The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-02-28
IN VINDICATION OF THE ALI
ANCE.

Mr. EDIT0R:-It seems quite popular
nova days to decry the Alliance. 1t is
said that 1T has forfeited it's honor by
going into politics, that it has self-seek
ing demag0gues within it's ranks. that
it is not infallible, that all it's members
are not bOnafide inhabitants of para
disc. Now these are grave charges. l
fear that the defendant will be forced
plead guilty to all Of them except the
first
We sympathize very much with
these plain folks becaus Sc we have fol
lowed the pillow ourselves, because some
of our loved ones still follow It, be
cause our detractOrs and calumniators
have not shown them elves free of all
the sins with which they would stig
Matte US.
But the Alliance went into politics.
1t has forfeited itslife. Indeed the Or
der used to be very good when many of
it's members danced to the Democratic
or Republican music. Last year there
was anOther party. Some of the poor
foolish farmers voted that ticket. They
came to such a heniOus crime by brain
exercise Now brain exercise is an ex
orable villainy in the SIGHT of some of
our friends, and this sin of some of the
brethren is visited upon the whole Or
der. Friends where is your wanted
sympathy. your mantle of charity for
deluded folks? You say they ara delu
ded. We will tell you hOw this mis-
cradle voting came about, you know
that when they joined the Alliance
til. Y were told hat t ey might vote
and worship God in any way they
pleased So when election came the
poor crazy fools did not have any bet
ter sense than to vote the way they
wanted to.
Our Order is not the only Order
except yOurs-that has hot fools and
BILE order Of Masonry was ms GrumentaI
it i said in saving the life of Col. Fan
ming, you know Col Tanning was the
Tory who. during the revolutionary
war spread terror through the fairest
portions of North Carolina by his will
ainies
Shall we judge Masonry by the dem
ogogues who d~ishonorably bear its
name. Never, never, yet. gentlemen,
this is precisely what is done in the
case Of the Alliance. O consistency i!
We are not of those who cannot see
the fault of a friend. we are not of
those who do not deplOre the sin of
many demagOgues during the last year.
But we may expect mortal of mOrtals.
You have your organizations, let the
farmer have his, you vote as you like,
let him do as much; you have your
clubs for meeting, won't you permit
our country fathers and mothers, lads
and lasse5 to meet in converse, sweet
pleasant or profitable? Surely, surely
broad minded men would not stint the
even now too meagre pleasures Of cOun-
try life.
But this evening l was astounded to
see in the Ne1Us Gnd Observer the pro
posed abolition of the character of the
Farmers Alliance and the appoint
ment of receivers for the distribution
of the business Agency Fund. Shade
of Patrick Henry flee, turn the tyrant
Staying glance of thine e. e from this
nerOnic measure or it is consigned to
the infamy of eternal oblivion. Surely
the whole State in just Indignation will
rise as one man and denOunce this high
handed legislation. Has it come to
pass in our dear old State that her yeO-
men are prohibited by law to go into
business? are thwarted in their sacred
attempts to better their conditions in q
p0fl6cGIy leRlIlInaJ0 WayE O6nGI6Ilen
talk about Wall street fraud and cor
ruption, but for brazen faced injustice
and infringement of the inallenable
right of every citizen of this State to go
into business for himself, nothing that
Jaw Gould ever did will rival this pro-
posed distribution of the Alliance Buc-
mess Agency Fund. Can our noble
Governor Carr sign such an iniquitOus
bill? Can any lover of liberty and JUS
tice support such a bill? We deprecate
as much as any man the abuses that
have come in the wake Of the
Alliance by the means and instrument
atty of demagogues, but we do not
believe that the way of injustice is the
way to right abuses, neither do we be-
lieve that the Alliance is composed of
demagOgueS
Statesmen, spare the Order. It is the
embodiment ot'the watchword of the
nineteenth century, Liberty to the
masses" Statesmen, you may fell the
tree but remember that there is a just
providence in the affairs of men-the
stump will remain.
M. o. CARPENTER.
Wake Forest NJ q