The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-03-18
PURPOSES OF THE ALLIANCE.
The Views of Col. L. L. Polk, Presi-
dent of the National Farmers
Alliance.
Editorial Correspondents of the State Chronicle.

Alliance.
Editorial correspondence of the State Chronicle.
WASHINGTON, D. c., March g.
Having az ~uuoccupied hour this morn
ing 1 concluded to pay a visit to the
headquarters of the National Farmers
All ance. | found the President
and Secretary of the order comfort
ably located at GIG E. street, N. w.
The President of the n 2tional ALI
ance, Col. L. l. Polk, a native of
North Carolina and citizen of Raleigh,
looks as much at home in his apart
ments'as when addressing a gathering
of honest farmers in Old Fields, Will
son county. I found him and his
Private Secretary, Mr.. Rittenhouse IA
North Carolinian by adoption) both
busy, but not too busy to give me a
"Tar Heel " welcome. After a pleas
ant chat, l went with Col. Polk over
to the office of the National Economist.
This paper is the official organ of the
National Alliance. 1t has large and
improved presses and is printing the
Alliance almanac and all the bl inks
for the Alliance. In the business Office
of the National Economist are young
ladies-and good looking ones, too.
One of them is from North Carolina.
The Economist is a strong, vigorous
and able paper, and it's utterances are
heard in every Western and Southern
State of the United States.
Since the St. Louis Convention, the
Alliance is growing rapidly 1t has
Sub-Alliances in twenty-three States
and organizers are at work in six
other States. Col. Polk is coming up
to all expectations and is pushing the
work with his accustomed vigor in
this broad field. He contemplates
taking a tour through the Northwest
ern States in the course Of the next
month, and addressing gatherings of
farmers. He will please them with
his eloquence and largely increase the
membership and influence of the Order
throughout the West. I had a long
talk with Col. Polk upon economic
questions and Alliance matters, and
obtained the following interview with
him for the Chronicle:
"Was the bill recently passed by
Congress requiring the census of
mortgage indebtedness passed at the
instance of the farmers organiza-
tions ?" [ asked.
"The various farmer organizations
of our country" replied Col. Polk,
demanded its passage, notably
the National Convention held in St.
Louis"
"What are some of the advantages
that you think will be derived from
it's passage 2" 1 continued.
Col. Polk replied: "The most i'm
portant advantage will be to demon
strate, as we believe, the deplorable
financial condition of the farming in.
terests throughout the country. Com
plants are made, but we have learned
that they are not accepted as facts or
arguments by the legislators. We
believe if we a present the true con
dition of the American farmer in the
iron logic of facts and figures, that it
will arouse the public mind to the
realization of the alarming and peril
Gus condition Of this great ard i'm
portant interest.
Suppose we show, as we believe we
will, that the mortgage Indebtedness
of farmers should be eight billions of
dollars. The average interest on this
Indebtedness cannot be less than eight
per cent. This would show the ap-
palling drain on the farmer in the
single item of interest alone Of $40
millions of dollars annually. This is
about twice the value Of the wheat
crop in the United States for the year
1883, and nearly as much as the en-
tire crop of cotton and wheat, and one
hundred and twenty-five millions more
than the total export of domestic agri-
culture for the year 1888.
Has the Alliance" I continued,
"any plan for reducing this enormous
indie otedness and thereby relieve the
people ?"
dyes" Col. Polk said, "and our
plan is to be found in the bills intro
duced in Congress by Mr.. Picker, of
S. Dakota, in the House and by Sena-
tor Vance in the Senate. The promi.
nent features briefly stated are: The
establishment of government ware
houses for the storage of grain and
cotton by the farmers, thus enhancing
the price of farm products, and by
the government loaning money to the
depositors at n per cent. instead of
eight on the products so deposited.
The value of the corn, wheat, oats
and cotton crop of the United States
for the year 1888 was 1850 million of
dollars, and at n per cent. the in
terest on this enormous sum would
only be fifteen and a half millions Of
dollars, thus saving to the farmer on