The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-11-17

and ask them to aid me In Salutlng her
as queen of the heroes of the world.
Brethren, Grant and Lee, Mcpherson
| and Johnston, Sherman, Custer and
| Stuart have crossed over the river,
with the thousands of their devoted
followers. and you and | will soon fol
! low. Brethren of the blue,
permit me again to say to you with
| heart OverfOwing with gratitude to you
and thanks to God, that have been
permitted to enjoy what has rarely
fallen to the lot of any man. [ believe
may truthfully say that this is the
first meeting of this kind that has Oc-
Cured in this broad country. [ shall
take your silent but your eloquent and
manly appeal to the brave men of the
! South, and there IS no message that
! could Oe edelivered, even with the tongue
of angels, that would be so acceptable.
! Thank God that at last rift appears
in the cloud, and through it beams the
! bright promise of a hopeful future and
in this great struggle of ours, if we can
enlist the sympathies of those men who
wore the blue and those who wore gray,
and shall secure their hearty and patri
Otic cooperation, we know that glOri-
GUS triumph of a glorious victory
| awaits us.
I thank you with all my heart, my
dear brethren who wore the blue, for
| thank God | can call you brethrennOw.
| [ thank you, and | will never forget so
| long as memory shall perform it's func-
| tiOns, never forget this kindly greeting
| of yours, and if perchanCe you should
visit any of the Southern States, |
guarantee to you, without reserve, that
| you will find the door, the hand, the
arm and the hearts Of the remaining
boys in gray open wide to receive you
and yours"
On Tuesday morning, Col. Polk was
received by the State Farmers Alliance
and he made most impressive address.
Tuesday evening, over five thousand
people assembled at Hazards pavilion.
! to attend the reception rendered to
| President Polk and the State Alliance.
Addresses Of welcome were delivered
! by representative of the County Farm
| ers' Alliance the Knights of Labor the
! Citizens Alliance, and the federated
! trades. to which President Polk re-
spOnded IN most fitting terms He was
! cheered to the echo at the close Of
! almost every sentence
! Wednesday, he addressed a joint
! convention of the State Farme s. Ali
ance and the State Citizens Alliance,
and carried the enthusiasm to q white
! heat.
| But the great meeting was on Wed
nesdaY evening, the 21St, at Hazard :
! pavilion, where over seven thousand
people assembled to hear Col. Polk on
! the Demands of the Order" He held
! the vast crowd two mortal hours.
| almost breathless, except when they
were cheering some Of his sledge-ham
mer sentences. If Gel L / Polk is a
! fair specimen of North Carolina timber,
we would like to have the whole State
move out to California. His speech
was a powerful presentation of the
! claims of the Farmers Alliance, and
made thousands of friends for the
cause 1t is safe to say that as a spe Il
men of impassiOnrd OratOry, it has
never been surpassed on this coast.
He discussed the basic principles
upon which our governments is founded
the reciprocal ties between it and
! the citizens. Showed how it's functions
! and prerOgatives and benefits had been
diverted from their original design
! and how, as a consequence, the indus
tries of the country had been oppressed.
! That the most important functions Of
! the government affecting the indus
tries of the people and their political
rights, had been usurped by mOnOpO-
polite power, and trar sfOrmed into
! curses, instead of blessings to the peO-
! pie, He charged that the great, over
whelming and paramount issue before
the American people is financial re
| form and traced the iniQultOuS con-
spracy from its beginning, through
which Congress and the money power
had fastened a huge robber system
upon the country. The national bank
ing system, he characterized as legal
| lied robbery and declared that the
| agitation which had gwen life to the
reform movement would never cease
until this great national iniQuity has
! been removed. He gave figures and
! facts to substantiate his declarations
and showed that inevitable national
ruin would result from the present sys-
! tenn. He read and discussed each and
all of the Ocala demands and through
out the whole speech he held that vast
| crowd with perfect ease Hundreds
of ladies present seemed intensely in
terested throughout, and from begin
ming to end the frequent and prolonged
applause told that his sentiments were
in thorough accord with those Of his
hearers. He closed with an eloquent
and touching appeal for unity and fra
ternity, and was greeted by the vast
crowd rising to it's feet and giving him
three rOusing cheers.
Col Polk bears with him on his
homeward journey the thanks and
blessings of the California Alliance for
his spe did work for the good cause.
On Thursday, the 22d, the Peoples
Party of the State of California was
organized with over LOCO delegates IN
attendance from the Kansas and Citi-
zens' Alliance, and all Of the industrial
orders of the State. 1t was harmonious,
o,,+L,,c;,C+i. oDd boprx1 in itc n 6aI bnTa-