The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-03-17
Am ADDRESS
IHSUED BY THE ST. LOUIS
DELEGATES
To the Brotherhood Of the Far
mers' Alliance in North Caro-
lina---The Great industrial Con-
vention and What it Did.

mission from you as delegates to the
Industrial Conference to St. Louis on
the 22nd inst, we, the undersigned,
deem it due that we should render, at
the earliest practical moment, truth
ful statement of the work accomplish
ed and Of our action as your represent
tatives in that body.
The six organizations embraced in
the official call issued by the Commit
tee on Confederation, were represent
ed by. seven hundred and thirty seven
properly accredited delegates. To these
were added the delegates of seven
other kindred organizations (on the
recommendations of the Committee on
Credentials, }, making in the aggregate
over one thousand delegates, and rep
resenting almost every State in the
Union. The Committee on Platform
consisted of one hundred and twenty
members, representing every State and
every organization. This committee
labored faithfully and without inter
mission for fourteen hours and pre-
sented as their unanimous report the
following
PREAMBLE.
This, the first great labor con-
ference of the United States and
the world, representing all the di-
visions of urban and rural organized
industry assembled in the National
Congress, invoking upon its action the
blessing aud protection Of Almighty
God, puts forth to and for the pro-
ducts Of the nation this declaration of
union and independence. The con-
ditions which surround us best justify
our cooperation. We meet in the
midst of nation brought to a verge
of moral, political and material ruin.
Corruption dominates the ballot-box
Legislature and Congress, and touches
even the ermine of the bench. People
are demoralized. Many of the States
have been compelled to isolate voters
at the polling places in order to pre-
vent universal intimidation or bribery;
newspapers are subsidized or muzzled !;
public opinion silenced; business pros
trated; our homes covered with mort
cages; labor impoverished and land
concentrating in the hands of capital
lists. Urban workmen are denied the
right of Organization for self protection,
imported pauperized labor beats down
their wages; hireling standing army
nobjected to by our laws is estab-
lished to shoot them down, and they
are rapidly degenerating to European
conditions. Fruits Of the toll of mil
lions are bodily stolen to build up col
lossal fortunes, unprecedented in the
history of the world, while their pos
SCISSORS despise the republic and en-
danger the liberty of the people
through National power to create
money appropriated to enrich bond
holders; silver which has been accept
ed as coin since the dawn Of history
has been demonitized to add to the
purchasing power of gold by decreas-
ing the value Of all forms of property
as we'll as human labor and a supply
of currency is purposeiy abridged to
tatten usurers. bankrupt enterprise and
enslave industry. Vast conspiracy
against mankind has been organized
on two continents and is taking pos
session of the world if not met and
overthrown at once. 1t means social
convulsions, destruction Of civilization
or establishment of absolute despotsm.
This crisis of human affairs intelligent
working people and producers of the
United States have come together IN
the name of peace, order and society
to defend liberty, prosperity and JUS
tice. We declare our union and in
dependence and assert them through
political organization which represents
our principles. We charge that the
controlling influence dominating the
old political parties have allowed ex-
isting dreadful conditions to develop
without serious effort to restrain OF
prevent them; neither do they now in
tend to accomplish reform. They
have agreed together to ignore in the
coming crmpaign, every issue but one.
They propose to drown the outcrics Of
a plundered people with an uproar o
sham battle over the tariff, SO that the
corporations, national banks, rings
trusts, "watered Stocks - demonetiza
ton Of silver and oppression as usurers
may all be lost sight of. They pro
pose to sacrifice our homes and chill
dren upon the altar Of mammon, tc
destroy hopes, in order to secure from
mult,udes great Lords of plunder
We assert that political organization:
representing political principles, herein
stated, is necessary to redress grievan
ces of which we complain. Assem-
bled on the anniversary of the blrtf
of the ilustrious man who had fed tht
, first great revolution on this continen
against oppression was filled with sen
timents which actuated that granC
generation. We seek TO restore tht
government of the republic to th'
hands of the "plain people witt
whom it originated; our doors arr
open to all points of the compass, VIZ
ask all honest men to join with anc
help US in order to restrain the extor
tions Of aggregated capital; to drive
changers out of the temple; t
form perfect union; establish justic'
| and insure domestic tranquility; pro