The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-12-12
AN ALLIANCE ADDRESS.
BY Bro w. H. Yeldel1, President of
Edgefeld County, S. c., Alliance.

officers, we also know that no progress
can be made, nothing accomplished
without the co operation and assistance
OF its members. SO brethren, while l
promise to do the very best can as
your presiding officer-and while l
may at all times and under all circum
stances endeavor to declaim your will
and obey implicitly your commands,
whatever progress is made, whatever
profitable work done, will be in pro
portionto the interest manifested aud
the efforts put forth by you.
Let us by united effort strive to build
up our organization, endeavor to make
it what 1t should be-a live, progress
sive, and work ng body. An organ
ization worthy of representation In our
State Alliance and component part
of that great and grand organization,
the Farmers Alliance and Industrial
Union of America.
The Alliance, brethren, is an organ
izatton the interest of which should
arouse to action and stir the heart of
every farmer in this country, for it is
intended to devise some means by
which they can elevate themselves
socially and educationally and better
their financial condition. An organiZa-
tion in which all political classes can
unite in enforcing certain reforms and
correcting certain wrongs and abuses
in our government, which all must
agree do exist.
An organization which has done and
is now doing more to educate the farm
ers and laboring classes in the service
of government political and economic,
than all the organizations that have
ever heretofore existed Yea. it has
done more in this direction during the
five or six years of its life, than has
been done for hundred years before.
The Alliance is an uprising of the peO-
pie protesting against a system of
finance, which is rapidly annihilating
the resources of the farmers and almost
every other line of business" A sys-
tenn of government which tends to
make the rich richer and the poor
poorer. To make millionaires out of
the one and paupers of the other. A
system of government which has de
parted from the principals advocated
by our Democratic fathers; and which
is retarding civilization and tending to
condition which brought about the
dark ages. A system of government
which is rapidly changing this beauti-
ful land of ours from government of
''free and independent owners" to a
government of landlords and tenants
How can you and |, brethen, how
can any farmer, sit down with COM
placency and view with unconcern a
condition of things which is grad ually
taking from us our home, driving us
into peasantry and serfdom and our
children to become the hewers of wood
and drawers of waterI How, say,
can we submit to this condition of
things without making some effort to
avert itI I tell you brethren, it will
be an evil day for the farmers of this
country when, if ever, the Alliance is
allowed to disband; for it is the only
organization under the sun that prom
ises Us relief. The only organization
in existence through which we can
proclaim our grievances, right our
wrongs and enforce our demands.
Then, brethren, it behooves us to use
every means in our power to keep UP
and maintain our organization. But
what to do and how to proceed to do
this is a difficult question to solve. Our
enemy is the invIdIous and almost in
visible money power of the world,
which with it's iron grasp upon the
government is using the power of
money to oppress and the power of
the press to shape and mould public
opinion to perpetuate its power. And
by seductive arguments and misrepre-
sentations it's aim and purpose is to
disband our organizations and destroy
our unity and concert of action. This
money power can and does command
the best talent in the land, and from
what we have seen during the last
Congress we are made to believe that
a great many of our leading men North
and South, if not the President him
self, are being swayed by it's influence.
While we, scattered as we are, in the
rural districts, the masses of the peo
pie uneducated in the principles Of our
Order, without money and but little
literar ure, it is difficult indeed to get
them to understand the Importance of
organization and concert of action. So,
brethren, it is essential that we agitate,