The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1892-09-02
ALLIANCE READING.
President Buffers Annual Me ssage
To the North Carolina State Alliance
in Session at Greensboro.

DhhihhEN' '-ouc yeaT ago you plaCcu
your banner in my hands. You place d
ME in the front of the N. c. division Ct
the great national army of rcformcrs
1t was position Of tremendous rcspon.
sibility and trust felt in large dc
gree the gravity of the situation. 1t wa,
at time when the organization was ente,-
ing the most critical period of its cXis,
tence, time when we aud our principles
were to be subjected to the suprcmcst
crucial test. The year has been stormy
one. Every day, Sundays exclu led,. the
fire of the enemy has been poured upon
us with mcrciless force and in an un
scrupulous manner. The money power
has left no stone uuturned to crush the
movement and down the cry of the weak
for mercy and the demand of freeman 70,
ju tice.
Today we met again. Let us sec
what has been accomplished; what the
present status of the organization is, and
what is our duty in the future. Every
reform movement has its various stages OF
growing and development. Many Of
those movements sooner or later reach
the stage Of disntcgration and decay
This has been the case when the cause
has been slight or local or temporary G,
when the people failed to find the true
cause for a real wrong, and therefor,
could not apply the true remedy. Tn,
cause of the present movement is deer
rooted and wide spread. 1t is one tha,
in large degree affects alike every laborei
and wealth producer of the whole country
A portion of those suffering from the
blighting effects of some great influence
caused them to organize to study the
situation. They formed themselves into
great vigilance committee to search for
the cause, q cause that made them poorer
while each worked harder created more
wealth, cause that has made poor the
people whose labor has made their couu
try rich. Since this class of men and
this condition existed in every quarter
OF the country, the organization soon
spread over the whole country. Fo,
years the cause or rather the causes have
been simultaneously searched for and
studied from Maine to California and
from the lakes to the gulf. The cause
or part OF the causes were found. Tho
whole organization agreed on them, The
public generally agreed that the evil
causes existed. We then appealed to
the law makers of the country for rem
edy. Great sympathy was expressed
for our condition, but no remedy was
offered. The organization then formul
ated its own remedies for each cause ant
appealed to the law makers to give III.
efaf 5Af fassiel bs@aesss EbaE sapaa feRt VIA
they should give those demanded o,
something better. That was fair. Fo,
IL the wrongs exist, il unjust and opprcs-
sivc laws are;on the statute bocks3 IL ii.
the duty of our law makers to give u,
relief, to give us 0ur remedyor a better
one. Up to date the demands of The
people have been ignored, while every
requst OF the monopoly corporations and
the money power has been promptly
agreed to. We have just realized thai
the organization came too late for Justice
to be gotten by petition. y = =
THE RALEIGH CONFERENCE.
On April 18th l call cd conference @
the Alliance of the State through on.
representative from each county. die
1t in the Interests of our principles and
tho cause of rtform. While at times dur
log the year many of us (thoush uni
in thOughD have differed in Judgements
as to methods, yet today the organization
is practically unit in action as well a!
thought. believe that the guidance oil
a divine hand has turned what at time.
seemed to be mistakes, into blessings
Our seeming errors have proved to be the
essence of wis 1om, for by what methods
could we have have been stronger than
we are tOday9 Therefore let us at all
times have that charity of opinion for
each brother, for we may honestly differ,
that we have right to expect from each
other brother.
DEATH OF COL. POLK
During the year the organization. Ma
tional as well rs State, has suffered an ir
reparable loss, aud each member has felt
sore bereavement by the untimely death
of our great aud beloved leader, Col. L.
l.. Polk. We have never known a purer
man, nor has any organization ever beer
blessed with more ardent, devoted and
loyal leader, yet his charity toward thoss
who differed with him in opinion, and
his spirit of fairness toward those who
opposed him was almost superhumap.
His great work and his magnificent ex
ample lives after him. and is today an
inspiration to every rcformer to have tho
courage of his convictions and to carry
on the work for humanity so grandly
and heroically begun. Let us build a
hitting monum+n Mt to his memory, but his
greatest monument will be the place he
holds in the hearts of his people. Let
MS last words cIer be the motto of the