of their productions. They
say it is our fault that this is so. 1t is
our fault and it can be remedied We
have organized to do it. They say we
don't admit all classes to our order. Did
they admit usinto the privileges and ad-
yantages they possessedl Net much. We
don't blame the cotton buyers for making
money, but we are going to try
TO MAKE MONEY OURSELVES.
We have to sell and have to buy. We
produce more wealth than all other
classes combined. The cotton crop alone
is of enormous value and of the greatest
Importance to the world. We have gone
on producing it without regard to the
cost Of production until we have grown
poor, while other classes have increased
in wealth.
Statistics prove this. . Twenty five
wears ago one half the wealth belonged
to the farmers. Now but one-quarter
b>lons to them. What is the reason? Not
because we have grown lazy. We pro
duce more, have more acres under cult
Walton and pay better wages. The rea-
son is that few men comparatively ma
the money of the country. They
make money tight when they please, and
then sell its use at the highest rates.
They raise the price of necessities of life
bv manipulation and we have TO pay
their exorbitant profit.
WE MAKE NO WAR
on any one. 1t is not necessary. II It
was necessary we would not shrink
from il. But it is not required.
We should get in a position to sell our
cotton through another channel. and it
those bywhom we now sell it won't do so
in a fair way with reasonable charges
then
WE CAN GET ALONG WITHOUT 1THEM.
We propose to organize the LINERS
all over the country into sub-alliances,
each in a territory six miles square.