The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-11-13
AN ALLIANCE ADDRESS
BY PRESIDENT POLK TO THE FARM
ERS OF THE SOUTH.

| h"r"ers Great Headlight-The Power
and Glory of This Great Country Rests
with tho Farmers,
A!LANTA, Oct. 31.-Col. L.. l.. Polk.
president of tho National Farmers'
Alliance. who has been TRAVELLING ami
speaking for the last four weeks ar.
riVed IN this city to be in attendance
at iiedmont exposition during Ali
ance days. The colonel is slightly in
disposed, and, therefore, was Unable to
make an exter ded argument; but he is
SO well known in this southern country
that the people are thoroughly salts
lied with his short speech. Being in
troduced, he said:
| Ladies, Fellow -Countrymen and
Brother Alliancemen: l profoundly
regret to say that after eontinuons
travelling and speaking for four weeks
am utterly incapacitated to meet the
demands imposed upon me through
your generous kindness and corii
ailty: l have come, nevertheless. in
obedience to that call to which 1 have
never yet turned deaf ear, the call of
the farmers OF the country, to speak to
the good people of Georgia about the
farmer. 1t has been my good fortune
within the past few weeks to traverse
many portions of this great country of
ours. ASl rolled across her rich and
wcll-tllled plains, as l beheld the rich
harVeSts OF wheat and corn and other
agricultural wealth, 40 I pondered
upon our vast network uf over 10000
miles OF railway, as l thought OF our
magnificent rivers those Splendid ar
terleS OF our inland commercial life.
and gaZed with delighted eyes upon
the beautiful and ever changing piano.
rama Oh scenery presented to my inter-
eSted gaze, and saw the smoke Of many
iacIorles rolling over the house-tops Of
prosperous cities, thought within my
sell that this was great country
and IL great people, and that the
progress thus far made was but
stepping stone to higher and
broader and grander achievements vet
to be wrought in the fullness of time
ny the magnificent courage and splen-
did energy Of the American manhood
OIL the future. And 1T is to the great
middle class, the yeomanry of the
country, that the country must vet look
Tor its salvation. These men are the
nope Oh our future, and in their quiet
ana peaceful homes, where simple and
honest manhood and womanhood are
, cultlvated and nurLured, will be reared
a the future stay Of the republic, the
e STATESMEN and patriots and warriors,
= IL need be, whose lives and fortunes,
4 whose blood and courage will be devot-
q ell 10 the welfare Of the land they love
Il SO we'll. For it is in these quiet coun-
a Try homes that the chief hope of the
q future of the republic rests; for without
q these modest yeomanry all progress
r. would be impossible and civilization
II ltScll would be arrested and paraly2ed.
" Our civilization itself would perish,
y and all commerce cease, and ,Jay GOuld
n hlmseli. with all his millions, could not
+ Duy his breakfast if the farmer were no
q longer Il living, active factor in our So
l. cla! ana commercial life. Yes. when
look into the honest face of these grand
f yeomanry which, by its hard labor and
3 perpetual diligence, clothes and feeds
tho world, l forget the magnificence of
our cities, forget our splendid railway
system, and am forced in my heart to
exclalm that of all the power and
!, strength and glory of this great coun-
try the larger portion Of it rests in the
hands and hearts OF the farmers of
America.
L regret, my friends, that l cannot
make you speech today. am really
here at Il serious risk to nv health.
But cannot refrain from adding that
have Just returned from the great
northWcSt, and bring to you, brethren
or the Alliance here, "the glad tidinps
OF great JOY This mighty upheavSl,
which has interested the mass of the
southern people, has crossed the border,
ana your brothers of the west and north
one accord with you in all your aims
and purposes, and they realize now that
the war is over, and that the blue will
JON with the gray in demanding COM
mon justice for both, for they realize
now at last that your interests are their
interests, your aims their aims, your
objects their objects, and that what is
good Tor the farmer who wore the gray
IS the very thing to benefit the farmer
| thn hlnn
ing.l
L thank God from the bottom of nv
heart that the great American people.
those who illustrated their manhood in
the face of u bloody death on one field
after another, men who had the man.
hood to stand or fall by what they con
celVed to be the right; thank God that
these men have gotten now so far away
from the echoes to the rifle and the can
non that they can embrace each other
as brethren at last, and recognize the
great TACT that this country is, and shall
DE, one country that this people is. and
snail forever be, one people. Applause. I
am commissioned by our brethren
or the northwest to convey 20 you the
message that they feel as you do, and
ilKe you, no longer proposed to be con-
Ir0lled and governed by designing and
SelllSn demagOgueS. Loud Cheerinpl
Our great organization I wish to saw
Tor the benefit of outsiders, extends it's
jurisdiction over thirty-fve of the states
Oh TINS Union, in twent, nine of which
we have perfected state organizations.
and number in all over $500 900 of the
pest bone and Drawn and courage and
intellect OF American manhood
My friends, L wish to make this re-
mark, and impress it well upon you: In
the great struggle which is hourly COM
ing nearer to us,all the questions will not
Q be whether one or another political par
: ty Shall have the supremacy, but wheth-
r er American manhood shall govern
g America-whether the people shall reign
and make their own laws, or whether
l. the dollar shall govern and become su-
J. preme and sovereign in the republic.
That is the great issue We mnst