The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-10-25
Major Tsrreu's Speech Concluded.
REPORTED BIT J. L. srRAIN,

things about this grintiing credit system. he.
iore close my remarks to you. This bur-
den OF debt makes us towards. If YOU ao
10 merchant who holds lien or mortoaee
on your crop, and perhaps everything YOU
possess IN property sense, and tell him
you want little bacon, he will very likely
tell you that you and your family arc eating
up more than you are making, and he will
not let you have it. You belong to him,
ana you can't help yourself You can't soy
WORD, but must submit to his antocratic die
tation. Youwilreven crouch your headond s.y
with forced smile, that you are living ON ns
little as YOU possibly can. What q shameful
condition you are In. or senrse YOU ought TO
pay every debt you contraet, but it is such
FOLLY on your part to contract debts you can
not pay. / tell you it is moro honorable 10
go In rags and live on the cheapest scale.
than to be some rich mans slave. Come nm
and say, from this time on, "me and nv
family are going to do our duty. We are
going to pay cash for what we pet, and use
nothing we can possibly do without"
poor, honorable boy, in my neipnbor-
hood, started out in the world to make n
living for himself his mother and two sisters
lie had nothing in the world but himself and
his honor. Renting place, and by his in
dustry he procured some corn bread and
sorghum for them to 1.-Two upon. He
also raised some chickens. He went to work
and got his crop started, then he went to a
m merchant and wanted to- get some supplies
Inc merchant wouldn't trust him. So he
went home and continued to live on his corn
bread sorghum and water. Tho first We
knew about him he had his crop well ni0h
raised. We went TO him and told him TINT tSe
way he had been treated was a scandal and
shame, and told him we would stand by
him. He thanked us very, kindly aud said
he did not need any help just then. That
was ten years ago. tell you, my friends,
that boy is the most prosperous farmer in
his county to-day. He has never bought n
thing on credit, has money in the bank
and has ono Of the most refined and intelli-
gent families ever saw. He stands upon
his honor, and has fairly won independence.
lie is IN exemplary man, and has an envia-
Die future ahead Of him. Amen to that, by
friend Franklin1 wish you had few like
nm In this county to set such an example as
he has put upon record. Can't you, too. nv
friends, colored rs well as white, live on
bread, sorghum and water for few years, If
you and your families can be independent?
("fes. dhd we's gwine to do So" comes from
2 crowd OF colored hearers in rear of the
Speakers stand Then you my friends will
feel and know that you are free and indie
pendent. You will dash aside the shackles
that have bound you In the most cruel bond
labor w0nli jusrny y0isstnspGdyers TO pay 4
you $25 dollars per, ,ipontas for your labor. 4
But he too Is living hard and making moth
ing, and you see his land and property grad
ually getting away from him. The products
of his labor is gone into the pockets of these
trusts that are to-day grinding the life out
Of you, as well as the white man, and you
must organize for your own protection. Get
up your Alliances and work with determi-
nation to better your condition in all the
avenues that that organization will open up
for you. Let no skuiking white man, who
the white farmers won't have in their ALI
ance, come into or have anything to do with
you or your affairs. Your white Alliance
friends will advise you how. and when to act,
and you will receive the same advantages
from the organization that they will. Take
m obligation that you will not again go in
debt, and make your word your bond. Come
out with that determination to your sub-Al-
lance, where it will 4 brother helping broth
err. Talk to your 6IEldren that il Is the man
who does his full duty is the man after oil.
God forbid that We should worship wealth.
the most contemplate thing on earth I! It
gives neither refinement, beauty or char SC
ize over the.poors 10 thes most contemplate
demon on the face OF the earth, [Applauso
and cries Of "that's so.' Il do not pretend
to say that wealth Is not a., good thing to
have; bul IL a man ip.A. gentleman he is as
good with it as without--it tho gentleman
not the wealth that makes him so. Don't
have your wives and daughters to go in
fnery because somebody else is able to do it.
Teach them that piety and beauty Of char
acter are moro in the eyes ofa true man,
than all the finery they could put on. 1t is
not the dress that attracts US, but the woman,
after all. Any good man loves q woman be-
cause she is n true woman, but not on account
of what she has on.
BY paying your merchant, you farmers
ought to understand that you are helping the
Alliance in the best possible way. If a mer-
chant has trusted you, don't make war on
him if he wants his money. If you become
satisfied that he don't sell you reasonably 60
and buy somewhere elae. But bind your
self to no merchant and then cry when he
skins you, Support your families, get out Of
debt and stay out. il all the farmers who
hear me speak would organize properly there
would be no cause for complaint IN q short
chants don't extort from you. Iknow they
do; but, my, friends; you would do the same
thing If you could. II is our sinful nature,
and if we could get dollar for our cotton we
would take it. The way for us 10 do is to
bring about such condition of things that
we will have q say so, rs well as the mer-
chants. They price our cotton and they
price our supplies, and any fool could make
money on that plan. The Alliance will bring
us out Of that position, il we stand by it.
There is another matter of which wish to
speak before close: There is feeling of
hostility among some Of You against the law
yers. That is oil wrong; but II q lawyer has
been guilty Of or caught in questionable
passage or execution Of laws detrimental
TO your interests, and you know II, then re-
member him. Lawsuitsare Ike whiskey;
they won't hurt Jon AZ long as you let thcm
alone. Settle yonr diaerepcea at home
among your ffieilds AIlQas Who feel IN In