Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

' ' rr 5 J2S£.-- gj/g ' Y ... TfeiSF-^' i -~ i "-^^-1-B^s=*^^'^^ OF / z /%\ *” '■ • - - B JE W YSKs Bi'i KjJ’ I K’l' IP- J SfcA kr ; ~i \" c - ' < J ' 7 y- j'" ■■# / I . , V | jy W ; %j4nW\SlJg ' 'O>a& /if; ~ iWW jyx- y ■\C ’. - .-I—, .. ■". - / V* ~jhd« j ■ <M<? - X M\>. ■ *- "x. * ''X fOL. IS-NO. 38. ■B WALKS AND TALKS. ‘ By Martin V. Calvin. no. 3. a In number one of this sei-ies, refer ence was made to the fact that, as a class, farmers and fanners’ families do not read as much as their best interests de- There are, of course, exceptions to the rule, atnf it is also admitted that generally there is more reading now than twenty years ago. There -yet remains a wondrously large field for im provement. Newspapers are increasing in number; the better weeklies are as good as some of the magazines, and th- best maga zines are within the reach even of the moderately well-to-do farmer. He can have his choice at $3 a year. When the twelve numbers have been read by the several members of the family he can have the set put into two substantial vol umes at very small cost. Let’s consider this a moment, though it is not exactly what I intended to talk about when I took up my pen: , Up one side and down another Har -1 pbn’s is possibly the best magazine in the f\ country; then you have choice between • it and the Century, Lippincott’s, Scrib ner’s, the Atlantic monthly, the Cosmo politan, etc. Take either of these for the grown up folks and big gins and boys, and the Youth's Companion for the chil dren between ten and eight., an, and you have,at an expenditure from $4.75 to $5.75 a year, a mass of choicest reading matter for wife, children and self. Your Alliance organ and a good weekly Sfcpaper, secular and religious, you must ' in a( l^’ tion p amUn of the v Yes, W> fact is not lost to sight that enconomy is to be practiced during the year 1890 more rigidly than it has been observed during the year so rapidly hastening to a close. It is also remem bered that true economy is the vigorous use of money. The best is always the Money expended for the pur- Bnses outlined in the foregoing para- Mais will prove to be money ex- I’d most economically. Let me say Bor the children of the household Bis no paper I have ever seen equal H Bie Youth’s Companion, a hand- Boston (Mass.) weekly at $1.75 per annum. The w< iter took it through sev eral years for his children. He never failed to find on the editorial page an ar ticle from which he gathered instruction. The Companion is uniformly as bright as a new pin and as clean and instruc tive as bright. One finds in the magazines of this day carefully collected information .on lead ing topics, with a fair sprinkling of the ■a, best m fiction. Beading of the character - 1 furnished by a number one magazine leads into new fields-and pastures green, i It stimulates inquiry, creates and inten | sifies a thirst for knowledge. This is \ particularly true as to the little people, j Give them a fair start on the line herein I indicated, and you forever protect them | against light literature of the baser sort. I A centre table in your humble home, I my toiling friend, bearing up under the weight of accumulated and accumulating magazines and newspapers, will ulti- I mately demand book shelves -or a book i \ case. What if itjdoes? Books are cheap Ly and you can arrange the shelves, or at slufiil cost command a neat book case. Yes,sir! yes,sir! you’ll have time to read, and your family will have time to read, and you will not be the poorer for the investment. Besides, your own and your family’s horizon will be brightened a hundred fold each month of the twelve. Try it. A great many people attempt to read without knowing how to read. You cannot be a clam and yetread profitably. Never, never. Don’t be a clam! I put that sentence in a line by itself. Well, put it that way; it is not only “fat” to the compositor, but it will arrest your attention. Don’t be a clam, except as to your neighbor’s small faults and the little but numerous imperfections of our human nature. Talk about what you read, especially the thought-awakening things. Give out the facts you glean and the truths you drink in; they will become more thor oughly your own. When Lord Macaulay,the great English scholar and historian, was a boy he was a diligent reader. He had a habit of reading an hour or two each day and then going down to the neighboring smithy and telling the brawny-armed black smith all about his hours with his books. He clung to the habit till it became a practice. When it was announced in later years that Lord Macaulay contemplated a com plete history of England, Lord High Chancellor Campbell, writing to his brother and referring to • the fact above recited, declared that, while he cheer fully conceded to Macaulay all the ability and scholarship claimed for him by his warmest admirers, he had undertaken tbe impossible. Later, he wrote that in passing a book stall he was attracted by a handsome volume. On taking it up, he discovered it was the first volume of Macaulay’s England! Lord Macaulay often said that when he sat down to his great work, the habit alluded to stood him in excellent baud; for the worthies and the unworthies ran ged themselves in order along the walls of his study and each rendered his report and bowed himself out with the stateli ness or the shufiienes s of his particular period. Hon. Thos. E. Watson, of Thomson, Ga. On the 4th instant, at Stellaville, Ga., Mr. Watson addressed a large crowd upon the burning issues of the day. He ex plained to the down-trodden farmers and laborers in a most lucid, forcible and pointed manner how they have been im posed upon, and the causes of theirpov erty and degradation, and the means to be used to elevate them to their former state of thrift and prosperity. Such in formation is sadly needed all over this brosftl land, from, jjpa to sea, in order to TtfßKse t-? K»»xigl»®6tSW;ticn 'the bone and sinew of the land, that they may save their homes and children from the mer ciless grasp of the money kings and finan cial