The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-07-28
PRESIDENT POLK SPEAKS.
He PLEADS FOR MORE MONEY FOR
THE COUNTRY.

~
Unless Forced TO DO So by tho Intoler-
ance of tho Democratic Leaders-The
Speaker is Received with Enthusiasm.
SPARTANBURo, S. g., July 90. This
afternoon, however, q public meeting
was held and an address was'made by
President Polk, oflhe National Alliance,
to which everybody was invited. The
audience was composed largely of farm
ers. President Polk spoke for two hours,
and was given good attention and fre-
quently applauded. He presented for
chilly, and IN good tone and spirit, the
demands OF the farmers and their griev-
ances. The entrance, during his speech,
OF Governor TilIman, who bad Just ar
rived from Fort Hill, was greeted with
applause.
President Polk was introduced by
President Stokes as man who needed
no introduction to the Alllancemeu of
South Carolina, as he was already we'll
krOwn.
President Polk said he cherished no
recollection more fondly than the kind
less received at the hands of the people
of South Carolina. 1t were needless to
refer to the ties which bind the two
Carolinas together--thcy were witten in
the best blood of both. If he were to
evade or suppress the truth in regard to
the great issues of the day he would be
unworth of confidence or respect. The
farmers have been fed on taf'y long
enough; let us have truth. The growth
OF the Alliance was the marvel of this
l,ol 1o1 II
had ilourlshed in thrty-siX States, and
had 100000 members. The great and
underlying cause, as argued by the
speaker, which had given this wonderful
growth to the Alliance, was the financial
policy of the government and the distress
and suffering among the laboring peo-
pie, caused theraby. All the Alliance
asked was an open field and fair fight.
Take the railroads and manufacturers.
the growth of towns and cities, the
amassingof colossal torlunes--all these
were never known to flourish more than
at present. But when in all your life
known the agricultural interests to Ian
gu.sh as at present? From 1850 to 1860
the farmers owned 70 per cent. OF the
wealth of the country; today less than
% per cent, four-.ifths of which was un.
dcf mortgage. From 1870 to 1880 the
agricultural population increased 90 per
cent, while the value ofproperty owned
by them had decreased. In 1880 the
total taxable property of the country
was s43,500, 100000, $4,000, 900, 900
OF which escaped taxation, and the farm
ers paid on $l4;OOO,O0O, of the re-
mainder. If L had my way, said the
speaker, L would pass law in each
State requiring every assessor to carry
with him seal and attach it to every
note or mortgage on evidence Of indebt-
edness, and any paper without this seal
| would declare non-collectablc by law.
Farmers can't put their land in vaults,
and assessors always find it. The time
was when accepted as true what the
big men of the country said if they be-
longed to my party: but now, the
bigger the man the more question the
statements made by him. We have been
IN the habit of swallowing whatever the
politicians gave rs ~ach swear 1t was
good, and hollef ourselves ndarse. But
that time is ever. When thare was $50
per capita in circulation tin1ns were
ll@!SShh nnR everybody got on VOL. The
farmer VINO sold his cotton i'll Spartan
burg had to pay a profit to eleven men
before he bought it back in cloth.
Speaking OF the purchasing power of
money, he said you don't wont TO know
how much a dollar will buy, but how
much dcbt-paying power that dollar pos
scsses, In 1870 ten bales of cotton
would pay one thousand dollor debt;
now it took thirty bales TO pay the same
debt: and it cost as much to raise cotton
today as then.
Wall street, backed by Lombard
street, London, has taken hold of the |
government. The government of this |
has gone into silent partnership |
with Wall street. You hear great deal |
about fiat money. would like to know |
where you could get any more fiat money |
than national bank bills, based upon
bonds which arc based only on the power |
redeem them, with no gold or silver back |
Of them. The national banking system |
lends to one class money at one per cent.
and license the ba, ks to charge eight |
and ten per cent. for it, / believe that
II this government would stick its name |
to piece of leather, or paper, or gold,
Or anything else, and call it dollar, it |
will pass for one hundred cents anywhere |
III IHlS country.
lie read from the Ocala platform on
Lhe silver plank, and remarked: II am |
not waiting for Grover Cleveland to tell |
me how to vote and intend to stand |
with the majority of the white people Of
The South and vote against Grover
Cleveland" This statement was greet
ed with applause. In support Of the
subtreasury plank, he quoted from
Jefferson and Calhoun, and said if the
Jeilersonian straightcuts wanted to learn
)ure Democracy they had better come
nto The Alliance and take their lessons
over. The Ocala platform was good
Jeilersonian Democracy and L'ncolnian
tepublcanism, which made mighty
,Ood combination. l believe that plat
Orm will conduce 10 the greatest good,
md intend to stand on 1t.
The tariff is not the great issue. Ifit
we're reduced 25 per cent. you wouln be
10 better of in five years. We are not
o be sidetracked by the cry of niger,
bloody shirt or anything else. We went
o congress and asked for r, lief; we
wanted more money to do the business
II the country. Practically we were
old 20 go home, work harder. live clos.
r, keep out of politics. and all would be
veil. Farmers have gone into politics,
nd gone there to stay. The Alliance
8 non.partisan, but it is In politics; and
Who has more right to 90 into politics
han the farmers? Some people don't