The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-08-22

| DGTS OIL Jn0 LOUISE 11AS 114pOIUdDU Dlil
affecting thousands of people as we'll
as great principles of justice and fair
play, was suddenly rushed through all
It's three readings and was a law as far
as the House could make it within the
short space of ten minutes from the
| time it was offered. That the same bill
would have passed the Senate in the
same indecent and unfair haste the
next morning, has never been ques-
toned Or denied. But your State
officers Cor a part Of them) were on
hand the next morning and demanded
a hearing. Only after considerable
effort and difficulty could we get a
hearing before a committee. Your
officers could not learn who asked for
such action, or the reason therefor.
We were simply pointed to the pre-
amble of the bill which contained two
reasons, viz:
First: That there were members Of
the Alliance who were afraid they were
personally liable for the debts(0 of the
Alliance.
Second: That there were others who
wanted to withdraw their money from
the Business Agency fund.
Your officers did not step to question
the correctness of the first claim, nor
the equity of the latter, for we real
lied maj we were not before a court Of
equity or justice, but a body that
seemed to have no regard for either.
So we at one offered as a substitute
for the bill two amendments to our
charter covering in full both of the
complaints set out in the bill. This fell
like a thunder clap upon the commit
tee, and forced it and the legislature to
show it's hidden and real purpose-that
was to destroy the organizatiOn-and
to put your Business Agency in the
hands of a receiver.
The new charter which the House
offered was a further proof Of this. Ii
provided for the reorganization 10 go
into effect in July. This would have
disorganized the Alliance, put it's af-
fairs IN the hands Of q receiver, and left
US six months without any OrganiZa-
ton. We said the amendments fell
like a thunder clap, and so they Gid,
for in the face of the amendments
granting ali that they had asked, they
dared not pass the bill to repeal the
charter. They we're in a dilemma; II
they accepted the amendments, they
failed to accomplish their purpose to
kill the Alliance; If they refused to &C
cept them, they did more than they
intended, they killed themselves.
In this dilemma the legislature de-
cided that it was not ready to take ac-
ton. The secret political meeting was
called together again; and this time,
we are told, 1t was composed in part Of
politicians and enemies OF the Alliance
not members OF the legislature. This
meeting according to their OWL defini-
ton, being secret, and being political,
must have been what they call Gid
cons Band" After much ~caucusing
day after day and night after night,
they decided 20 accept u amendments
by lacking On six other amendments
which for partisan u~nfairness, di8Crim-
mating injustice and COwardly mean
ness, there has never before been a par
allel to SO stain the statute books of
North Carolina.
Under n OF these amendments, if
you were to increase the salary Of my
successor from the enormous sum OF
5000 a year TO the still more enormous
-um of 5000 OF, your charter would be
forfeited. Or if you were to increase
the salary of the Secretary of a County
Alliance from 81 a year to S. q year,
The effect would be the same.
Under another amendment, il one of
your officers fails to perform certain
duties in a certain time, it did not pro
vide that the officer shall be fined, or be
liable on his bond, but that the whole
charter Of the State Alliance shall be
forfeited.
Another of these amendments tries
to tie up the proceeds Of the organiza
ton to prevent your Executive Com
mittee from using It's discretion to use
the funds for further interest Of the
organization.
Another amendment makes it unlaw-
full for any member of the oTganiza-
ton to pass a resolution calling upon
your representatives to pass or f0rbear
from passing certain laws, and makes
it lawful only for you to discuss such
all absorbing questions as to what time
Of the moor to plant pepper, etc.
All these amendments are inspired
by one purpose and object, to get pre-
text to rob you of your charter, and to
place the business of the organization
IN the hands of a receiver or rather Of
a political party.
And any other corporation or Organi-
zation that gets in the way of the ma
chine is liable to be treated in the same
manner. In the same way, and with
equally as much Justice, a law might
be passed to make it unlG wful for any
city board Of trade to pass a petition to
Congress. Or a charter of q railroad
company might be amended by max
ing 1t liable to forfeit its charter if the
salary of a brakeman or Of the presi.
bent Of the road is increased even the
slightest amount, or if the stockholders
of the road at any of their meetings
discuss anything but rates and fares,
or if any condu ctor should fail to bring
any train into any station on time,
then the charter Of the whole corpora
ton to be forfeited.
The dark days of reconstruction the
mongrel legislatures, and the 'kanga
roo konvention" of 80, show nothing