The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1893-06-06
MORE SILLY

John \. Stevens, Of Wayne county,
a member Of the last House Of Living
Curiosities, has got out another letter.
As he says THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER
abused" him, we publish his letter
this week. He manages to work in
the same old charges, but furnishes alb
solutely no proof. In fact he has the
happy faculty of being able to write a
two-coIumn article without making q
single point in the direction he seems
to be driving. In his latest he chaips
himself to the minu es of the last State
Alliance meeting, like the fellow who
tied himself to o steer, and when the
steer ran away he yelled ''sOmebody
please stop us!' Stevens is in exactly
that condition now.
AS every reader can see the nothing
ness il Stevens letter, it IS unneces-
sary to ~c0ntrovert any IF it, Most Of
it can be found in the minutes of the
last State meeting, has never been de
MED by anybody. and was published
and copies furnished to every Alliance
in the State. Stevens might select a
number of verses from the Bible and
publish them with ''cuss words" in
serted in between, but no sensible per
son would lose faith IN ths B bic on
that account.
1t will be noticed that Stevens denies
voting for the repeal OF the charter.
He is more Of coward than we thought
he was. He cannot deny that he was
among the sneaks who plotted to over
throw the Alliance, yet when the time
came he was too great a coward to vote
for his own work.
Nobody has denied the amount paid
to Alliance lecturers. The Sub, County
and Safe Alliances voted for il to be
done and will have lecturing done as
long as the Alliance exists. AS to the
delay on the part Of the Trustee in pay
ing the funds back to the few sorry,
| weak kneed contributors who have and
| will ask for it, nobody with the sense
of a ten year-old boy will criticize, for
the business had to be put in proper
shape, calculations made, postage de-
Quoted and all tie law on both sides
compiled with. More than that it
would not be business to pay afew who
rushed forward with their certificates
right away and delay others, and when
Stevens or anybody else intimates that
thereisno money topay them, they tell
adeliberate~ falsohood. Afew small bills
remain unpaid. For instance, J. S.
Bell owes twenty odd dollars. He was
one Of the sneaks who worked for the
repeal Of the charter. There was a
small loss on cotton bagging, too much
being bought, but it will probably be
sold next season. Then there is a loss
on one double seated hack, ordered
last summer from Cincinnati, Ohio,
for E A. Stevens, Of Wayne county,
business agent Of the same Alliance
that J, 4. Stevens was a member of.
and a relative, we suppose. And by
the way, this same ;. A. Stevens wrote
the order for the hack and did most of
the correspondence about the hack for
E. a. Stevens. Owing to the factory
being behind with orders the hack was
not shipped promptly. Stevens refused
to take it and the State Agent had to
pay for it. Hence we find J. A. Stevens
and j. S. Bell, two Of the prominent
sreaks in plotting the overthrow Of the
Alliance, were the two who caused two
of the losses that are to be adjusted be
fore the funds are paid to anyone.
No business concern has had better
management or fewer losses than the
State Agency fund. Now we wonder
II Stevens and Bell will not stay in
their holes?