The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-22
EIGHT GOVERNORS OF ALABAMA
1874-1901
No. 75-The Farmers Movement Continued
Thomas Seay, Governor

The biennial state convention of the
democratic and conservative party of
Alabama assembled on May O. 1888, in the
hall of the house of representatives.
Conditions were peculiar to the oe-.
casion. Preliminary efforts had been
made to prevent the transfer of the party
machinery to the Farmers alliance. Com
missioner Kolb was universally recognized
as the head and front of the alliance but
a democrat. The commissioner held no
office in the alliance and never held one,
but was an early member. Every man
of the Farmers alliance was a democrat
Every man OF the order, 80 years of age,
had voted for Houston and white suprem-
acy in the great revival of 1874 Alliance
men We're progressive democrats, propos-
Ing to use the assured supremacy of the
white voters, to the end of reformed gov
ernment, at least they so considered them
selves bound.
Thomas Seay had defeated the great
Confederate soldier, Gen. II. d. Clayton,
and the accomplished gentleman and emil
nent lawyer, n. ii. r. Dawson, two years
before, mainly on the plea that he was a
younger man than either, presumably
more susceptible of the impulse of the
newer times Not only did the transfer of
political management to the men, who
had become voters since Appomattox, be-
gin now to manifest itself, but new GUS
toms of the people came with the mar
velous development of the mineral wealth.
The first labor convention of Importance
ever held in Alabama met at Montgomery
March %, 1883. The questions discussed
were: ID The need of a state inspector
OF mines, C2) the removal of convict labor
from the mines and the limitation of con-
vict labor to Improvement of the public
roads, (3l d semi-monthly payment, In
cash, to all workers in and about mines
rather than the prevailing monthly settle
ments of their accounts with the coal op-
orators commissary.
The month prior to this labor meeting,
on February 2, state convention of the
several county alliances met at Selma.
Meantime Commissioner Kolb had lee
tured everywhere. He told of the ever
augmenting tendency in Wall street to
capture the finances of the whole people.
The small farmer and the small bor-
rover had already been excluded from the
window of the paying teller of the ma
tional bank. The most productive farm
In the state was no basis of credit for the
owner at a national bank. Limited for
credit to the village merchant, the small
farmer was more and more exhausted by
successive crops of cotton
The commissioner iinplored the farmers
not to reduce the alliance to the level OF
a political machine, but he could not ex-
plain how the war tariff. the national
bank discrimination. creatures of poll
ticians, were to be disposed OF and the
farmers find relief, save in legislation
by farmers He urged concerted action.
He would have county alliances build
warehouses for alliance members, set up
trading houses for alliance members,
open alliance banks of deposit and dis
count.
The Selma State alliance meeting was
a great event. The body was addressed
bv some of the leading members of the
bar. The democratic central organ, the
Montgomery Advertiser, preferred to the
organization the use of its columns. This
proffer was embraced by Professor New
man OF the Agricultural and Mechanical
college, Il leading alliance promoter, who
wrote regular lessons in agriculture for
the columns of this newspaper. The COM
missioner's office in the capitol was
beehive OF industry. He maintained a
direct official correspondence with more
than 10000 Alabama farmers.
Later in the same month of February,
the 2sd day of the month, stirring mass
meeting of farmers from several adjacent
counties assembled in the county court
house at Montgomery. The object was