The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-02-14
A r

The State Alliance President and Mem
bers of the Executive Committee
Publish an Address That
Sould be Read in Every
Surveillance.
To the Membership Of the Sub Alliances
of North Carolina,
BRETHREN I've have all recently
passed through a heated political cam
paign. We are all committed to the
same principles, the same demands for
reform, the same end; but we have, as
was our right and duty, individually
selected the methods that seemed to US
best to secure the results desired by all
Alliancemen. The following Of Our in
dividual judgments in the exercise of
this right has resulted in us acting
with different political parties. The
same has occurred to a greater or less
extent in every political campaign
since the Alliance was organized. But
this variance of judgment as to meth
DDS should not shake devotion to
the principles of the organization or
cause any personal estrangement be-
tween us as brethren. Before your
meeting adjourns let every brother
read, or have read, in open meeting by
the Secretary the obligations we have
all taken. Oet the Secretary here read
the o~bligation.) Again let us remem-
Der that there r other great and i'm
portant results and benefits (OtheT than
those through legislation) which indi-
vidually we cannot secure for Our-
selves, but which can come only
through cooperation and united effort.
Let us read again the declaration of
principles and purposes Of our noble
order. Iet the Secretary here read
from the Constitution For these
grand purposes we are now practically
a unit both as to method and results
Now, therefore, inasmuch as the
meetings of the Sub. Lodges and the
work of the organization proper has to
some extent been neglected and possibly
lost sight of during the political cam
paign, let us all unite Our efforts to in
crease the membership of each lodge
and make the meetings more enter
tanning and profitable that ev3r.
The situation, our own condition and
necessities and the dangers ahead of us
force US to do this. We cannot do less.
How blind we would be to our own self
interests and how criminal to those de
pending upon Our labor and efforts for
support to allow this organization to
suffer or by an action weaken its power
for good simply because our judgments
do not all agree on political method.
Can we expect weak human flesh to be
perfect? Brethren, we must have
charity when we disagree, the beam
may be in our own eye. Before this
meeting adjOurns let each brother stOn
and think who the persons are who
would be delighted to hear of your di-
vision; who the persons are who have
feared you since you organized and
who the persons r who have been
diligently trying to create a breach in
our ranks, who have been tanning the
little fame o ffeeling or widen the least
breach that may have occurred
amongst us. Then stop and think
whose interests are nearer together,
those Of you present in this meeting
n your neighuors who should be here,
or those farmers who are planning for
the destruction of the organization and
are TO- glOating over your little differ
ences. These hostile influences may
succeed in making small breeches in
our ranks, and to some extent weaken
ing the organization, but they cannot
break 1T down. The principles on
which it is founded are too broad and
patriotic and the dangers facing us are
too grave and threatening. Never in
the history of the Organization has it