The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-09-01
AGAIN THE ALLIANCE,
GREAT GATHERINGS OF THE CLANS
iN UNION COUNTY.

Senator Trlman Talks to Them-He is Re-
| csived With tho Old Time Euthusiasm,
Duncan, winborn and Wilson Also
Speak.
One of the largest gatherings seen
in Union County for years was held
at Duck Pond church Thursday. four
miles above Union, the occasion being
the Union County Alliance rally. It
had been given out some days ago
that Senator Tillman would be pres.
ent to address the assem- blage, and at
an early hour Thursday morning
clouds of dust were seen on all the
roads leading into town from the low
er portion of the county, caused by
people going to the meeting. Many
went up on the morning train to join
the throng. There were between l 500
and 1900 people present, including
quite large number of ladies.
Mr.. D. P. Duncan was the first
speaker introduced. He urged the
Alliance to reorganize and stick to-
gether. He told them of their strength
and how they were feared by the
trusts, whose whole aim is to grind
down the people and make them pay
exorbitant prices for anything that
they could get control of. He illus
trated by recounting the great fight
that was made against the cotton tie
trust and the great advantages that re-
suited to the farmer by the success OF
the fight. He said one would bave
some idea what an enormous profit
would have went into pockets of the
trust if they had not made the fight,
if the multiplied half million bundle
ties necessary for the crop of the south
by the 70 cents raise they had put on
each bale.
he spoke for an hour telling of the
good work the Alliance had done in
the way of bringing the agricultural
and laboring classes together through
out the land, Notwithstanding the slurs
of the newspapers in their squibs, say
ing the Alliance was a corpse, was a
dead thing of the past, and that those
same people would some day find to
their undoing that the Alliance is the
most lively corpse they ever had any.
thing to do with. He complimented
Senator Tillman for the work he was
doing in the senate, and said that be
was keeping wide awake to the in.
terests of the farmers. He told of the
trouble the Alliance bad at organiza
ton by politicians going in for per-
sonal advantage, getting left and drop
ping out. He said we need statesmen
we don't need so many leaders. The
country, if ever saved, would be
through the Alliance principles and
not by politicians; that the politician
dares only for the people while trying
to secure their votes.
He deplored the fact of Texas going
into the cotton raising business and 60
ing out of sheep raising. Give them a
wool tariff, so they would raise sheep,
and let us raise the cotton. Texas
could raise a bale to the acre without
fertilizer; we can't compete with them.
We want more manufacturing indus
tries. We need to manufacture those
things which we buy from the north.
We want people mere who will con-
sumo farm products and not produce
them. This will give us better prices.
Mr.. Wilborn of York, president OF
the Alliance, was next introduced. He
told of the work he was doing and pro-
posed to do in the way of reorganizing
the Alliance, and told of the soreheads
who had gotten into the Alliance and
done it more harm than good because
their personal expectations were not
realized. He urged the reorganization
in every section of every county OF the
Alliance, until the entire yeomanrv of
the State should move solidly together
in any measure looking to the advance.
ment of the general welfare of the
agricultural interests of the country.
Mr.. Stanyarne Wilson was next in
troduced as the silver-tongued orator
of Spartanburg, and spoke for forty
minutes mostly upon national issues.
Advocating the cause of bimetalism
as lhe remedy for hard times, he said
that when silver Was cut down that
there was about an equal amount OF
silver and gold. The result was the
cutting off half our money; and scarce
money always caused hard times,
while plenty of money caused good
prices and good times. Prices had
gradually advanced 1 per cent year
for twenty years prior to 1873, and
since then in six years the price went
down to 20 per cent. He said the is.
sue of greenback bills was the starting
point of the money monopolists in
their destructive work. Greenbacks
were necessity, but the bankers in
serted clause that they should not
be good for interest on the national
debt and import duty. From this be-
ginning they had gone step by step
until they now have their clutch on
the very throat of the government.
He was opposed to the tariff on cotton; ;
was in favor of getting as low tariff
as possible; showed the extra cost the
80 per cent? tariff would make on wear
ing apparel, etc. He said the tariff
was not a revenue, and that while ten
millions of revenue would be raised
one hundred and fifty million will 60
into the pockets of the manufacturers,
who are thus protected against for.
elgn importation. We should not tax
cotton, because we export it; should
tax rice, because we import It. Egyp'
tian cotton is no more in competition
to our cotton than it is to wool. 1t is
an entirely different article.
After dinner Mr.. Tillman was intro
duced. The crowd had patiently
waited to hear the senator, and from
the cheers that went up it was evident