The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-09-27
Extracts frsm Maj. Terrell's Speech.
REPORTED BY J. L. STRAIN. (PARr SECOND.

REPORTED BY }. L. STRAIN. (PARr sEcoND.)
The farmers must get out of debt. They
must wear patched clothes, if necessary, and
buy nothing for which they are unable to
pay the cash, il they can possibly do without
it. They must put patch upon patch until
their garments are like Joseph's coat We
ask the lawyers, merchants, newspaper men
and, in fact, nil other professions to allow us
n chance-give us their sympathy. We are
not disposed to ruin their business-are not
trying to injure them. We don't want them
to come to us after we have accomplished
our objects, /. e., broken these trusts, and
placed the country, in all its industrial pur-
snits, upon the high road to prosperity, and
say, as the man said, who escaped into the
loft Of his house and left his wife to fight
the bear: After she had killed it he came
down from his place Of safety, and slapping
her on the shoulder, he pranced around say
ing, cold woman, amt we hosses." No, we
don't want anybody in the loft while we
fight the bear.
The monied powers are combined against
us, and we must stand firmly together, if we
accomplish anything. We must thoroughly
organize to fight off these domestic enemies :;
and without the aid of all classes, who will
eventually be benefited, we must war a long
time before we will win. And this is why
we ask the cooperation Of all our people to
help us at this particular .juncture. If they
won't help us we must do like the Irishman
on the prairie when he met the bear: 1t was
impossible for him to make his escape and
he had to fight the bear or take tho conse-
quences. When they got into it and the
bear was about to prove too hard for him,
he called upon the Lord TO help him; but
finally he said, Lord, if you won't help me,
please don't help the bear Now, if our
merchants and others, won't help us, we
don't want them to help the bear.
The oppression of high-prced money, and
all its attendant evils, have forced the farm
ers to take care of themselves. They have
stood more than any other class of beings
this country has ever witnessed. Literally
speaking, they never sell bale of cotton.
They never have anything to say in the clas-
sifcaton Of their cotton, and but little about
the price, when their bills and accounts are
due. The merchant sells them his goods at
his own price, and takes their cotton the
same way.
Only by thorough organization can this
evil be overthrown, and the farmers are now
left to work out their own salvation. They
have borne this thing long enough, and they
are now like the boy who was scratching
his head with both hands, with all his might,
when his mother said to him: Johnnie,
don't do that that's an ugly and disgrace
full habit, and, my son, don't do So. "Well,"
says Johnnie, 'mammy, they jumped on me
fust.' The spectators have jumped on the
farmers and now they are giving them good
scratching. And they are going to keep on
scratching until they get justice and can say
what price they will take for their cotton.
The way by which they expect to break up
this cotton speculation is a plausible one,
and think they have the grit and pluck to
carry it out If they will only unite and
keep their doors properly guarded from in
trudcrs and traitors, who are the emissarics
of those who wish to defeat the object for
which the Farmers Alliance was organized.
]. L. Sc