The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1893-08-24

tA1 ~ ~ kSEESFkFA tElsA& Hl5N SUI II
a are rally needy. or in distress
~ill he helped. aud that they l..
heiled alike. The latter object
might be accomplished By paving
appeals once each quarter, and then
paving out pro rata the money on
hand. How the first Object can be
secured, ! am not prepar i - say.
If you wish 10 establish a plan
of insurance it should bc entirely sap
arAte and distiuc: from the re'Ief
plan.
ROTATION COUNTY MEETINGS.
In order that some Of the State
officers of the Alliance NAV visit
every county Alliance at least once a
wear. recommend that the State
be- divided into a con nyenlent number
Of districts. and that the county Al
liances Of each district meet on sue
cesslye days. By this means every
county Alliance could be visited by
a State officer ut the same quarterly
meeting, at small cost FROM each
county. am sure that beneficial
results would come from such con
secutlNe meetings.
| THE AMENDMENTS To OUR CHARTER.
As YOU are aware, the last Legis-
lature amended our charter; it first
attempted TO repeal it. 1t is my du-
ty to lay before YOU the nature of
the amendments that were passed,
and to inform you of the circum-
stances connected with the action.
On the evening of the 18th of Feb
ruary, | received telegram Gust in
time to catch the train saying that
"a bill had passed the House to re-
peal the charter of the State ALI
amce. This was the first notice that
your chief officer had received of
such actions, or contemplated action.
We were afterwards informed that
this action was decided on in IA secret
political meeting; their purpose care
fully kept from the public, and es-
pecially from your officers. Mark
you, the action of the House was
not only plotted in secret and in the
dark, but the bill was then offered,
and suddenly rushed through all
three readings under suspension of
the rules, without consideration be-
fore a committee, under gag rule
that cut off all debate even from the
members of the House. This bill
affecting thousands of people as well
DIS great principle of justice and fair
play, was suddenly rushed through
all its three readings. and was law
as far as the House could make it
within the short space of ten min.
utes from the time it was offered
That the same bill would have pas
sed the Senate in the same indecent
and unfair haste the next morning
has never been questioned or denied
Butyour State officers (or part OF
them) were on hand next morning
and demanded hearing. Only af
ter considerable effort and difficulty
could we get hearing before com
mittee. Your officers could no
earn who asked for such action,
or the reason therefore. We wer
: simply pointed to the preamble o
the bill which contained two rea
sons, viz:
First: That there were member
of the Alliance who were afrai'
they were personally liable for tn
debts (?) of the Alliance.
: Second: That there were others VIII
| wanted to withdraw their none
from the Business Agency Fund.
| Your officers did not stop to ques
ton the correctness of the first clair
s nor the equity of the latter, for W
t realized that we were not before
: court of equity or justice, but
e body that seemed to have no regar
for either. SO we at once offered as
: substitute for the bill, two amend
: ments to our charter covering i
I full both of the complaints set OF
: in the bill. This fell like a thur
o der clap upon the committee, an
e forced it and the Legislature, to sho
: its hidden and real purpose-ths
: was to destroy the organization, an
E. to put your Business Agency in II
e hands of Il receiver.
d The new charter which tie Hou
n offered was further proof of Lhi
n 1t provided for reorganization
to go into effect in July. This wou
e, have disorganized the Alliance, p
As its affairs in the hands of a +
S, ceiver, and left US six mont
ID without any organization. v
lc said the N d m is fl
like thunder clap, and SO they di
for in the face of the amendmer
:, granting all they asked, they dar
q not pass the bill to repeal the cha
:. ter. They were in hole;
lo s they accepted the amendmen
~ -, they failed to accomplish their pr
a. ~ pose--to kill the Alliance; if they
y fused to accept them, they did me
m bs than they intended-they kill
~ themselves.
~ =, In this dilemma the Legislatr
I,a' decided that it was not ready to ia
u action. That secret political me
~. ~ ing was called together again, a
- this time, we are told, it was co
- ~ posed in part of politicians and e.
a" mics of the Alliance not members
90 ~ the Legislature. This meeting
-, ~ cording to their own definition,
els eI' ing secret, and being political, m
~, ae have been what they call "Gideo
u Band" After much caucusing
after day, and night after mig
they decided to accept our anne
,b- ments by adding six more anne
60, ments, which for pastisan unfi
I'D ness and discriminating Unjust