The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-08-06
CONDITION OF THE ORDER
along the lines Of work prescribed by the con-

along the lines Of work prescribed by the con
-. AS TO ITS GRowTH.-a. In our owr
State at the beginning OF my term or office
Z owing TO the diligence OF my predecessor, thu
work was thoroughly. x, Organized except sew.
visited more than once by our organizer, ane
though the sections visited ure spursely set
{; tied the results are apparent. There has beer
Z some loss OF membership in the State, due tc
peculiarcondltions but the loss has been
5, more than compensated by the gain IN hom'
4 0genelty and compactness or organization.
b. Over the country at large, the increase
OF membership has been unIarallcd in the
history OF popular organization. Before the
& year closes. forty; sintes will bave been organ.
lied. Even staid, conservative New England
Z confidently counted upon by. the opposition
& as we'll as religious, bent before this irresisti
= BILE; ttdalway like grain before the reaper
i The country that formerly burned her own
heretics, actually embraced the Alliance
( to them tidlngs of this heresy.
The grOnnd-swell Is as broad as the contin
4 ent and as long rs tho combined length o
the United States and Canada. Four million
men, more than one-third the total vote casl
for the president In the last election, feel tht
.l touch OF elbow from Guifsto LAX es and from
Cape Cod to the Golden Gate, as with mutfied
q tread they march on the entertainments o.
monopoly
~. fFINANCIALLY.-The State Alliance has /;
s handsome balance to It's credit over and above
. NIL liabilities. Comparison with previous re
8 ports Will show gradual Increase Of this bal
ance from year TO year; and IL would there
fore be wise toinvest the, balance in some
permanent way for the benefit OF the order
1tWould not only be wise to put these Idle
FUNDS 70 some eoeneiclent use; IL Is positively
unwise.and contrary. to souhd .busin esspollcy
s The financial condition ofsthe State Ali
nnce is a falrlndex TO thatof the County Al.
liances In turn to that Of the subs.
- In q broaded sense the -financlni condition
OF the order. measured by individual cond
tIonsin the aggregate ~ steadily improving
theAlliance, the individual IN em bership has
steadily improved in financial standing
Through the agency OF our State Exchange
and system OF business agents. or. einnncip pa,
tlon Of the poor POO sl, farmer M from the unjust op
and everywhere spirit OF freedom and in.
dependence, a sense OF self-respect and dig.
nifty are observable. Here is and must ri,
is also one Of our chief sources of strength
When the order neslects its poor itnegiects
the prime reason for Its existence, and lis
shorn Of its chief strength.
1t Is as we'll to bear In mind, perhaps. thai
while the Alliance has wrested Importan
concessions from the commercial world, tLuse
concessions have not operated to the eXclu
siye beneh OF the Alllancemen, nor yet OF
-
farmer has enjoyed almost equally with his
Alliance brother the triumph over the lutte
and other trusts. Every class OF purchasers
has enjoyed the fruit or the Alliance victo.
ries, for the evident reason that trade conces.
siors cannot long be confined to artificial
lines either RS to persons or commodities.
These concessions have made ACCOM- mota.
ton easaer 70 n CLASSES n OF people
accrning Il, others. equally with ITSELF II
does not rob us. an d II Is In accord with tue
{. true spirit OF Alliance helpfulness.
Neither can the scope OF the results attain
ed be measured by the actual volume OF bus
1ness flowing through our trade channels,
though that is large. As mere menace.
these business methods of the Farmers ALL.
ance have made themselves felt even In re-
recognized the stupendous possibilities OF
such q system; these possibilities nre daily
entering into their calculations nnd bids for
Alliance patronage are the result. Though
some Of our ntures In this field have come
to grief. the class Of ventures that hnye suf.
fered disaster, must serve as valuable point.
er In future.
Asnrule it is best for MS to leave to those
who are sk illed In mercantile methods the
management of their own capital. Let them
furnish the capital md the experience while
we furnish the patronage.
Let us beware OF surrcndering or neglectIug
those ngencies which have wrought such far
reaching results.
Among the most efeetnal Of the agencies
contributing W tHlS result 10 LHe SCate Elk
change. Its favorable Influence upon trade
has been farrenching and incaIcuIablc. Its
arrangement for covering our cotton last year
should alone commend IL to oourSympathy aud
support. Yet, It's patronage by tue order is
not what 1t should be; and 1t is not In touch
with the order to the extent that It's manage
ment desires, and rs Is necessary tn o rea liza
tion Of Its full possibilities. In my Judgment
this Is due to the fact that It's trade Is restrict
Ell 10 stockhodiny Alliances.
1t would be scarcely Just 10 those who have
put up their money 10 admit others To equal
privileges in the enjoyment Of That money.
On the other hand, 1t Is scarcely right that
the order generally should con ntrlbute to build
up an Institution over whose management II
the prestige aud support OF the whole, 1t has
no share.
recommend, threfOre, thnt n committee be
appointed TO confer with thut body IN IN ef.
tort TO soiidify tho entire business Of the or
der and send 1t through tho Exchange Oh an
equitable basis. To eqnallze the advan tages
as between stock holding and non-stockhold.
be guaranteed on stock actually paid in, and
let all earnings over this amount be turned
into the State Alliance treasury TO bc used by
II as Il propaganda fund.
z or course n slight advance on cost to cover
this ideu would be necesSaey, hutIf the BROTH
erhoOd knew this money was coming back TO
them in this way, 1t would he light bur-
den.
Then let the whole business be submitted 10
a board OF contrul, elected by the State Alli-
ance or by q joint hoard.
This would consolidate our people on bus |
mess plan that would tide them over serious
cOnvulSinn on other lines.
g. MoRALLY.-The muSses OF the order un-
der the stimulus and the teaching OF the AL
t.I