The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-04-29
= OUR PRESIDENT SPEAKS.
Speech of Col. L. L. Polk Before the
Senate Committee Last Tuesday.


4 Brief History Of our Order-THe Merits
Of the Sub Treasury BM-Rsa-
8ors Why 1t Should Be-
come u LGw.
Mr.. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN Of
THE COMMITTEE: A convention Of rep
re~sentative farmers was held in the
city of st. Louis, December 3, 1889.
That body, known as the National
Farmers Alliance and Industrial
Union, represented twenty-three
States and a constituency approximate,
ing, at that time, fifteen hundred
thousand voters. Since the conven-
ton Of our fathers, which gave us our
national Constitution, no body Of men
has assembled in this country who
were more profoundly impressed with
the gravity of the situation, or were
actuated with higher motive or. more
patriotic purpose. After a calm, dis
passionate, and earnest investigation
Of the conditions and causes which
have led to the widespread and alarm.
ing depression that has paralyzed the
great agricultural interests of the
country, they outlined what they con
ceived to be a measure of relief. They
appointed a committee on national
legislation, which, under their instruc-
tions, has formulated and presented to
both houses of Congress, a bill en-
bodying, as it believes, a safe, proper
and just solution of the financial
trouble which threatens the agricul-
tural interests of the country with
bankruptcy and ruin. Irefer to Sen
ate bill No. 28O6, introduced into
your body by Senator Vance, of
North Carolina.
AS faithful representatives, you
must be satisfied as to whether the
conditions and necessities of the oun
try are such as to justify or require
legislation in this direction. And
whatever may be your conclusions as
to the particular method here pre-
sented, Of one thing l feel assured,
the spectacle-unparalleled in all our
history-of fifteen hundred thousand
farmers-quiet, u~nobtrusive, law,lov-
ing, law abiding, conservative farm
Outstanding at the doors of Con
gress demanding relief, must at least
command your respectful, patriotic,
earnest and profound consideration.
With kindly climatic conditions,
with varieties of soil admirably ad-
apted to the successful cultivation of
all the staple products demanded by
commerce, with transportation facili-
ties equal to the productive power of
the country, with the world as his
customer, with all the natural facili-
ties and condstions for making his
home the happiest, the most prosper
Gus, the prOudest heritage which the
God of nature ever vouchsafed to
man, urgent and extraordinary indeed
must be the ~exigencies which thus i'm
pei the farmer to break his long and
wonted silence.
Never in our history have we wit.
messed such marvellous progress and
development as has marked the two
past decades. The f~ourishing growth
Of the cities, towns and villages, the
rapid expansion of our railway sys-
tenn, the unparalleled prosperity Of
manufacturing enterprise in all its
departments, the easy and ready &C.
emulation of prodigious fortunes, all
conspire to impress the superficial OBJ.
r with the happy belief that all
departments Of effort and all interests
share in common this apparently I'm
paraleled condition of prosperity.
We are, therefore, not wholly unpre.
pared for the argument presented by
some, even in high official position,
that our straitened financial condition
as farmers is largely, if not entirely,
due to the munifcent and bounteous
provisions of a merciful Providence.
Nor, indeed, in the wild rush of this
almost bewildering progress are we
surprised to hear, I n response to our
earnest protestations of suffering and
distress, a proposition to send a COM
mission at heavy expense throughout
the country to visit money centres
and marts of trade, to investigate and
whether or not, after all, this
universal cry for relief by the wealth
producers all over the land, does not
proceed from their total mi ption
of the situation.
In justification, therefore, of this
most unusual proceeding on the part
of the farmers in applying to the law
making power for relief, we must
appeal to facts and truth-facts as
substantiated by statistics, and to the
truth of history-and I shall en-
.eavor to present nothing which is
not derived from and supported by
records. Testimony carrying
with it the argument, rather than ar.
gument itself, is what is desired.
DECLINE IN AGRICULTURAL VALUES.
In 1850 the farmers of the United
States owned 70 ner cent of tho to+o1