The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-12-03
NOTES FROM MITCHELL.
GLENN, Mitchell County, N. c.,

| NOV. ~, 1903.
Mr. EDIToR:-If you will allow me
space in your valuable paper [ will
give you few words from Blue
Ridge Alliance, No. 1870. We were
organized nine months ago with l6
male members, and have been slow
ly increasing ever since. We now
number 81 male and Is female mem
bers. l am sorry to say that some of
our brethren seem TO be of but little
use to the brotherhood; they are be-
hind with their dues, and our Secre-
tary has marked them suspended.
Hope they will pay up their dues and
come in in good standing. This Ali
ance is in very mountainous section
of country and very thinly settled.
Nearly all the best citizens have
Joined the order that live in reach.
Our trading facilities have been very
poor as there was no Alliance store in
reach of us till the last few days. We
have now concentrated our forces on
Mr.. John Emerson, merchant, who
agrees to sell to us at 10 per cent.
I was appointed Corresponding
Secretary for The PROGRESSIVE FARMER
two months ago, and as some of the
brethren have been looking for some
thing from this part of the State, l
feel that it is my duty to let the
brotherhood know that we are still
living and looking forward with great
anxiety to be redeemed from under
the yoke of monopoly and combines
anG set back upon the same founda-
ton that our forefathers established
more than century ago. The only
hope that | can see in the future for
our liberties and freedom depends
upon the progress of the Farmers
Alliance. Now, brethren, let's work
together as unit, all aiming for the
same thing and it will be established.
| hope and believe that every true
Allianceman in the old North State
will lay down all political prejudice at
the ballot box, and vote in a strictly
non partisan spirit for the good of the
laboring classes !who sustain this
government of ours.
1 am sorry that Blue Ridge Alliance
has done nothing for the agency fund,
and [ hope it will do better in the
near future; yet [ feel that it is my
duty to beg leave to state some reasons
why it has done nothing. This is q
high, cold country, and the seasons
are. very short, and there was so much
rain through the summer that corn
crops were very late and unusually
sorry. Then early frost came this
fall and, | think, has damaged the
crop one fourth in this county; and
we are expecting next summer to be
one of the hardest summers yet e1-
perienced in this mountain country.
The Alliance move in this section
has a strong opposition, financially,
and its progress IS rather slow, but l
an glad to say that it is gathering up
all the best material that this caunty
affords. | think if our State Lecturer,
brother Thos. d. Long and brother
r. B. Vance, will come and lecture
through this county it will be of great
value to the Alliance.
1 think the greatest drawback we
have in this county is, our brethren
don't read The PROGRESSIVE FARMER,
the organ of the great Alliance move.
l am the County Lecturer and Organ
izer; am sorry to state that | have
done but little in my official duties for
eoryora1 xryoo1yC Tf NV T0roconon cOn1d
be spared from my farm I would can
vass the county in every nook and
corner.
will now close by saying to The
PROGRESSIVE FARMER that l was ap
pointed as agent to solicit subscribers
at our last county meeting. will do
all that I can to introduce The PRo-
GREssIvE FARMER into every Alliance
family in Mitchell county when | go
out on my official duties.
Yours fraternally,