The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-10-04
Extracts flsm Maj. Terreips speech.
REroRTED Br :. L. STRAIN. (pARr yHIRD

REPORTED Bf ]. L. STRAIN. tPARr TVIRD.)
The question now comes up, s.what must
be donef" II isn't necessary for me 10 oc-
cupy the time Of SO intelligent an assembly
as this In discussing this matter, or attempt
ing To prove that the farmers arc not making
money, or that the education Of our chill
dren 10 being neglected, and that We are
not In the enjoyment Of our labor. Every
body knows that this is SO; whether they
pretend to believe IL or not. Were you 10
give the wages made by professional men
aud merchants, taking that as basis, IL
would cost you so cents pound to raise
your cotton. II skilled mechanics were TO
do the work II would cost you 20 cents o
pound; but as II is you can't get an average
of more than 8 cents pound for II. Your
cotton is the great money crop, and you
realize the least advantage from It.
Seventy per cent. Of the population Of
South Carolina are farmers, and the same
per cent Of her people are securing such
scanty wages that they are not able 10 make
their families comfortable, much less edu.
cate their children aud ft them for positions
they should occupy. II We ask ourselves
the cause of all this, the answer comes in
plsin language: The farmer receives only
81 or So month for his wages. In this
matter the white and colored man are both
in the same boat. The lnbor of the ono is
just as remuuerative as that Of the other. II
be will live close, aud IL he has q house Of
his own, and does his own work, and makes
| good crop and could sell II at o fair price he
can make some little money on his farm,
| perhaps but generally where q man has TO
make IL by his own haade, whether on his
own land or somebody else's, there Is but
little money in It for himn best. In 90
cases out of every 100 he sells his crop at
scf,,a loaa Genf1anao xDh hv i,. To-
Isit intelligent or manly to work yourselves
| and your families hard all the year; to put
your girls in the field at hard work and
| neglect their education, and at the end Of
| the year sacrifice their labor at less than it
| cost to produce it As intelligent men, II
you will get up the Alliance and como to.
| gether and reason about these things you
| will put stop to this down-hill business.
| You won't stand it. You will devise some
means by which you will secure the right
to sell your own products at living profit,
and to lay up something 10 educate your
children and place them upon the plane you
| wish them to occupy.
| II requires an effort, and o strong one,
too, to bring about this revolution An Of.
fort in which all the farming classes must
unite in one organized body, to make it o
success. Look around you and see what
organization has effected. Look at those
| Who have succeeded and let me call your
attention to che fact that IL wac organization
that made success possible with them. /
venture 10 say that there is not n respect
able merchant-one that his fellow mer-
chants will recognize as worthy Of th cir
oompanionship-that does not belong to
some mercantile association. There Is not q
| lawyer but belongs to his organisation. The
doctors, too, are organized for wise pur-
pose. No lawyer, who is . gentleman,
| would take your case when he knows you
have gone to and consulted brother of his
profession, and not paid him for his counsel.
This fact alone Is sufficient to couvinoe you
that organization is necessary for their pro-
tection! Who blsmeS themf Nobody. No
honest, intelligent man blames another for
making money honestly when he can do So.
don't blame the merchants or the Jute
trusts, so long rs you permit them 70 carry
on their business. Just SO long 40 you per-
NIT them, they will extort money from you,
and you have no one to look TO for redress
but yourselves. viii you make the effort
Will you sit down in your Sub-Alliances
and discuss these matters freely and fairly
and let the majority rule? Everyone OF
you must act as unit. Let me ask tho
question: "Havc any Of you Joined the
Alliance without laying aside your personal
desires and resolving to 60 according to the
will Of the msjorityf" II you have, you
are In the wrong pew, my friend.
TO be continued.