The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-07-11
The BUSINESS AGENCY FUND.
The Trustee Makes a Public Report Of
How it Now Stands.

4AN'
nersons who have given he matter
attention that to injure the Alliance or
those connected with it and not give
the people the truth is the main object
Of the articles appearing as editorials
or communications in many of the pa
pers in the past few weeks relating to
the management of the fund. Having
made assertions utterly destitute OF
foundation and so proven by the rec
ords. they by repetition or insinuation
keep them before the public on the
, principle that a lie well stuck to is partly
as good as the truth. I am convinced,
however, that the fair minded people
of the State will not demand that a
man shall be convicted before con-
demned.
The losses reported in the statement
sent to those withdrawing their contri,
buttons is as follows:
= Account Of State business Agent. So 20
3, Loan to Elk. Com. b. order State ALI. l,=2IOu
S@,fo<'1O
/. Cotton bagging. In the fight with
the jute bagging trust the Alliance at
first resorted to cotton bagging, The
State Business Agent, to fill the orders
he had received, made contracts with
cotton mills for bagging to be deliv-
cred in o. october, November and Decem
Der. For some cause some of the mills
delivered most of their bagging III De-
cember. The farmers could not wait
but using other covering sold their cot
ton and declined to receive the bag
ging, many of them proposing to use it
for next years crop if they could get
the indulgence. There was So, 300 in
these accounts. Much of this was
taken in this way but there was still a
large amount left on hand and i'll the
settlement there was aloss as reported.
This was North Carolina's contribution
to the defeat of the jute bagging trust.
There was paid the fund losses on cot
ton bagging, 189t..............$3 1925 90
In 1872 4Io.40
Total ......................$8 1903 As
As appears in the Trustees report
for those years, which makes the total
loss 81, 665. 35.
2. Accounts Of State Business Agent.
By reference to section ~ of B. A.
fund article which | annex, the Trus-
tees duties are prescribed as to these.
The Trustee has no connection with
the making of these debts, but justice
REQUIRES that he should state that they
were occasioned by failure of Sub
Agents to give bond, in one or more
cases by worthless bonds, on another
by failure of good to reach destination
in time for use (as in case of the cotton
bagging,) etc. All these cases with
circumstances are reported to the Elk
ecutive Committee for approval before
payment. Some of the accounts are
now in suit and a small amount may
be realized from some of them. If so
it will be duly paid it. The manner of
giving bond, also duty of collecting
has been changed since 1891, as those
who may desire to inform themselves
can learn from the proceedings of the
State Alliance for the years 1891 and
1892.
5 Loan to Executive Committee. At
Greensboro last year the State Ali
ance adopted q resolution (see page 80
of proceedings directing the Executive
Committe to borrow Of the Trustee
81, 22O for the use of the Alliance and
to repay the same from the receipts of
the State Business Agent and Secre-
tary's Offices, above necessary ex
penses. I applied for payment of this
and was informed by the Executive
Committee that they were unable to
return it and that as the legislature
had taken from them the receipts of
the Business Agency and turned them
over to the Trustee, he must settle
this. This money was used to pay per
diem and mileage OF delegates to the
Alliance. Half Of it would have been
returned IN May last but for expenses
rendered necessary by the attack of
the legislature upon the Alliance-in
employment of counsel and other ex-
pense5. 1t will be returned, also the
other losses as the fund or the Agency
make the money. The act of the legis-
lature made il compulsory on the Trus-
tee to prepare to settle in sirty days.
There was no way to make these ac-
counts available IN that time. When
collected / have no doubt they Will be
duly credited.
1t will be seen that not cent has
ever been Host to the fund by any in