The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-07-29
DOWN WITH DEMOCRACY!
IT IS NO BETTER THAN REPUBLICANISM
ANYHOW.

4, | AM
EIic TiSrniry0u. Edra Hi,ici: t'OI j.. J.
pG.k. President OF thc Farmers
National Alliance. - Trying a
iustil into thH Farmers Of tn
/ Souti-au Extraordinary Specs
u: SpartanhurE to he Listened Il
with Applause by South Caro-
: I;nianS.
SrAETANHrEG. July 22:-Thc State All
ance heard to-day. nnon adjournment. ia ~
National Alliance. The address was ruhlt
and the Opera House was well filled. lie wa
introduced in ilattrriu% and courtcnnS Ian
.uagr Ivy President Stokes, OF the Stale All
ancc. During the delivery of the ad'lres
Governor Tiilman entered Tie hail. lie wa
received "iih enthusiastic applan-". :!nt
cheers when he entered, which were repeated
when he WAS escorted To the stage.
| Col Polk began by acknowledging th
warmth of his welcome into Il state cloSel!
| allied with his own in history, tradition an'
blood. He felt that he would be- false to him
and To his people did he fail tn Spcal
plainly and openly on he questions nov
aelialing the country and affecting the flrln
iun interest. Among the most marvellous
| Iuchrivncnrs of the age he would give TIT
nref.rrncr to tho orglzation and progress o
thc Farmers Alliance, covering rs H. docs TIT
| whole domain Of the Republic. with an enrol
mcnt of ;OO0,Wb0 members He icl proud o
| rs educational forces, which had been 81 ap
| oiled ms 10 make thinking men AMI eloquent
| sneakers OF many Il farmer who could sue
| rrssIuIlv meet in debate tn" trained orators o
other classes. TArrlauSc lie contended ina
| the merchants and all OF the labornE classes
| we're in the same hOat aS the farmer, and II
was idle to SLY that benefits given 10 lht
| farmers. the producing classes, were not fnl
| tho universal benefit. The mercantile classes
rontnincd some rascals, but so did the All
ance. and IT, would he equally unfair 10 con
| IIcmn either class for that reason, bnt he
would give notice that, II mere wcre thnse
| earnings of the farmer, he wmS Ailer them,
and by the help of God he would get them;
All that the Alliance asks Is Tor an equal
| chance for all classes in the race for lircli.
hood
Col. Polk here reviewed the progress Of the
| m ilrnads the growth Of towns, the niiasSing
of individual colossal fortunes: Al tniS was
right enough and the country should he
proud of IL, bat why WAS 1t that agricultur,
actually l:lmsushcd while prosperity marked
| The conduct of every other huSneSS ana IN.
dusiryo Granting that this was from all the
official reports, he desires to know II farmers
Shonld not Stund up and swear hy oil on earth
| and heaven that they shoula not canSn nntIl
| They had all their rights. Was II not time
| thai ihe average farmers, after twenty years
of nor,l labor. should bc richer than he was
he fore: He deficd any man 10 contradict
ih fact that, while from 1880 TO lSID the larm,
| inc pcop!e owned 20 per cent OF the wealth OF
the rountry, to day they owned less than %
nrr cent of IT, and fnur.fitihs Of that Is covered
by mortgages. The most a larming condition
is IT. at Of all the millions and millions levied
unon the people so per cent OF It comeS-0ut OF
Ihc DocketS OF the farmers. In lSSO there
we're forty lhrce and half bil lions Of proper
~ i'm this country, yet more than Two thirds
nr n is not assessed, for taxation seventeen
and Il half billion Is assessed, and of that
fourtecn billion belongs to the farmers, that
is in other words, that the farmers pay four
tifthS of the taxes. Was II not time that the
4, tl,i n,N1 u u
quickly? who will dare to stand up and say
ihis is lust | stand here as the representa-
tive Of the proudeSt organization or this
country, save alone the Church of Jesus
Christ. and declare to you that If had my
wnv, and trust the Alliance will have its
way' there should he no rest until every dol
lar OF values paid its just snare OF taxation
like the values OF The Farmers. Applause. J
mortgages .collcctnblc II not stamped a.
'.asse, srd" by the proper officer Of the law.
He then discussed the causes of depression.
He had heard good deal Of p0pycock and
saws the farmer is too lazy, and anot her says
that he works too hard and produces too
much. What were the farmers to do with
That Kind of advice? The farmers know this
condition OF things. IT. Is neither their fault
nor Gods They were tired heari ng orators
preaching about the great principles o
American liberty and dodsing present living
issues When elected To Office their friends
say to them when their complaints are made,
30 plough on" They had stood that for
twenty-five years and now intended 10 think
and act for themselves. They did not pro-
pose to have their eyes opened only at the
cNpcnSc Of having their brains dashed out.
The farmers had been told that although
cotton was at seven cents pound they could
buy prorortionately more with Sln2le dol
lar, but the mighty question with the far.
mcr is, where is the dollar? The farmer
certainly could not provide himself with the
luxury Of life. even granting that he could
RI
wears ago. The profits on his cotton did not
belong 10 him. 1t was divided between the
railroads and manufacturers, and the only
losers were the men who made IL ana the
pale-faccd hard.worked factory girls whn
were promised say three dollars week ana
were paid in checks on factory stores. Al
though n dollar is said to buy more now,
will it pay any more than dollar did on II
mortgage heretofore? VIII it pay more for
education, of lawyers fees, and does 1t not
cost just as IL much to raise bale OF cotton
now as IL did Wncn cotton was double the
price l. Is EOw?
Col. Polk then went into the discussion OF
the nat onal tanks and charged the law
makers with q comrtnerShip with wall
street and Lumbard street TO misuse not the
money OF .he Govern mcnt, but the money of
the people. That was II Sub.trcasury with
vengeance. The banks get the money Mt !
per cent and deposit A. b. per cent bonds which
are no security. DuL only an evidence OF in
dcbledncSs. He had heard a great deal about
fiat money and JcllurSonian Democracy, but
he would i:ke any one 10 dispute tic EcI
that bank notes were fiat money. Gold anu
silver were not their basis, but the DaSSiS was
simply the power OF the HoVcrhmeht to taN
the prople 10 redeem Them. Inc GoNcTn-
menJ would lend The banks money NJ ! per
cent. but every other class must pay or 5
per cent Tor IL.
1This of cul1rsc is all the yeriest rot. Does
c,, no,,. Lo,i,,o ,b,, ,bo b,r,,s ri.l, mn ~
.o'' YIN '''.e>' .""' Wv ~, fN "f
per cent bonds in the street" They have to
huv ,bnIr honds with cold or silver mt lis