The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-04-10
PLAIN TALK.
L. LIVINGSTON TAKES THE STUMP IN
GEORGIA.


GEORGIA.
Sub-Treasury Plan-WhisIxey Men Have tn
Favor OF fGovcrnmcnt-WhyN Not Farmers
the Alliance In Politics.
At II recent mass meeting of farm
crs ut Llwrcnccvillc, Ga, Hon. Il. f
Livingston, President of the Georgi,
State Alliance, delivered u speech il
which he indulged III some very plai1
talk. The following report of his re
marks is going the rounds of tn,
papers:
He said there are still in the minds
OF many grave doubts as to the orig
inal design and ultimate result of tn,
Alliance organization. The two year.
i'll which it had been III existence
should have been sufficient time fol
all to have inquired into these things
and armed for themselves But he
regretted to say that they had not
dom SO. l an constrained to con
clude that this is due to two causes
first, u fear or apprehension that the
organization will bring to the pro,
duclng classes benefits ut their loss
Second, an entire miScOnceDtiOn OF
the intent and operation of the
Alliance.
Thepurposes of the order are still
misunderstood and dmisconstrued.
No greater innovation in political
economy had been made since the
day of Adam Smith, than have been
introduced by the Farmers Alliance.
1t has wrought II revolution in that
science. Necessity has been called
the mother of invention. and these
new ideas in political economy had
grown ont Of the necessities o. the
times.
This is not II political organization
1t has been said that it WAS conceived
III In" political ring and brought forth
nmid political councils, and its de
sign iS to capture all the political
Offices. 1t has even been said that
we are banded together against law
ycrS and merchants. This is all un-
true Hc could show, if any doubted,
that the order has nobler aims.
The necessity for the Alliance is to
be found in the
IMPOVERISHED CONDITION OF FARMERS
Not i'll Georgia only, but in the cntil,
country. If you take q dozon farmers
i'll any county of Georgia and com
pure their condition with that of a
dozen farmers in Ohio orIllinois, you
will find that it is about the same
The dozen Georgia farmers will be nc
worse of, perhaps not SO bad off, as
the Northern or Western farmers
Georgia farms are not mOrtgagcu rs
heavily us the farms in Ohio or Hi
nois. Everywhere the farmers are i'm
n"H"!i,ilcd. 1t is not II local trouble,
though the press has for twenty
years made the mistake OF suDDosinn
so.
1t can not be SO much the fault OF
II protective tariff. or the revenue sys-
tenn OF our government rs just those
industries receiving the largest
mcrs are more deeply in debt and
less enable to protect themselves
from mortgages and their fore
closure.
We have been told that the farmers
OF the South were too lazy to succeed
And now we are told that we need
diversified farming.
Ohio harvcstH twcnty-sevcn crops
and is no better off than we.
If You arc to lose money by farm
ing, us you have done, the fewer crops
the better. Better lose only on one
than on twenty Laughter.
FARMERS MAKE" NO PRICES.
The farmer inakes no prices. There
isn't farmer in this house that III
fifteen years has ever brought butter,
eggs or cotton to Lnwrencevillc and
got the price he asked. He must say
to the merchant. chow much will you
give me for my butter?' and then
chow much will you take for youl
calico?" The merchant buys at the
price Of another and sells ut his own
price. Applause.
No merchant or lawyer would
carry on business as you farmers
have been obliged to carry it on. The
traders aud spectators have allowed
us to keep body and soul together
and that $ all, but we should be thank
full that they have not treated us
worse, us they had the power to DO
Applause.
CAUSE OF THIS POVERTY.
What has caused this poverty!
Not SO much the want of industry
on the part of our people. The very
large increase in the products from
the soil, annually, with q decrease il
tho number Gn the South) engaged
in agriculture, set, this charge to ono
side.
Not SO much the want of n diversi
fled agriculture, us the statistics show
for just where divcrsitymost obtains
there our people IRE more scliousl,
and extensively involved.
Not so much the want of economy
as any observing man can see. Ou
DGODlG nrn not eytInvn nnnt in droau