The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-08-18

officers. When you have heard their
detailed reports of progress and plans,
you are expected to pass your judge
ment upon their labors and to direct
their future operation. The possibil
tiles of this enterprise as it may be ex
tended and devolved are too great,
both the upbuildlng of the Alliance
and as a factor in the industrial de
velopment of the State, not to claim
very earnest and mature consideration
at your hands. For if we succeed in
this small beginning, as we shall if we
are so determined, this venture will
mark a new era in the life of our or
~ganization, and illustrate the possibil
tiles of co operative Industrial enter
prise.
We r now upon the eve of a pO-
litical campaign which promises to be
a very remarkable one in our country's
history. The Importance of the issues,
the uncertainty of the event, the graf
ificatiOn which every Allianceman
feels that the lines Of battle are drawn
at length upon his fundamental con
tention of financial reform unite to
surround the campaign with unusual
activity and interest, while perhaps
little, therefore, could be done in the
way Of reviving and reorganizing the
Order until after the election, too little,
l fear, could be done even then with
our present disregard Of the value Of
the lecture system. DoemIng this a
matter of the utmost Importance, l
urge that you shall not close this SEES.
sion until you have devised some plan
to keep the lecturer constantly IN the
field during the coming campaign.
The director of the Agricultural
Experiment Station has recently re-
q1ested through The PROGRESSIVE
FARMER that each Sub Alliance ap
point an agricultural committee to
communicate with him upon questions
Of farm interest. This was done after
consultation with me. l hope the mem
bership will avail itself of the informa
ton so freely offered.
If we may not thereby increase the
market price Of products, we may
learn to lessen the cost Of production,
and a lessend cost is equivalent to an
increase of price in so far as il may
add to our prCfi5.
Conditions just now confronting us
seem to me unusually favorable for re
neWed growth of the Alliance. Until
four years ago this organize alton was in
foe favor with a majority of our 8g
gricultural people. This favor was not
withdr avn TO be replaced by misrep
resentation and'persecution until the
existence and teachings Of the Alliance
had begO5ten intense convictions to the
hearts Of q large and unimpeachabIepor
ton Of It's membership. TIE unbiased
study Of economic conditions and prob
lens gave rise to q body Of sincere men
who, through bitter experience, had
lost all confidence in the honesty and
helpfulness Of existing party organize
lions. These men wer6 four years IN
advance of a vast host that could be
numbered to day. We had presented
our demands TO National conventions
and legislatures of these existing par
ties, we had urged upon them the
lstice of cur claims TO substantial
recognition and eff 'ctive remedy, we
had declared our willingness to
| strengthen the party that would care
for our interests, and we had received
nothing better than scant courtesy fer
the moment, with ridicule. and con
temp5uous disregard after ward. If
| State and local conventions seemed to
acquiece in our demands, it was only
TO give US the place of a neglected plat
form, while our shrewder enemies
we're given too often the body and soul
| of the candidate. The lack of good
faith On the part of party leaders in
whom we had confded became dis
| gustingly evident to many, to whom
there seemed left no course consistent
| with their convictions but to ally them
selves with e new party Of protest,
protesting friendliness to their inter
ests and incorporating their dem ands
into its party platform, Then began
at the hands of dominant partisans IN
North Carolina a campaign of cruel
and bitter misrepresentation Of the
Alliance and Of the motives that act,
uated the majority of Aillancomen of a
later day.
Former AlIiancemen, of too much
brain not to comprehend the injustice
and faleity of their own ut:erances and