The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-12-18
A SPLENDID ADDRESS.
The President and Secretary of Ruther-
ford County Alliance Write Sense
Let all County Officers Take
a Stand for the Cause.

Stand for the Cause.
Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
The election is over Every member
OF our organization has been left free to
vote as he thought best. Many are
pleased with the result; others are sad.
Partisan spirit is the cause of these
feelings in many cases. When we join
the Alliance we carry with us our par
tisan feelings and they are hard to be
kept in their proper bounds. We do
not want to get rid of party spirit, but
we do want to rule and direct it instead
of being governed by it.
What is our condition now7 We
have passed through the sieve. The
self-seeking fellows who wanted to use
us for their own advantage, without be
ing any advantage to us, are gone.
Seekers after political honors who did,
or did not, get what they wanted, have
left US. The ministers of the gospel
who love to wear fine coats, white
neckties and silk hats and to associate
with those who dress fine and carry
loud-mOuthed in our meetings. The
idle, shiftless fellows who are ever
ready to get whatever they can with
out giving an honest equivalent for it,
have dropped out. Is it any wonder
our ranks are reduced9 But many are
not members now who once belonged
to our order, and yet are not in either
Of the above useless classes. There are
two large crowds of these.
First, Those who have become dis
couraged. They believe fully in our
principles but cannot see that we are
doing any good"
Second, Those who look to political
parties for relief or benefit and they
can't see how the Alliance is going to
help their party. They areyet slaves
to partisan feelings. Our principles
are just and fair and right if their
party would adopt them. Both Of
these crowds should be in our ranks to-
day.
What is our duty now9 Close up
our ranks and move forward. ALI po-
li,ical psrties. all religious denomina
tions in this country have admitted
that we are on right principles. If
they were right once they will be right
for all time, down to eternity's dawn.
Because we cannot be used by politi
cal party unless we ourselves see fit, or
because selfish men have patronized
and then abandoned us, does not affect
the truths we hold. Unless these truths
are established, our country must go,
For unless those who work at some
honest calling join together and study
in a non partisan spirit, without self
seeking, the deep problems Of govern
ment, we must expect when the day of
reconing between the oppressor and
the oppressed comes, men in their
ignorance will commit counter wrongs,
dreadful to think Of.
We know that our principles carried
out can wrong no one, but would give
to each the fruit. of his labors, leaving
none to suffer but the lazy and vicious
Let us work to get honest, thinking
men into our organization. Let US re-
gard quality more than quantity when
we meet. Numbers may not indicate
strength. There are twenty thousand
AIliancemen in North Carolina. They
have truth and right on their side.
They are going to build large factory
this year. Next year they will build
another factory. They can do it with
the money that it takes to keep one
member of each family in tobacco.
They will do it if no man in Ruther-
ford county takes a dollars worth OF
stock, and if we drop out of the race
entirely.
We cannot afford to do this. Don't
be discouraged but let us have good
meeting of earnest and true men at the
quarterly meeting at Wallis Alliance
on the second Thursday in January
next. Fraternally,
W. o. BABER, Pres.
A, DIX WALLACE, Sec. Treas.