The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-08-20

TT 0WN
The Msjor Attends the State Alliance
Meeting--He Felt Meaner than a
North Carolina Railroad Di-
rector at First--Too Full
for Utterauce.
B.-"Hellol Mr.. Editor"
R.-'Hello! Maj0r. I'm at your ser
vice"
B.-"ITl try ter discuss a few things
with you, but I'm not feelln' Ike talk
in much. I went to the State Alliance
last week, an 1 haint got over IL yet
Them Cary folks had go many guide
things ter eat it cum nifty nigh dIsor-
ganizin' my whole c~orporosity. 1t does
a Teller guide ter git out frum home
now an then, purvidin' he kin stand 1t.
But 1 tell you 1 felt purity mean at
frst-az mean az a Dreckter ov the
North Carolina Railroad-I reckon. l
hadn't bin takin' much part in Alliance
~pereeedins fer sum time an l felt like
I wouldn't be welcome at the State
meetin', especially bein' ez I'm a dyma-
KRAFT. But l found that wasn't 30. The
brethren Jest treated me az we'll az If l
wuz a kalamity howlin' Populist with
silver plated shoes on my feet. The
p~erseedins, so far az I could see, were
strictly non partisan, an didn't hear
any party menshuned. So far as my
observashun went the meetin' wuz
Populist, Republican an Dymakratick
the best ov awl ov them-but not
awl ov any ov 'em. I tole Betsy that
when l got home. She sed she reck-
oned I wuz erbout rite, but she'd bet
that it wuzent Republican or Dema-
kratick enough Ter git the endorsement
ov President Cleveland and Senator
Sherman. I didn't feel sure erbout
that, an I didn't say anything"
R.-"You say you have not been at
tending Alliance meetings for some
time, and yet admit that this one was
all right and that you thoroughly en-
joyed it. Will you explain why you
absented yourself from the meetings?'
B.-"Yes, 1 reckon so. 1t wuz be
kase the Alliance went into polyticks
four years ago"
R.-"WM you not admit that every
other member has much right to go
into politics as you have3'
B.-"I don't know. Maybe they
have. But thousands ov the members
left the Dymakratick an Republican
parties an started a new party. They
had no rite ter do that"
RI insist that they did have that
right. A political party is an mani
mate thing. TIE principles are the
only thing of substantial value. If
these principles are discarded then the
members of hat party can and should
leave it without further ceremony. II
your dwelling house becomes rotten
unfit to live in-you are at liberty to
build another and move into it if you
can. If the timbers in a bridge are
rotten, you ought to tear it away and
build a new bridge, instead of riskipg
life and limb in crossing the old one.
B.-"But l didn't think the dyma
kratick party wuz rotten an I staid
in it."
R.-'AlI right. That was your
privilege. Nobody objects. If you C Il
stand it other people will say amen
But there are those who believe it bes.
to fee from the wrath to come anC
they fed. Later developments have
convinced them that they were no.
mistaken. But if that were not trut
there is no reason in the world why yet
should not affiliate with the Alliance
You admit that its meetings are frater
nal, nonpartisan and useful. l have
been IN dozens of Sub Alliance meet
ings, many county ard State meetina,
and two annual meetings Ct the Ma
tiOnal Alliance. Not one of them wer,
partisan, and nothing was said or don,
to offend any partisan. The man VIII,
says he had to leave the Alliance be
cause it went into politics is simpI,
running on the plan that q poor excus
Is better than none at all"
B.-"Maybee you are rite. 1 ofte
feel like I orter do better, an I'm goiI
make another powerful effort. Gud
bye"
COMMITTEE MEETING.