The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-02

Journed its several days session with an
exasperatng denunciation of the organ
| or the party, the Montgomery Adver-
tiser. The paper was taken completely
by surprise and If its long and consistent
| support of the farmers movement had
been forfeited in any particular the dere-
liction could be found only in its cordial
support of Col. Thomas G. Jones, then
the only avowed candidate for the party
nomination for governor Colonel Jones,
as a lawyer in full practice, was ineligible
to membership in the alliance, and thus
being not available for the political use
of the order, must be classed as in oppo-
sition.
The year 1889 became historic in the
political favors 1t yielded to the alliance.
In the month of February the legislature
| Incorporated the unique Farmers Al
| lance Exchange" a stock corporation,
subscriptions restricted to members of
the illiance order The charter rights OF
this new and rare potentialty of society
| brought 1t into active competition with
almost every division of business and en-
| terprise.
The Farmers Alliance exchange was
chartered to act as general forwarding
agent for all kinds of commodities; to
erect, manage and operate warehouses,
| stock yards, cotton and tobacco ware
| houses, grain elevators, packing establish
ments; to manufacture guano or other fec-
| tilizer, and all such other enterprises as
may be found necessary or advisable to
their profit or betterment."
| This the first section of the charter
| seems to have put the world and the full
ness thereof under alliance domination.
Other sections, however, were devoted to
items and specifications. The Alliance
| Exchange might receive deposits and
| make discounts as bank. 1t might buy
| lands and all other kinds and varieties IF
chattels and property. might hold ann
use cotton plantations of unknown linn
its, or sell at will; might own factories.
mills, telegraph lines, railroads, steam
boats, etc.
comprehensive corporation ever known
| to the laws of Alabama. 1t was the only
corporation protected by law whose MEM
bership was limited to the members OF
an oath-b bound association.
| Another act of the same Legislature en-
powered every sub-aliance or county al
lance to organize itself into "a body cor
porate.
| Yet third act in the interest of the
alliance provided for Farmers Insti-
| tutes' under the direction of the commits
sioner of agriculture The commissioner
| must employ lecturers at the expense of
| his department, to traverse the state and
| address meetings on agricultural science
and practice.
| Never before had state legislation so
| compassed the farming element of popu-
| lation with special faVors
| The Farmers Alliance received from
| the state government, if not all 1t asked
for, yet enough to justify the order in
| aspiring to full recognition in political
| affairs.
| The project of farmers Institutes was
Immediately put into effect. 1t was known
and accepted as an alliance factor 1t
was known and accepted the alliance
itself, articulate in appeal to the public
| encouragement
Commissioner Kolb employed for the
prescribed institute lectures, Prof j, S.
Newman of the A and NJ college, and
DR.. n. T. Lupton of that college, Prof.
7. j. Carlisle, a school teacher and
| farmer of Troy, Pike county; Prof. j. P.
Oliver, a school teacher and farmer of
Dadeville, and A. b. Brassell, cotton
planter of Montgomery county. He at
| tended many meetings In person and adj
/ dressed them.
OF the character of the institute meet
ings, we may bring into view an example
from each of the two sections of the
| state, the hill counties and the planta-
tion region.
In the summer of 1889 an institute was
held under the auspices of the law in
| Lawrence county, Commissioner Kolb
spoke. He protested against the introduc-
tfon of partisan politics into the alliance,
but earnestly plead with all farmers to
| unite with the order to protect them
| "a Of ba
money trust. He was followed by Lee
| turer Brassell. Brassell referred to the
| injustice Of the political machine that
excluded the farmers from control of the
state government. The farmers had not
i furnished the state with a governor from
their own ranks in 80 years, he said.
| The commissioner went on to Atlanta
and Lecturer Brassell dropped down to
an institute meeting in the black belt,
| Marengo county, Black belt alliance men
were first, black belt democrats Lee
| turer Brassell carried with his attach
mont to democratic cotton planters some
| odor of an earlier relation to scalawag
| Governor Lewis time. At the Margengo
| institute he eulogized Commissioner Kolb
| and repeated his moulton philippe against
the Montgomery Advertiser
We come down the calendar to Septem-
her, when Governor Seay must appoint a
| successor to Commissioner Kolb of the
expiration of his term of two years.
The Influence which the alliance had
carried into the political situation was
incalculable. Kolb was a member, and
the most influential member of the order
The two secret societies Of farmers the
Grange and the Alliance, the farmer from
the beginning and the latter ultimately
admitting the wives and daughters of
members, were active rivals for the favor
of the governor by which the office of
commissioner of agriculture must be
filled.
There was a wide difference between
the normal spheres of activity occupied
by the two societies competing for the
honor of supplying the state commissioner
OF agriculture from their ranks respec-
lively. The Grange devoted its energies
to the education of farmers in the prac-
tices of agriculture, to the encouragement
of its members to enter upon higher
plane of life-the betterment of the houses
they lived in. and the buildings on the
farms, and in the adoption generally OF
advanced habits OF society connected witt
applied science in their enterprise.
On the other hand, the Alliance while
seeking to promote the industry of agri
culture kept a restless eye upon the
agency of political power to accomplish
its purposes.
Governor Seay appointed Commissioner
Kolb, the applicant brought forward by
the alliance. The competitor, coming for.
ward with the Endorsement of the Grange
We're Col. Hiram Hawkins, president of
the Grange, and Charles Gachet of Lee.
who had been chief clerk TO Commits
siorer Belts.