The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-10-16
HISTORY OF THE REPEAL
The Alleged Reasons Based on False
Premises--Probable Causes for the
Attack--Vote for None of Those
Members Who Were for

Members Who Were for
Repeating the Charter.
Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
RIDGEwAY, N. c., Oct. 10.
With the assistance of a friend l
have prepared for publication the fol
lowing history of House bill 1908 intro
duced on the 18th of February, 1893,
as of particular interest just now. 1t
was christened under a false name. 1t
was called "a bill to be entitled an act
for the relief of the stockholders OF the
State Alliance Business Agency Fund"
Tt ought to have been entitled "a bill
to prohibit the Business Agency of the
State Alliance and the Sub Alliance to
compete with the merchants and ad-
vancers ofsupplies to farmers, and also
to prevent the spreading Of information
among the people, concerning prices
and some of the abuses of government
resulting from the action Of the two old
parties" However this may be, so
urgent was the need of relief, in the
opinion of the House, the bill was IN
troduced under q suspension Of the
rules, pissed it's severs | readings under
suspension of the rules. and was sent
to the Senate without engrossment. 1t
provided for the absolute repeal Of the
charter of the Alliance which had been
granted at the session of 1889. On the
next day after its passage by the House
it was received in the Senate where its
promoters intended to have it passed
in the same summary manner in which
it was put through in the House; but
the presiding officer of that body re-
ferred it to committee. On the 25th of
the same month the committee re-
ported to the Senate a substitute for
the House bill, with q recommendation
that it do pass" On motion (and
against protest. the rules were sus
pended and the bill (substitute) put
upon its several readings, passed them
all and was sent back to the House
without engrossment. 1t became the
law of the land, the House accepting
the Senate's substitute.
This act instead of repeating the
charter of 1859 contained nine sections,
five of which were declared to be neces
sary amendments to the original char,
ter, and in substance are as follows:
1St. To prevent individual liability
of stockholders in the Business Agency
fund on account Of the acts or business
transactions of the officers or agents or
employees of said Business Agency, or
in any other business enterprise Of the
State or County Alliances.
2t. To prevent any increase of salary
to any of the officers or employees of
the State or County Alliances.
81. To authorize any person who had
contributed, or who might thereafter
contribute, money TO carry on the
State Business Agency to Withdraw the
same.
4th. To prevent the use of any part
Of the Business Agency fund directly
or Indirectly for any purpose not EN-
braced in eaid charter of 1889, or in
this act.
5th. To require the trustees OF the
Business Agency fund to give a bond
in the sum of fifty thousand dollars,
and the manager one in the sum of
thirty thousand.
In the enactment of this law the
Legislature proceeded on the assump
ton that the officers of the Alliance
and the trustees, and the manager of
the Business Agency were corrupt, and
needed the restraining hand Of the law
to prevent them from corruptly spread
ing, IL politics hostile to the ruling
party, the funds Of the Business
Agency and on the further assumption
that the original charter was defective
in that it did not exempt the individual
contributors to the Business Agency
fund from liability on account of the
acts of the officers, agents or employees
Of the Business Agency. Was there
any foundation for these assumptions
on either n of theme The following
statement, which has been widely pub
iished, made by the gentlemen whose
names are attached TO it, proves beyond
question to every candid mind, who
may read it, that there was 10 grou1d
for the first assumption:
RALEIGH. n. O., May II, 1898.
We, the undersigned, officers Of the
North Carolina Farmers Safe ALI
aDce, in answer 10 several statements
by newsp 2pers and individuals. again
denounce as false the report that 81
364 Is, or any other sum was aprropri
atcd n allowed to be need in the inter
est Of the Peoples party last year. Not
one cent Of Alliance funds were used