The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-08-15
A NATIONAL CREED
Urged for Farmers Union by
Thomas {. Watson.
RECALLS OLD PLATFORMS
Suggestion is Made in Campsround
Speech Before Large Gathering.
Union Must Have a Ma
tional Purpose.

ssThe Farmers Union is going to de-
clare the same principles and make
the same fight attempted by the old
Farmers Alliance, and in that fight
am going to help said Hon. Thomas
E. Watson, addressing an audience of
some 1000 or 1900 people in the main
tent at the Whiteoak camp-round,
seven miles from Thomson, Ga, We'd
nesday. The audience included people
Of i've counties, McDufIie, Lincoln,
Wilkes. Columbia and Warren. Thy
had met under the auspices CT the
Farmers Educational and Cc-Opera-
tive Union, and Mr.. Watson was the
principal speaker Of the day.
The whole burden Of Mr.. Watsons
address was that the Farmers Union
must have national purpose. He
is convinced that the time has come
Or will soon come, when this organl-
cation, embracing in its membership
100000 farmers, cannot be held TO-
gether by the restricted plans and
narrow purposes which now prevail.
He wishes the organization to broaden
out to take a more comprehensive
view of things and to support with
their united influence national cam
paign, or campaign for national Of
fcers, having in view the reEeal OF
all laws granting special privileges
and especially those which operate
against the farmer. This program ne
will actively urge in his periodicals.
He finds this platform already franz
ed and these principles already enun-
ciated in the Ocala platform, which
was adopted by the Farmers Alliance
at Ocala Fla. That platform contains
the following declarations:
The income tax.
The removal Of tariff taxes from all
the necessaries of life.
Direct election of United States SEN
ators by the people.
Abolition Of national banks and gov
eminent loans to the people on good
security at 2 per cent interest.
No fayoritism or class legislation.
Mr.. Watson repeatedly r: drew compar-
isons between the Farmers Union OF
+odav and the Farmers Alliance OF
Yesterday, and insisted that their pur-
noses were the same. THE Farmers
Alliance was the greatest educattonal
factor this country ever knew, ne
said.
Taking up the warnings and aolio'
nitions against plunging the Farmers
Union into the maelstrom OF politics
IN which the Old Farmers Alliance
had gone to wreck, Mr.. Watson SAID:
politics, meaning indorsing this
man for this particular Office, should
be avoided. But politics IN us last
and loft;est definition means the re-
lationship that exists or should exist
between the government and the peo'
nile Even the churches are not too
good to take an occasional hand IN
practical politics.
The Farmers Union will not reacn
the point of its greatest usefulness
and achieve the hope it eAtertalns
until the organization brings pressure
to bear upon the politician and me
statesman and tells them certain laws
arc Impressive and must be repealed.
Certain other laws are neeoed anu
must be enacted"
Mr.. Watson paid his respects TO
tho no1iticians in no very compliment
tarv way. He assured his hearers that
when their united voice was raised 1or
reforms the politicians would fall over
themselves to gre hsed, as they did IN
the case OF the immigration discus
sion.