The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-09-17
ADDRESS BY REV. R. j. coEN,
De vered Before Sassafras Fork ALI
anee, No. 5o1, at Last Regu-
lar Meeting.

to do or say something for the good
of the order, if you will spare me a
few minutes | will make some re,
marks which I hope will be instruc,
tive, belle wing that the grand cause
advocated by the Farmers Alliance
to be founded on justice, tolerant and
christian in its principles, brings out
all good men in sympathy with it,
calls forth all the patriotism and love
of fair play inherent in the heart of
every true man.
Some argue that organization is un-
necessary to the farmer, advise him to
stay at home, work late and early and
let the world do rs it will; advice
whice, if followed, would bury the
farmer in oblivion, make him c~allous
and Indifferent to his neighbor; such
advice is always selfish, misleading
and unjust and would ultimately lead
to ruin. Is not the farmer and work
ing man human Do not in their
bosom beat aspirations as high and
as noble as in that of any other class ?
would you have him stay at home on
his narrow surrounding and his mind
narrow, still a slave of slaves, without
charity or sociability and leave to
privileged classes the duties of gov
eminent and the pleasures and enjoy
ment of this life
No, we working people must learn
to do u own thinking. Too long
have we left it to others, nOW we stand
up for our rights, and as the greatest
help to our cause we come together
as a unit, discuss our grievances and
through the means of association find
out the best way to get along and en-
liven the loneliness of a country life.
BY discussion and speaking gener-
ally on matters concerning the welfare
of the agricultural and working
classes, we familiarize, fit and educate
ourselves to be sovereign citizens of
this great Republic; by Indifferent and
lukewarm attachment to the great
principles on which are built the Con-
stitution of the United States, we
are ignorant of the rights which are
granted us, and we leave to classes,
the government, whose interests are
TO subserve it lthe government) to
their own use, ignore the wishes of
the producing classes, grant to cor
porations, monopolies and trusts priv
ileges which r used only to rob us
of the earning wrungs from mother
earth by the sweat of our brow.
The two great fundamental princi-
Piles of the order are (if l understand)
Unity and Alliance, by themselves
would be a mere existence of a state
of affairs that would leave things as
they are, and the future of the farmer
and laborer would be left without a
ray of hope In having his condition
bettered. but we call in other and in
dispeRs&ble aids to our service, name.
Iy, education, organization and dis.
cipaine, and with all these demanding
mo more or less than that which is
Justly due US.
The. history of the farmer and
labor reaches far away back into the
annals of. antiquity, and in spite OF
what is said to the contrary, the pros.
perity Of all nations correspondent
with a like prosperity in the produc
ing classes and if there is an
exception the greatness of a country
was only kept up by tremendous con
quests of weaker nations making the
farmer a soldier and turning the
workshops into arsenals. A policy
which invariably was ruinous and ha:
covered portions of the earth with
magnificent remains of dead %civiliza
ton and hurled powerful monarchie.
and republics to the dust.
In unity, our order working as 6
unit simply follows one of the first
laws Of nature. The world is com
posed Of an inconceivable number o.
atoms, and if it were not for the
power of cohesive attraction, woulc
d~isintegrate and instead of a splendid
planet coursing through unlimited
space, matter and life could not exist
As a unit we follow the example O
the powerful combinations, formed t.
beat US down. Do not all trust mo
nopolies and money powers combine
ms a unit to extort money from the
farmer and working man, and thei1
power is felt all over the land, the
farmer in the South buying an article
on which a trust has set it's price
pays the Ubiquitous toll, likewise il
the North and West the same state o.
affairs exist. AS a unit they oppres.
as in making US pay extravaganr
prices in order to enrich themselves
Al aunt they are secret in their work
ings and organization; as a unit arr
successful, as a unit in every State
throughout the Union compel III
to contribute to their success. AS +,
unit they have buried the dead issue.
of the past, sunk their prejudice
though they may have fought unde,
different flags, are at the present tim,
united, and for their field of opera