Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-02-06

practice has got to be stopped. We all
agree that education in these matters is
what the farmer, as a body, hash got, and
the object of our Alliance is to teach him.
We want laws to give us the result OF our
labor. We want, for one thing, railroad
law. We want the railroads in Virginia
brought down to fair practice They want
ed NE to establish my Office in Lynchburg.
[ refused, for l looked into the railroad
matter and found that l could not ship
anything to this Valley from Lynchburg.
The railroads want reforming At Ocala
that remarkable man. '.Long headed John
DAVIS" of Kansas, as he is called, showed
us that railroads could be so conducted as
to carry passengers at cent a mile and he
proved it. That sort of information ought
to be made general
Politics is the life of an Alliance. Both
the Democratic and Republican parties
have been false to their promises They
have promised the farmer a heaven on
earth and have given him he'll on earth.
Many laws they make are against US and
we must make it our business to study
those laws.
THE PRACTICAL WORKING OF THE STATE
AGENCY.
Col Venable then went into detailed
explanation of the working of his office of
Business Agent of the Alliance at Rich
mond. The office he said was started Oh
the idea that there was an excess of mid
| dlemen engaged in supplying the farmers
wants, and the object was to reduce them to
a minimum. There had been SO much
drayage, grabbage, offsets of all kinds that
it had become oppressive to the farmer.
The plan of having State business Agent
WAS adopted by the State Alliance with
only nine dissenting voices. A proposition
for collecting 81 year from each member
had been rejected at that meeting, but it
would have been better if it had been adop-
ted, for it would have given what the Bust
ness Agency has badly felt the want ola
working capital-a lack that has made the
Agency and the farmer pay more than if
large purchases could have been made. He
gave examples in the purchase of sugar,
cloverseed and many other things where
there was a wide margin between the price
where bought in small lots and that paid
for large lots. The advantage of this would
have gone to the individual farmer who
bought from the State Agency if that
Agency had had the working capital to
purchase i'll bulk. He said his Agency at
Richmond was a five story building employ
ed four clerks and its purchases ran from
$50 to $500 day the year round. He had
started fertilizer factory, manufacturing
it from formula made up from four diff
ferent formulas he had procured from
prominent agricultural chemists. The fer
tiliZer was sold below the cost of others.
GIVING AWAY Low PRICES.
He commented severely Oh the practice
followed by some county Alliance agents OF
writing to him for prices and then going
off and making their purchases elsewhere
at those figures, instead Of buying at the
State Agency. Something he could not
help thinking was the result of commissions
allowed them by merchants who. in some
goods so that they could afford to give the
commission. He gave examples of how
his Agency could sell cheaper salt and
other articles than the farmers could pur-
chase elsewhere. He deprecated strongly
the. practice of farmers getting the State
| Agency's low prices and then going off and
talking about it. 1t worked to a great
disadvantage and loss to the Agency. The
Agency had an advantageous contract with
q plow maker and was selling his ploWs low
when some of the Alliance men that bought
them told Of the price they got them at
Thereupon some of the merchant custom
ers of the ploW-maker threatened him with
withdrawal of their patronage and he broke
Off his contract with the Alliance Agency.
He urged upon the Alliance men the
Importance of seeing that it was best for
their own pocket not to communicate the
low prices of articles they got from his
Agency. He also urged that County Ali
ances should have order days, so that on a
certain day their order would be given for
a large quantity and thus secure low prices.
y In conclusion Col. Venable urged upon
the farmers to subscribe to stock in the
Farmers Alliance Hypothecating Ware
house Co.," chartered by the last Iegisla-
ture. 1t was an organization by which
farmers might deposit goods in the ware
houses and receive certificates of deposit
Which would be issued to them. He said
} in other States such companies were in
successful existence with capital stocks
ranging from $4,000 to $1s0,OOO. He did
not ask them to subscribe under the idea
that they would receive dividends, but be-
cause they would reap financial advantages
) from it, beside which any dividend would
) look small.
AT the conclusion of his address Col
Venable told his hearers that he was ready
to answer any questions they had to ask
and would be glad to hear any.
Maj. Geo. Chrisman of Rockingham
after Col. Venable concluded, made a few
vices of Col. Venable, who had only been
gotten to accept the position after tie State
= Central Committee had spent pretty much
the whole OF night in persuading him.
Maj. Chrisman urged his hearers to buy
from the Alliance county agent, and, more
than that, when they did buy not to be
rnnning around playing the detective an6
: giving away the Agency's low prices il
their efforts to find if they had gotten ths
very lowest He gave some amusing re
suits of these efforts from his own expert
ence as county agent.