The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1891-01-08
THE FARMERS ALLIANCE.
The Rev. DR.. Dixon Says 1t is tho Great
Event of this Gener,tIo,

Event of this G Generation.
Rev. Tom Dixon in his sermon in
New York last Sunday eulogiZed the
Alliance movement as follows:
The real sensation Of the year 1890
Is the advent Of the National Farm
erS' Alliance and Industrial Union. 1t
IS the reSiStleSS move nent Of millions
under the expressions OF centuries. Its
motiVe power Is social, economic, re-
ligiouS and political. The advent of
these emhattled hosts is the most preg-
nant event of this generation. 1t is
the beginning of Il revolution that will
shake this continent and move the
world.
The first time they gathered round
the ballot box was the 4th day of last
November. They poiled between two
and three million votes, elected the
Governor of three states. sent forty
men to Congress and scared the life out
of hundreds they did not send.
What IS the moral meaning Of this
great movement?
1. II is the protest uf the patient bur
den bearers Of the world, who have
toilCd through weary years struggling
beneath the wrongs of economic and
! political SupprSltionS. In America
the farmers have literally become the
! beasts Of burden OF the nation. Their
| business has been 70 iVCu over 6J,OgO,-
| 600 people, together with tie hosts OF
the old world, with the prndT2tS OF the
! years WORK, and Through the winter
| exc out Il miserable existence wrrst-
ling with their mortgages. cyclones and
Hoods. While they arc doing this, we
laugh and grow tat, dane" and make
merry III the city, ana let how much
they Will make next year. buy and sell
their crops fifty times before they are
planted end charge Old "IlaySecd5"
with all our losses.
The question is whether these men,
! the trrvst Of the free, the authors Of
the cuuntrN'S liberty, shall assert !hnir
rights and obtain JUSTICE or degenerate @
into thu condition Of tenants and SprrS.
The condition utlahOr in ali other in
dnstrics have undergone marvellous
development and changes in the past
hundred years. The farmer works TN
der the same stern conditions, perish
ing in lie IridSt of bUuHdlr&S rruSp.."i-
ty, for 0thrrS. He has Gricrmln"u to
effect y change in lhCG" cUnHitIOnS, aud
rradjuaL himself Oh Il living basis TO
the new CivillZa ion.
=. This movement means the plU"a-
ton OF tn" masses, as naSSrS-Of the
farmer us farmer. 1t means the as
Sertion Of the manhood Of the Nation.
on" education has hitherto been to get
on, "to riS,'. We have been taught TO
climb out OF the humble sphere in
which We were born into S)nc 50 called
higher sphere. The Smlth learns to
drSpiSe his anvil, and the clodhOppcr
to look with contempt upon the plow.
They rise to" "higher' things. They be-
come lawyers, and doctors, and preach
ers. and bankers, railroad men and poll
ticlanS. We now have fully eight mil
lion mcn in this country educated to be
Presidents Of the United States. We
only need about Il dozen Presidents in
Il hundred years-an awful waste of
raw material.
Ihc farmers are learning and teach
ing 1T to their children, in this organi-
Zation, that the farm is as sacred, as
noble, as honorable us that of any
sphere in life. Women too are admit
ted to the Order. Well they may.
There are more farmers wives in the
insane aSylumS Of America than any
other class. They have actually recog-
nlZed the fact that women are human
beings.
y reporter once asked an old farmer
in the West what he thought about the
question, rs marriage a failure?" He
replied, What, marriage? swell, lets
see. There's Lucindy gifts up in the
morniD,' kindles the fire, milks six
cows, starts four children off to school,
tends to three others, skins twenty
pans O milk, feeds the hens, likewise
the hogs, looks after some mothcrlcSS
sheep, gifts breakfast, washes up the
dishes, gets dinner, etcetera-whv, man,
do you think ! could hire anybody to
do all that for what she gifts? Not
much. lisa great success, sir" All,
these patient, sad faced, weary millions
OF women! The pathos of their lives
They have entered this organization
with cheeks flushed with hope, many
of them for the first time in life. May
God lead and bless them.
8. This movement means cOoDera-
tion as against competition.
1T is II this principle Of Socialism
hat the Order has its strongest foun- |
dation. They are pledged 20 cooperate
with each other in the production Of
economic goods. and not only so, but |
80 cooperate in the distribution Of |
these goods. The Alliance stores for
supplies are prominent feature OF |
their work. These stores contain the
germ idea OF the great Industrial Co
operative Societies Of Worklngmcn in |
Great Britain. They are asserting in |
life the principle, that it is better for
men to tight :Or each other than against
one ah"tncr. Ihey are learning the
secret or associated powers that in
union there is strength. 1t is in the
light OF this fact that we solve the ap.
parent paradox, that while they cry
out against trusts and mOnop0lips, il |
thc San breath demand that the Gov
"rnlneni press its functions 10 the very |
verge of State Socialism. These cries |
aIe not Inconsistent. They are the |
assertion OF fundamental principles. !
thcy recognize the important fact that |
government Is not something separate |
from the people, but when normally |
administered, is simply the people |
governing themselves that it is not a
power to be forced, but Il power TO h2 |
utilized for the happiness OF all
4. The Organization means Brother !
mood. II is Il fraternal and benevolent ,
Order with principles Of love and fra
tcrnltY, wide as tNC world, universal |
rs the rose.
The 9Th aud 9th article in their ST.
Louis Declaration Of Purposes.
Il