The advocate., 1892-02-03
THE aNEW YORK VOICE" INVESTIGATES
TEE NATIONAL UNION COMPANY.


TIE NATIONAL UNION COMPANY.
The NetV York Voice has beeI
making some Investigations upon it
own responsibility Of the Nstiona
Union Company, and has succeeded
in bringing out some facts oorrobo'
rative Of The ADvooATE's expose o.
the concern, and also some further
information respecting the men who
are connected with it. The incorpor
ators are George II. Peck, William
FL. Parsons and Emil A. July, Of New
York, and Thomas f. Green and
John F. Lufbery, Of Elizabeth, New
Jersey.
The officers of the company are H
III. Balch, president; II. T. Spencer,
secretary and treasurer; and these
with John G. Furman, Chauncey
Marshall and Oswald Wilson consti-
tute the board Of trustees.
The matter we shall reproduce
from the Voice will disclose who these
men are, and what their business is
as learned by a special reporter de-
tailed to obtain this information. We
publish such parts Of this matter as
are new and Of special Importance.
The farmer readers Of The Voice viii be
dumbfounded to learn that one Of the largest
trusts In the country Is making quiet but vlgor-
Gus efforts to obtain control Of all their cooper
alive stores and purchasing agencies, and that
it has already acquired number Of them. The
Voice presents unquestlOn&ble evidence that In
dispOslng of Farmers Alliance Exchanges to the
National Union Company the Alliance State
Business Agents were deluded into supporting
the interests OF the immense "blnding twine
trust" and giving the interests Of the Alliance
over into the control OF great organization
which win have the power, II It's plans are sue
cessfnl, TO FIX the price of everything the farmer
consumes.
For some weeks past The Voice has watched
with interest the discussion In the farmers AL
nance newspapers OF what has been represented
as being proposition Of the Alliance State
Business agents-the cooperative scheme Of the
National Union Company. and finally learning
that there was some doubt as to the honesty Of
theinte1tlOns of the original promoters Of the
company It determined TO undertake an inveSti'
cation OF the concern for the benefit Of the
Farmers Alliance.
PRESIDENT BALuH REFUSES TO TALK.
Speaking OF this visit to the offices Of the
Company the reporter says:
In minute or two the boy returned with Mr.
Wilson, q small and slender young man with
light complexion, Mr. Wilson asked the reporter
what he wanted, and when the answer was given
that The Voice wanted to know something about
the plans and responsibility of the National
Union Company, Mr.. Wilson said, with downcaS
eyes and In a nervous manner, that he would bt
at leisure to talk to the reporter within Ave min
utes. The reporter sat down and Mr.. Wilson
returned to the room at the end Of the passage
way. He came back within the promised tint
and led the reporter into the office Of the Ma
tIonal Union Company Another gentleman
came forward, introduced himself to the repOrte
as Mr.. Balch, and then bluntly said, with eyi
dent nervousness, "Well did you come here o
your own choice, or were you sent here?" "Cam'
here Of my own choice" said the reporter
"Well, what do you want?" asked Mr.. Balch
Seeing that Mr.. Balch, for some reason, regarded
him with suspicion, the reporter assured tn,
gentleman that he only wanted particulars o
the scheme Of cooperative stores that the Ma
tional Union Company had proposed to tn
Farmers Alliance. Mr.. Balch did not seem 4
be relieved Of his doubts, however, and he STAN
mered out, nervOusy chewing his cigar, ant
smiling all the while, Everything that We hav
sent out has been so misunderstood and misrep
resented that we have concluded TO say nOthin