The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-10-14

of Coll. Livingston's speech clipped
from the State Chronicle 1t is q fail
report of the main points of the
speech, but his anecdotes and illustra
tions were good and added much tc
the effect of his speech:
COL. L~vINGsToN's SPEECH.
Col. Livingston expressed his pleas
ure at being with the people before
whom he stood. He said: 81 have
long had a great admiration and re
spect for you. l have learned, long
since, from history of your noble and
faithful patriotism. [ know Of your
action in making the first declaration
of independence as a free country.
In a later struggle, %l861-'65, you
gave the first blood and the first life
in a cause that was dear to US. You
fred the last gun in that struggle at
Appomattox. | have also learned to
admire yournoble and dignifed conser
vatism, and I come before you with
an admiration and respect that [ can
not we'll express.
[ am not here to foster or to increase
strife. [ know that a rumor has gone
abroad that Livingston is coming here
to talk personal politics and engender
strife. [ want to disabuse your minds
of any such notion. I am here to ex
press wishes that harmony and peace
may prevail among all classes. Our
people cannot afford to be split up,
and indulge in chickering's and strife.
We cannot afford it, for such a condi
ton would. engender consequences
which we could not endure.
l am sorry, that it has gone abroad
in all this land that these Alliance
people are for fight. The notion that
the Alliance is about three parts hell
fire and the balance something else,
and that it means fight and nothing
else, is all wrong. We have had
some fights, but they occurred when
we had been backed into the corne
of the fence and had to fight. Don't
charge that to us. We couldn't do
anything else.
But we want to come before you on
our merits. If we are doing more
good than harm, we ought to have all
possible encouragement, and every
man in this country should be identi
fed with US; and this is what | shall
try to show you.
The farmers and laborers of the
country have been complaining for
sometime-in fact ever since the war;
and from the continual complaining,
it seems that other classes begin to
think that there was nothing
in these complaints, so they
did not .eem to have any effect.
There was no legislation in
favor of the complainers; and then
these people determined to organize
themselves and make their complaints
so loud thai they should be heard,
and that is what the organization
is for.
Now, these farmers and laborers
produce every single thing and item
which you use. You don't get a
single thing-no5 an lem o. comfort,
not a single necessity of life, that is
nos brought to your doors and laid
on your table by the farmers and
labOrers.
Mr. Livingston showed how the
farmers of the South recently averted
a money panic by rushing their cotton
into market some weeks before the
debts made by the farmers during the
year were due; how this cotton was
sent out from the ports of the country;
how 1t brought money back, and how
the financial trouble of the country
was relieved.
The condition of the farmer before
this organization was n of absolute
dependency. The merchant took a
mortgage on the farmers lands and
chattels, and then sold the farmer
goods charging him any price he
pleased. In fact, the great question
with the merchant was, How much
can l charge this man for goods and
risk getting it."
Why, down in the co'n:n belt, up
to two years ago, there a., a very sad
state of affairs. A far ...r Wild go
to the merchant for ,,pplies The
merchants met him an.t would say,
1 want to furn'sh yea this
year. 1 want to keep ou going, but
l want to know how h''ie you can get
along with till the crops re gathered"
And then the merchant and farmer
would sit down and begsn I'D figure.
And the figuring would ne done on
salt bacon, brogan shoes, meal and
other bare necessities-not a single
comfort, not a single luxury-but the
commonest and most meagre n~ecessi-
ties of support. tell you, l want to
see the time come when 4 merchant
will meet the farmer and say, 81
want to sell you some goods" and l
want the next question to be not how
little can l sell you," but chow much
| sell YOU"