The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-01-17

as the Republic. During the figh5 With
| the Bagging Trust, a small sum was
invested IN cotton bA8gIng and has not
/ all been recovered yet, and it NAV Occa
sion the loss OF few hundred d )Ilars;
but the great victory won In that ssrife
far Outwelghs the cost to she Alliance
and fully demonstrates the fact shat a
little money reinforced by determine
| tIOn and united action 10 q reelstless
power against the attack of enemies
Ehe fund Is a fiXEure. It cannot be
| withdrawn at the Will of contributors
The only condition upSn which iJ shalt
revert IL In case the North Carolina
Farmers Alliance shOuld for any cause
cease TO exist, and this condition ls
not likely to occur sOOn The fund
| then Ia a standing security for the con
| tracts and purchases Of the State Blsi
| ness Agent, ana while it haa not under
the wIEa management o. w. II. WUrJh
been necessaArV, except in case of the
hagglng mentl ned above, to draw on
1t yet 1t Is this fund alone that enables
| the Business Agent to make favorable
contracts and satisfactory terms. II
inspires confidence. Bro. Worth, at
the end of his first years service a.
State Business Agent said in his re
port:
When I commenced work found
that the cOmmercI Il world did nOE
know the Farmers Alliance and 1t
| seems they did not want to know them.
Things have changed now. There Ia
| no trouble to gat any article we want,
If we on v have the money TO get IL
with When you would write SO
manufacturers for goods, they would
invariably ref you to their local
| agents. To day we can buy most any
article at from 10 to 60 per cent off
A marvellous change in one year
Then. not Recognized, to day only a
year later, Coursed and overtures mace
at the aate of 10 to 50 per cent. off Tue
back lOne OF the JuJe Truss had been
broken, and baggng for which they
demanded IA cents per yard was now
selling for selling for Eeven To the
fund may be a-cribed the first honor
IN the accomplishment of so grand re
suits.
The second element of success is the
PLAN OF BUSINESS.
The fund is necessarily a part cf the
plan, but the plan is 7y 10 means a
part OF the fund Without the fund
the plan would be incomplete but
without the plan the fund would be
tseirsS
The plan, like the fund. ha- under
gone development and is nO' nov what
i - - r. tir.l- tt. OrI-!.-.~!' '.ntlLJi, i
being simply TO bug AS close a. possible
ana sell To County Business Agents
only. and strictly for Ca-h, allowing no
margin for the support Of the Agea Cy.
This feature OF allowing no margu for
the support or the Agency was in gen
eral favor and worked we'll until the
State was organized and mOUeY ceased
to come into the treasury Through the
issuing of charters and outfits True
there were more mem bers than at first
but the amount of dues paid into the
State Treasury was barely sufficient to
meet cxpense5 The increased number
of delegates to the State Alliance, with
the much greater distances they trav
eled. at once placed the annual meet
iugs at very heavy expense. the meet
ing in Asheville, which vas he fourth
annual session costing So 299 6l; and
the meeting at MOrehead City the fol
lowing year a larger sum. (iJ Is graft
tying TO know that there mas been some
retrpnchmenG in this line, and that
delegates are now paid only actual tx
penses, ins cad of " four cents a mile
each way" and q per diem
the Execu i've Committee, fOreeeeing
tho heavy drains that would be made
upon the treasury, and knowing that
in the original appOrCiOnment the ex-
! penses of the Agency had not been pro
vlded for, directed the State Business
| Agent 70 make his department. self
sustaining. This Bro. Worth at once
| proceeded to do In very efficient and
| satisfactory manner, and without de
stroying the a ;cepted plan of paying
| the Agent a salary rather than com
missions. Without raising the prize
of goods one iO5a to the consumer, he
succeeded in inducing every firm from
which he bought to allow hum nerta n
percentage eff as brokerage to theSt4te
Alliance This commission runs about
as follows: On groceries, from / TO II
per cent. on shoes, dry goods ana
clothing, p 10 per cent, on sewing
machines, 81 90 10 50 90; on reapers,
and mowers, 81 90; on bUggies 81 IS
to 50 so; on hard ware generally, y per
cent cook stoves, 50 cents; on tcrJIll
zerR. so cents per N, One-hAlt Of which
goes to the agent who delivers 1T, This
brokerage Is at once turned into the
treasury of the State Alliance and the
Agents salary is paid as formerly, out
Of this treasury. Now every dime of
this money is duly accounted for and
the Agent is under sufficient bond to
make good any possible defalcations.
The channel through which goods
reach the consumer, or the channel
| thro Ugh which orders for goods reacn
the State Agent has likewise improved.
There was much lnconvence, and often
delay, occasloned by placing orders
with the Sub-Agent, and he, with the
County Agent, who in turn placed
them with the State Agent. And IN
this routine the cash was expected to
accompany each order, except III case
or County Agents who, upon fling
sufficient bond, we're allowed 30 lays
IN which to deliver goods and remit