The Caucasian., 1894-06-07
National Farmers Alliance and Industrial Union.


tlyes of the United States Senate,
when that body should take action
on the report Of the Committee of
Labor, accommodating the appoint
ment Of congressional committee
| TO Investigate the cause of the pres
ent Industrial and Agricultural de-
preston
II the Honorable the Speaker and Mem
jers Of the Hopse Of Representatives. Of
United States
III view of the pending resolution To ap
point Joint committee Of the Senate and
year honorable body ;G consider the causes
wnIch have produced ia present depressed
condition of the industrial interests OF this
country We desire to submit few facts An,
conclusions by the way Of urging It's adoi-
tlun.
That the people OF this country are il
financial distress, the increase OF business
failures, bankruptcies, mortgage fOreclos
ures defaiCatOns and commercial wrecks
furnish ample and complete evidence That
poverty or parslmOnIOus economy has come
Upon them, the eser-increaslng hosts of un-
employed working men and women who till
our streets and thOrOug ghfares, the vast
amount Of idle machinery seen on every
u.
used products Of the field and factory filling
The shelves of our merchants or moulding
III great stOrehouses bear silent yet conci;t-
sive testimony. That the producing classe~
are industrious the volume OF gross produc
ton is sufficient proof and that the prom
ises Of kind Providence are still with them,
the rich and abundant harvest fully de
clares. YET in the face of hard toll, rigid
economy, and this abiding test of God.
! bounty, many (aitogether too many OF on
peOplel stand in hunger and III rags, annie
| bursting granarIes and crowded warehouses
The people are not to blame for these un-
fortunate and distressing conditions. They
/ have as whole performed their part fully
and we'll. But the more they labor the les
remuneration they receive and the NOR
they bring to market the less money comes
to their pockets.
In 1867 each acre of wheat brought $23 %,
in 1898 it brought only SG.l5. In 1867 each
acre of corn brought SIS 81 in 1893 i
brought but 1921. In 1867 each acre of oats
brought 81 4.O5, IN 1893 it brought only ST 80
In 1879 /, ,T2O, ,O01 bales of cotton brought
| S242 40, 900: while in 1858 7,54O,0 900 bales
! brought only SPA, 4e0, 900. In 1889 farm an
imals in the United States were valued al
! 81. 507 .05O, ,OlS. In 1894 they are valued at
! S2.l70 sit, ,754.
The wealth of tie nation in January, 1898,
| was estimated at S70,0O0,00U 600; since that
/ date however. it is also estimated that this
wealth has decreased fully $4,000 0UO,eUO.
If this estimate is correct, and We believe
/ it is conservative, it diSclOses the further
fact that the debts and money of the country
have increased in their power to oppress
fully 80 per cent, if not more. During this
period there were over 50 900 ID Ortgage fore
| closures and more than $4,000 commercial
failures, which have stagnated all business
ana laid a paralyZing hand upon all produc-
tive industries. These conditions are not
! the creatures of a moment, but the steady
growth of many years. Filled with hope
/ the people have battled cOurageOusly to bea,
back this increasing tide OF want, misery
and distress.
/ Now. however in many sections of oul
country, hope is waning. AS an evidence o.
this we see large bodies of unemployed men
| from many portions of the country march
ing to Washington.
We deplore this action on their part, as
,e.-niore the causes that have made such
action possible. We are glad to see that nc
such mover ment has developed in the South
but the same causes are there at work
There are there idle men, depreciation OF
values and decentralization of business which
if unchecked, will inevitably produce thE
same result. 1t is simply delayed, because
fewer men are employed IN manufactures
and other pursuits that made them depend
ent for existence upon daily wages Besides
the Alliance is very strong IN the South, ant
has appealed to the intellect of the people
and urged them to bear with oppressive con
ditiOns, while they sought for the cause tha
produced them.
This is the condition of our people as We
see it, to which we desire to call the atten
ton of your honorable body.
There is ample precedent for this reQues
since the American Congress at one time ap
pointed a similar COmTsi ittee to the one now
asked for, and the Parliament of Great Bri
tain has appointed at least two or more TO
the same purpose.
In conclusion permit us to say, that th
people are discouraged, they are losing faitl
= in the several branches of Government; anC
u>we sincerely hope that you, being nearer t.
f them, will listen to their p titions, and Civ
: them hope and courage by ascertaining tn
f causes of these sad conditions.
MARION BUTLER, Chairman.
; HENRY G.. DEMMING, Sec y.
|. f. DEAN,
Executive Committee
+ National Farmers Alliance an,
Industrial Union.
Acting under the instructions o
. the National Alliance the following
e amendments were prepared for tn
2 charter of the organization:
7 First, Authorize the number of tn
Executive Committee, to be three Q
: five.
Second, To authorize within tn
J National Alliance under proper reg
ulations Life Insurance. as we'll a
= payment to the sick aud disable
members.
Third. Authorizing the Nations
: Farmers Alliance to devise ways an
: means for the further benefit all
e protection of the Agricultural an
e Industrial classes, and to carry ther
+ out under proper regulations.
! The Committee adjourned to NEE
in Topeka, Kansas, on June th
: 18th, '94, to take action with refer
e ence to the National aid as per aboy
e amendments and to transact sue
: other business as may come befol
: the Committee.