The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1890-08-28
THE STATE ALLIANCE.
LARGE AND ENTHUSIASTIC CON-
VENTION AT ASHEVlLLE.
President Carr's Wise and Manly Ad-
dress.

The State Farmers Alliance met at
Asheville, Aug. 5th, and continued in
session several days. Every county in
the State was represented by delegates.
A number of changes were made in
the constitution so as to conform to
the National Alliance laws. The ad-
dress OF President Carr was censerva-
tive and wise. We publish the full
text below.
PRESIDENT CARR'S ADDRESS.
To the offers and Delegates Of the
North Carolina State Farmers H.
Hanee:
Our fourth annual meeting is at hand
and the signs of the times indicate a
still greater interest in the objects and
aims of our order and unity of feeling
among the agricultural and laboring
classes, never before witnessed in this
country. 1t is source of congratula-
ton and presages naught but good. At
bantling ageat our first, Rockingham,
meeting, we numbered eight county
and one hundred and thirty-two SUBJ
ordinate Alliances. At our second
meeting, in Raleigh, we had fitty-two
county and one thousand and eighteen
subordinate Alliances. At our third
Fayettevi!.e-eighty- nine county and
one thousand eight hundred and six
teen subordinate Alliances, with an
actual membership of sixtyfive thous-
and. To-day we have total of nine
ty-five county and two thousand, one
hundred and fortyseven sub-ordi-
! nate Alliances containing an approx
, mate membership of ninety thousand,
with every county in the State organ
! lied save Dare. Notwithstanding this,
! applications for new charters are con-
stantly being received and the work
goes bravely on, with an increasing de-
mand for lecturers and organizers. The
| reports of the executive committee,
secretary and treasurer, State lecturer
, and business agent will better set forth
the condition of the order. TO them
l respectfully refer you, asking care
full consideration at your hands.
Perhaps the most important meeting
ever held in this country has been the
assembling of the Farmer and Labor
organizations in St. Louis in Decem-
Der last, the necessity for which was
foreshadowed by that eminent states
man and jurist, the late Judge David
Davis, when he said as long ago as
1866: "The rapid growth of the cor
porate power and the malign influence
which it exerts by combination on the
national and State legislatures is we'll
grounded cause Of alarm. A struggle
is pending in the near future between
the overgrown power, with its vast
ramifcations all over the Union and
hard grip on mitch of the political
machinery on the one hand, and the
people in an unorganized condition on
the other for the control of the govern
ment. 1t will be watched by every
patriot with intense anxiety" Never
more prophetic words fell from the lip:
of man! The people, though slow to
admit it, had at last been convinced
and three millions of people sent theil
j representatives there to form an Ali
ance against this monstrous iniquity
The unanimity with which the demand:
set forth by that body were adopted
and the universal endorsement by al
the States and Territories after mature
deliberation and discussion, should
and believe will, convince our legis
lators of our honesty of purpose and
determination to accomplish our ends
This meeting, National in character a!
in name, was magnificent success i,
obliterating the old lines of sectional
ism-a matter devoutly to be wisheo
and of first importance in securing the
necessary national legislation.
While some of the demands set fortf
have been granted,th most important
the relief of the financial distress of ths
farmers has been ignored. The labor
of the past are as nothing if we expec
to accomplish this end. This govern
ment for the last thirty years has beer
run in the interest Of the victoriou:
war party. The war feeling has pre-
dominated in every national election
The men who did the fighting have NJ
voice in the government. Who ART
the men in power to-day? Those tina
were enriched by the war and its.con
sequent legislation. The ill-gotter
millions of these legislators has beer
the power behind the throne. Th
evidence OF this is found in the histor
of the laws, the history of the bonds
the history of the national banks ant
the history of the denomination O
silver. But a stronger evidence yet
the present condition of the workin,
classes, who, as rule, the world over
are patient and peaceable.
What means these labor organiza
tons? This-that the people see b
combination alone can they live
Under purer system Of government
/. forty years ago these Organization
were unknown and there was no neces
sity for them, but to-day how different
Every branch of trade has been com
pelled to organize to save itself fron
absolute annihilation, and is it to b
|, wondered at when we come to lear
that the iniquitous tariff laws, the pass
age of which was purchased by fe'
: thousand rich manufacturers, hav
robbed the people and put into th
pockets of these same manufacturer
no less than nine billions Of dollar!
.. Hence it is that at our city of Wash