The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-05-19
MAJOR TERRILL'S TALK.
ExPouNDINa ALLIANCE PURPOSES,
TEACHINGS ANo REQUIREMENTS.


The Third Party--PIace of tho Order
Between the Parties--The Currency
Question and tho slb-Treasury Bill.
GREENvILLE, s. c.. May 13-Leotur-
er Terrill, of the National Farmers AL
lance and Industrial Union, spoke to
about 300 people at the city park yes
terday. A few of this number were
ladies. The male part of the audience
was made up of city people and country
people, the farmers, of course, being in
a large majority.
The foot of the stand was decorated
with stalks of wheat, oats and rye and
ears of corn and flowers. The lecturer
arrived at the grounds shortly after IL
o'clock. On the stand were the Hon.
M. Ia. Donaldson, manager of the State
alliance exchange, III. B. Buist, presi-
dent of the Greenville county alliance,
the Rev. j. a. Sigh, of Newberry, j.
VIM. Stokes, editor. of the Cotton Plant
and others OF prominence in alliance
circles. The Hon. George Washington
Shell, of Laurens, sat with the audience,
Ihe farmers present were of the lnteli-
to the conservative remarks or Major
Terrill.
The exercises were opened with pray
er' by the Rev. John o. Wilson. Chair
man Buist then introduced Major Ter
rill. Tne lecturer spoke for over two
hours and at the conclusion some one
In the audience wanted him to continue
another hour. The substance Of Major
Terril's address is as follows:
My friends: Again l am here to speak
In behalf of the Farmers Alliance and
Industrial Union. Many things have
occurred since l last saw you. Our
great organization has increased so
that the way it goes so will the election
go In 1892. The organization is a DOW
erful one. We meet here to discuss
those things that are important to us,
To see where we are Disseminated
against. We are organized for the pnr-
pose OF each others advancement, So
clally, financially and otherwise. We
are opposed to class legislation and we
think that the financial management of
the government is iniquitous. 1t is
sure to destroy popular government if
u contlnues. The duty of the alliance
men Is to discuss this question and all
other questions that are of deep inter
eSr to them.
Speaking Of the objects Of the ali-
ance for the mutual advancement of
It's members, Major Terrill said that
they were to bring the farmers into
closer social relations, to destroy pre-.
Judices, local and national. The farm
ers had had too little social intercourse
with each other. The obligations alli-
ance men took were to help each other.
PreJudice was ono of the main evils the
alllance should eradicate. 1t was re-.
sponsi6le for the condition Of things to-
aay. NO man is fit to hold office who
is narrow minded and prejudiced. "The
Farmers alliance is making war on
prejudice" he said, "and am opposed
TO that prejudice that prevents the
unity OF the people. The allia nee
doesn't propose to discuss questions
with prejudice. You have got no right
TO bring your political prejudices into
the alliance" Alliance members m ust
help a brother when he is sick and If
need be plant his crop. They must as
sista brother who has taken the wrong
course In anything; they must kill out
immortality, and while the alliance is
not temperance organization he did
not believe that a amember can,conscien-
tiously take the obligation and roll in
the streets drunk. The alliance is op
posed to whiskey drinking and urges
every brother to prevent another from
becoming intoxicated.
In speaking of the prejudices that the
alliance Is doing away with, Major Ter
Till said that the chaSm that once stood
between the farmers of Kansas and
south Carolina was being closed. The
first applause of the day was when he
spoke OF John j. Ingalls, political death
In Kansas. The farmers of the South
should do the same thing if man is
filled with prejudice like ingalls,.
The four leading grounds of the Alli-
ance were the refusal to give lands to
aliens, or America for Americans; the
railroad transportation OF the country
IN charge Of the governments; an honest
and equal division of taxes; that every
dollar shall be a dollar and the cirCula.
tion increased to $50 per capita. to be
distributed fairly among the people
Under this last question came the sub.
treasury bill.
After stating that the alliance has
made certain demands, and before be-
ginning discussion of these demands,
Major Terrill said that to discuss these
issues calmly and clearly the farmer
needed more political education. He
held that the alliance must not become
party and would quit it when it did
so. They can have nothing to do with
The Democratic, Republican or third
party as alliance men, but as indiyidu.
ais they could do as they pleased and
vote for their own interests They
mustn't have leaders that they would
pin their faith to blindly. The princi-
pies of the order were above any man.
ln the Farmers Alliance they sought
the truth and tried to elevate princi.
pies. If they voted for a man solely
because he was a member of the order
they prostituted their order, bnt If they
found that he represented their posi-.
tions vote for him. The howl Of the
newspapers about third party was a
howl for nothing, so far as the alliance
as an order is concerned. 1t had moth.
ing to do with 1t.
The question of public lands is, he
said, an important one. Is it .best for
Foreigners to own our lands? / say, q
thousand times, no. Let America be
for Americans. Let the foreigners be.
come Americans before the government
gives them land. The speaker advised
every farmer to own his home, If the
lands are monopoliZed popular govern.
ment will cease to exist. 10 make it
self loved the government should assist
every man to own his home.
am not satisfied with the present
system of transportation. We hold
that transportation, without govern.
ment conGrol robs the people and con-
trolls the markets. The railroads con-
trolIed the wheat market. Last year
In the West they divided up the terri.
tory among themselves and bought
tlyh hnO O g.,II a T. a Al. D..