The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-08-22
PRESIDENT
Annual Address to the State Alliance
Greensboro.

| organization was economical and 9TH
wise beneficial for the co operate ID
vancement Of mutual interests vo,
evident a quarter of a century ago T.
is more evident to day. We haro
reached that point in our civilization
even under "a Republican form Of por1
eminent, where organization is M.
only beneficial Du: 50 necessary. This'
is true with r~eference to every class 30
our citizens and to every divisi n NJ
cur various industries and professions
To no one does it apply with mora
force than to the agricultural and in
dustrial classes Yet they are anona
! the last to avail themselves Of the aI'
vantaEes of organization, as well as n
learn the absolute necessity therefor.
At various instances in the past. Nh.
merous efforts to organize permanent.
ly have been made, and, with what rn
suits, is a matter of history and is we'll
known. And while the result is we'll
known, yet l hardly think the caused
such failures is generally understood
by u.s..
1t is true, that whenever an organ.
zaticn has been started or ATTEMPTED
that those classes of our citizens who
being organized, have had the advan.
tage of us, being unorganized, (anj
knowing that organization on our part
would soon result in increased inteIf
geRce, and therefore united action for
the protection Of our rights and inter.
est) have used every energy and agency
that united brain could devise, and
combined money could control to de.
moraliz9, defeat and disrupt the organ.
ization. The newspapers and the DO,
liticians have been largely used to
make the attack from the outside BY
misrepresentation and appeals to prei9.
dice, while the Judases in the organ.
zation, whose price was thirty pieces
of silver (more Or less have ALWAYS
been found to do the work Of spies and
traitors on the inside.
But this is not necessarily the cause
of failures. The basic cause that makes
SUCH agencies successful in my opinion
lies deeper. In fact it is inherent in
the rank and file of the majority Of
| the members themselves of such organ.
izati0ns. It Is aus produced by our
surroundings. 1t is a cause thai may
be termed q cumulative hereditary
trait Of our social character. | refer
to a cause which, for the want Of a
name, I will describe as produced by
/ JIG W G1b vi d SUlllGICA4US OC1dl COllLtCL,
and a fair and tolerant exchange of
opinions and ideas. I refer to the want
of cohesion, to cur failure to pool our
divergent opinions and r upon a
common line of action that would rel.
resent the combined wisdom of ali.
Man is a social being. 1t is not well
for man to be alone, neither is it well
for any small number, for instance for
one family circle to be practically iso-
lated from the remainder of the world.
especially from other men and families,
living under the same conditions,
charged with the same duties, and hav,
ing the same destiny. When we violate
Gods great social law, when we fail to
put our heart next to our neighborS'
hearts, when we fail to bring our in,
tellect in contact with our neighbOrs.
then both the soul and the intellect, in.
stead Of developing, broadening and
eIevatlng, making is more like cur
Maker, and becoming fit to work out
the highest destiny of intellectual chris,
tianity, OUr souls contract and shrivel,
our intellects grow weak and narrow.
Here is the great trouble, the defect.
To bridge over this great want of So
cial intercourse in rural life, to stimu.
4aJO I1JClISCCu0l Dy luC
contact of intellect with intellect, to
exchange opinions so as to avoid eZ,
perimental errors in business as weIlaS
to get the benefit of a multitude Of
counsel for future efforts, to learn the
lesson of making two blades of grass
grow where n grew before, has been
the great object of all of the past
efforts among agricultural and indus.
trial classes at organization. And
especially is this the great original
purpose of the Alliance, and is now the
basic idea for its perpetual existence.
So we see that the two corner stones
on which the Alliance was founded and
is standing to day. are
First: Social and moral develop
ment.
Second: Intellectual development
followed by cooperation in business
efforts and Industrial pursuits.
In towns and cities the various bu8l'
ness, professional and monopoly organ
izations have for their original purpose
the second of the above objects. There
a close compact population gives the
| opportunity for social advantages
specific purpose. But the organic
VAO[0 vi UO"LS duO CLUES have d4CVL~+
purpose and mission, though incident
al, yet highly important in a Repu6I,
can form of government. What is 1t.
1t is to use the power and influence Of
their organizations in the Legislative
halls, and at the ballot box to prevent
hostile legislation against the class O.
citizens which their organization rep.
resents, and often, prompted by selfish,
ness and greed, to inaugurate and exc,
cute hostile legislation against other
classes not organized, or poorly organ.
lied and weak. The exercise Of TINS
power in defiance Of right, but too
often under the cover of unjust laws;
is the snake in our body polite, ana
the curse of our civilization. This Is
the frightful game where the big hsl
! eat tho snonllnr AnL cd tlon tIrl