The representative., 1899-08-03
F. A. & /. u. Dept.
Busy at Work.
(EDIrED BY ]. c. HANLEy.)

Busy at Work.
Our correspondents have been some
what annoyed at what appeared to be
lack of courtesy in answering their let
ters go )
This will be explained by saying that
we are doing the best that we can with
the limited means at our disposal to
carry on the business of this Office. I
am on the road all over the Northwest,
organizing by day and travelling by
night, SO as to keep down expenses. I
am giving my services free to the locali
ties where l visit. Sometimes they pay
my car fare and hQtel bills, but most of
the time l pay It myself. We have
as result pf Our labors assisted
in starting up, ,5e new farmers elevators
in the Northwest, that we expect and
hope will showqheir appreciation of the
service that we have given them with
out cost; will ship their grain through
the business agency of the farmers So
cieties. This would in short time
pay all the expenses of conducting this
office and place it, on a self-supporting
basis, and also permit us to wipe out
fees and dues 1t will be readily seen
what this would mean, if these new
farmers elevators would adopt this
business agency plan, we would receive
about 100000 bushels per year that will
go to some one, which would amount to
$500, of which we would receive one
half of it. or $4,000, and not cost any
one cent.
The work that we have put in on this
matter, attending meetings, drafting
articles of interpretations, securing ele-
vator sites, organizing grain growers
societies and alliances to support those
enterprises, travelling night and day, at
tending to the correspondence and du-
ties of this Office, publishing the Ali
ance Advocate and distributing free,
correspondence with our senator's and
congressman concerning the interest of
labor and agriculture and other mat
ters. I can safely say that 1 am kept
pretty busy. To cover all this outlay
of nearly $4,000, this office has taken in
less than $3.50 from every source.
Then don't be angry or discontented
with us. We are doing all that we
can with the facilities at our disposal
1t is really refreshing to hear from
distant sections of the country that the
principles of the National Farmers AL
lance and Industrial Union is of such
moment that it draws to it's meetings
| on our national holiday, July 4, such
men as Senator Tillman and congress-
men who address them and pledge their
support to the demands of the Alliance,
which gave them SO little concern in the
past. 1t now looks to me like the days
| when c. S. Parnell was at the head of
the Irish wing of the members of par
lament, when the English statesmen
declared that they were too busy with
the affairs of state, that they did not
have time to consider Irish legislation.
Parnell and his followers, it will be re-
membered, adopted a program of OBJ
structive tactics, so that the English
parliament, which declared that they
had no time to bother with Irish legis-
lation, found themselves considering
nothing else but Irish legislation. It
seems to be the same case with the Alli-
ance all over this nation, that politi-
clans are now aWaking to the needs of
this numerous and determined, but sad
ly neglected interest, that they are now
devoting much Of their time in placing
themselves on good terms with the
farmers and Workmen all over the coun-
try, irrespective of what political party
they belong to. We believe this new
and sudden outburst of interest in the
cause of agriculture and labor is born
more of fear than love. But is is en-
couraging even at this late date to re-
| ceive these offers of support. Read the
enclosed clipping from the Peoples
Paper, published by J. P. Sassaman, of
| Charlotte, N. c., the national lecturer
| of the National Farmers Alliance and
| Industrial Union of America: