Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-02-06
AN ALLIANCE TALK
By the State Business Agent Of The Farmers
Alliance to The Farmers.

AlllalCG II Lie fdllHGiS.
WHY FARMERS ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH
POLITICAL METHODS-TIIE GENERAL
FIELD OF POLITICs-TIIE sUB-TREAsU-
RY sCHEME-THE RAILROAD LANE
GRANTS.
&C, &C., &C.
On Saturday last, the Farmers Alliance
Hall over Wayt & Bro. S store on Main
street was filed with farmers from the
county to hear an address by Col. Andrew
Reid Venable the State Business Agent OF
the order at Richmond.
Col. II. J. Williams presided, and intro
duced the speaker to the audience. In his
introduction Col. w. said it would be gen
orally found to be true Of all who oppose
the Farmers Alliance, that the light in
to harness them up and work them. and
after the crop was made to give them the
straw. The farmers had come to the con-
clusion that they had just as much business
in politics as they had in religion, and they
were going into politics. They were not
going to form another political party, but
they intended to have their way in the two
existing parties, and Col. Venable OF Rich
mond, would tell them something about
how it was to be.
Col. Venable is fine looking member
Of the historic family of that name and
an effective speaker. He was a brave Off
Ger during the war, and was Inspector Cen
r I Sc. -,
HERE TO TALK BUSINESS.
He said he would have to take exceptions
to that part Of Col. Williams introduction
which located him as Of Richmond. He
was located in Richmond as the Business
Agent of the State Alliance Of Virginia
Edward farmer and in that county his
home was. Another exception he
would have to take, was that he would give a
talk to the Alliance on politics. He had
not come prepared for that sort of talk,
which he had understood was to have been
made by State Lecturer Snavely, who Was
absent. He was here merely as the State
Business Agent of the Alliance men, and
not to talk politics. 1t seemed that an
idea had gotten abroad that there was some
great mystery concealed under ritual
about the transactions Of his Office. There
was nothing of the sort. his business was
simply what would be found ia any properly
conducted commission merchants office.
One trouble had been with the farmers
that their supplies had to go through many
hands before they got to them, with a
charge added by each new hand. This he
had tried to remedy, and to remedy this
was his chief business.
WHY THE FARMER IS PUSHED TO TIE
WALL.
Abiding to Col. Williams description
of how the farming community was looked
upon, Col. Venable said that the only
charge the politicians can bring against US
farmers is that we are ignorant Of political
affairs. That was a true charge and the
only true one. But how did it come about?
The farmer had been blowing the ground
for his bread neither looking up nor around
him, without studying the methods that were
being used to Cypress him. He was great
Iespector of the law, and had been just
quietly assuming that because thing was
the law it was all right. 1t was because
they had not been looking into these mat
tiers, that they were ignOrant-not because
they were mentally inferior to the men who
were making these oppressive laws. The
man who can successfully cultivate the
ground and has mastered the causes that
contribute to his success, has had to exer-
else more knowledge and wisdom than is
required for either doctor OF a lawyer.
He has no case prepared for him to go into
court with as the lawyer has, but has to
study nature, its changes, its chemistry, and
after all is done has to study the markets OF
the world to find the best one fol- his crop
A man tired with manual labor has had nc
time to watch politics, no time to NEEDLE
with it's machinery. But the crisis has
come now when the farmer mast take the
time and must NEEDLE. Why should WI
not NEEDLE in politics? Why have We wht
cultivate the ground not the right also tC
cultivate the laws that govern the country IL
which our ground lies? Thirty OF forty
years ago the great men Of the country who
directed it's affairs lived on their farms.
They lived in time when Trusts and mo
nopolies did not push them as hard as they
are doing US now. They had leisure tt
study and they gave the country the bene
fit of what they learned. They made thu
government. 1t is changed in our time
for with us we are SO beSet by the govern
ment which is controlled by people not il
sympathy with US, that we have had LITTLE
time to study government OF public affairs
Of any kind.
THE FINANCIAL QUESTION.
Governments cannot last with the wealth
confined to small classes. The wealth O.
Rome was controlled by one per cent. Of
its population. That Of Egypt was CONTROL
ed by two per cent. of its population
Both have persisted. In the United State
twenty-five thousand men own three
fourths of the wealth of the country! AZ
we to follow Rome and Egypt? 1t is fac
that seventy bank presidents can sit dow
in New York and say whether you ca
Borrow money from your banks in Staull
ton. When panics come it is not for lacl
OF money. NOE Is III from OVeIpEOuuctloI
Panics are simply the exercise Of the powe
of some men controlling money, to oppres
all the rest Of the country. This power
which is one of the evils of the Nationa
Bank system must be put an end to. Ii
this last panic tile Secretary Of the U. S
Treasury dumped into the New Y ork bank
$125,000.000 of the peoples money to say
the banks. But he had no money to dunn
down to save the farmers Who went to tn
wall In the last panic, Jay Gould ha
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