The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-03-29
OLD IREDELL THOROUGHLY
AROUSED.

sTATEsvTLLK. N. c., March 10, 1892.
Mn EDIToR;-This has indeed been a
rod letter dav for the Alliance in Ire
5oIl The cause in Iredell is one hun
Sred per cent. stronger this evening
than it was this morning, and 1T all
came about in this way: President
Bntler and Col. Harry Skinner were
oSvertised to be here and make ALI
ance speeches. The "true and genuine
democrats" as they styled themselves,
issued a blood and thunder circular
calling on the Democracy round about,
to come, that Mai. Robins and Mr.. w.
= Turner would advocate true De-
m~ocracy" if allowed an opportunity.
The head lines ran thus: "Grand
rallv of true Democrats. Everybody
come. Just drop everything and come
right along" The closing line ran thus:
''Rallv. Democrats rally, and let's
have a field day." The Charlotte %
serUer, in commenting on the circular,
said Butler and Skinner were Third
party prophets in disguise, and that
thew would have occasion to seriously
regret ever having made the appoint
ment."
So it has come to this, that the Off
GERS of the Alliance cannot call an ALI
ance meeting to discuss Alliance prIn-
ciples without being attacked by
politicians. and treated and published
as enemies of the country. But Skin
ner and Butler and Col. Polk all came,
Notwithstanding this threat OF demOIl-
ton. The train was delayed, so they
came two hours late, and the crowd
decided that they should not divide
time with the champions OF true
Demo :racy." Col. Skinner spoke first.
During his speech, Maj. ROBBINS fire.
quently interrupted him with ques-
tons, but was a man so utterly
routed and crushed. Skinner literally
akiQ,ac1 Jim whj1c the~eTeEd~ yelled
itself hoarse. A question was hardly
finished when the answer came like a
sledge hammer. The mastery triumph
Of Skinner carried nine-tenths of the
crowd with him. There were about
FORTY "yellers" and "whoopers" in
the crowd who seemed to have been
especially drilled for the occasion.
They were riotously b~oisterous and the
plot to break up the meeting soon be-
came apparent. They yelled, whooped,
Kissed and raved and behaved most
shamefully. This was an Alliance
meeting, pure and simple, to discuss
Alliance principles. What right had
these town boys there, if they werenOt
going to behave themselves? The cause
lost much by not having s~tenographer
present to show just how badly Maj.
Robbins caught it, but it can never be
N forgotten by those who witnessed it.
Y President Butler vas next intro
duced, and the yelling brigade"
seemed determined to yell him down,
but they Cignally failed. He stated
the reasons tn 1t a division of time was
not granted, but said that he stood
ready to meet anyone at any time or
place to discuss the principles of the
Alliance as laid dOwnin the St. Louis
platform. Whereupm Mai. Robbins
challenged him, and the 9th of April
and Statesville were agreed upon as
the time and place After a dignified
and timely rebuke of the bad conduct
of the ''yellers," he introduced Presi-
dent Polk. This wasthe signal for an
other display of the ling power of the
drilled yellers. They yelled and
squalled but all to nopurpose, for like
the other speakers, President Polk was
calm, collected and slendidly poised.
He referred to the claim Of true
and genuine Democrats and quoted
with telling effect firm Calhoun and
Jefferson to show tn 4tthe Alliance was
founded upon their hOnored doctrines,
and drove it home BY a pointed anec,
dote whichmade the true Democrats >
squirm and brought forth thunderous
laughter and applause. At this the
''whoopers" broke inand for some mo
n ments a row was Imminent, provoking
67ssS from the mob. He finished his
q1ooa5 without further interruption
aPpJ - the crowd with him from be-
ginning to end. The speeches
We're Etrong, logial and exactly
70 tbo point. The were genuine
8TIienoo oeeches, sitting fourth true
and aaI AAlliancDrinciples. There
was ! e 8crowd farmers and all
wero " datge bed. Tl9 cause has been
graatIr r9llgnk ngthenli by the work to-
dav a3a 9gr1 mo WayEas it helped more
than ~ - bull Cling spirit shown
hv . Il of ringsters. 1t was
"a 6EaudIU pltsu9 enough, but not
4 for + Id gay thy now see and feel
# S1' an9 ma tell Mr.. Caldwell
If tLu you 90 that some people
"snr in0 ooserO ret the appointment
mado 'ISSly res day, out it is not
Ski1nonere q frnor Polk. They are
Sat Hoc Butld til it and so are the
auIanceman of E I%3J noT+v VIII
you talk about Al SIba&;6, e done
more 10 S1ous build it up In Ire
than Polk an ~