combinations that bring ing them into a worse state of bondage than was ever experienced by the Israel ites under their task masters in Egypt. He exposed the banking system in all its enormity, and the unjust and unwise legislation in reference to it; and how our government wrings exorbitant taxes from the poor and needy, while the mon eyed monopolies under the form of law escape taxation to a great extent; and while a protective tariff shuts off foreign competition and gives birth to numerous trust combinations to further oppress the people, congress has done nothing practi cally to protect the people from these hy dra-headed monsters that feed and fatten upon the life-blood of the poor farmers. A protective tariff alone increases greatly the prices of the necessaries of life, but when reinforced by these abominable trusts they make the farmers and labor ers pay starving prices for the supplies they are compelled to buy. Our congressional law-makers are con nected either directly or indirectly with organized capital; and a great majority of our leading-secular papers being own ed, or directed, or influenced by financial combiifes have ominously withheld from •the people the practical workings of the government, until the great majority of the latter are in a sad plight and rapidly drifting to complete and hopeless ruin! But Watson lifted the lid from the po litical pandora box, kicked the bottom out andscattered its enormities beforethe people and enabled them to see fully why it is that the hardest worked class in the world is drifting rapidly to poverty, while a few kid-gloved gentry are pick ing the fruits of their labor and piling up millions that they hsive no use for. What the farmers need is light, light. If we had enough Watsons to scour the whole country from the mountains to the sea-board, there would soon “be a great shaking among the dry bones.” He is eminently gifted for the purpose. He is a farmer and understands well how they are imposed upon; and he is also a shrewd lawyer and understands the ma chinery of the government and What is needed on that line. He has been iden tified with the farmers’ great movement from the beginning, and one of its able st defenders. No dozen men in all the re gion round about him, have done more to arouse the farmers and laborers in op positicn to moneyed oligarchies. He is the staunch and uncompromising advo cate and friend of the poor and op pressed. The Augear 'stable (government) needs a thorough cleansing. We must send THE OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE GEORGIA STATE ALLIANCE, ATLANTA, FRIDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 20, 1889. men to congress that we have good reason to believe will fightrto the bittei end all trusts, combinations, and do all they can to secure justice to the farmers. I do not believe in any low down politi cal scrambling after office; but we must fill our legislatures and congress with men that will not enact laws that favor the rich and powerful while they op press the poor and weak. Equal justice to all and special privileges to none should be our motto. Our government has freed the negroes, and then turned right round and made slaves of both the whites and the dar kies. It doesn t call us slaves. Oh, no! It calls us free in large capitals; but what is there in a mere name? The farmers are in a worse condition, in many re spects, than their negroes were in slavery. It was to our interest to clothe and feed the descendants of Ham; but these greedy, avaricious, moneyed monopolists do not seem to care a cent whether we live or die, but are only anxious to rake into their bloated coffers our last nickel. The farmers of England have slept over their rights until the banks now own ' them and their land, and they have de scended io the plane of bankruptcy and tenantry. We are fast descending to the same level. Much of our land is now under mortgage. Our govern ment, under the influence of bad laws, is dividing the country into two classes, the extremely rich and the extremely poof. Let us wake up, buckle on our whole armor, and make a united and de termined effort to secure justice. We ask nothing more and will accept noth ing less. I know that the great reformatio; being, inaugurated wPi never profit personally,.fcp behind, I would like to see the day when the of prosperity will rise once more upo'/-*' the agricultural interests of this broad land, and illuminate all of its plains, val- 1 leys and mountains, bringing joy and contentment into every hovel and ma''- sion, and filling the laborer’s mouth with the happy songs of peace and comfort as ; he goes forth to wield the hoe or throw the maul. It is the Lord’s will that this world should support its teeming millions. Neither men nor devils can defeat that ; will. Providence is now working through ; human instrumentality to bring about the greatest temporal reformation that ever blessed the world. < James H. Oliphant. , Matthews, Ga. Canoochee Sub-Alliance. This American republic is fast drifting into centralization, and unless the alarm is more vividly and energetically dis- ' seminated among the laboring classes, the predictions or prophecies of our : noble statesman in the past will be ver- ‘ ified. Our own Alex Stephens, just before his death, sounded the keynote when he 1 told the people that this glorious repub- : lie of ours was fast drifting to centraliza- - tion. Our forefathers fought, bled and died to establish for them and their chil- i dren and their generations to follow a democratic form of government. Our great Washington, Jefferson, Clay and Webster gave their talents and lives to maintain our institutions. Abraham Lincoln gave his life and energies in sup port of a republican form of government, and there is no doubt in my mind but that Lincoln’s death was the consumma tion of a bloody conspiracy. The confederacy was not responsible fer Lincoln’s death. Look in the Psalms of David, LV; I’2, 13,14th verses. Those ' of his own company, corrupt politicians, demagogues and self-aggrandizers. They knew Lincoln’s great lovable and -i liberal spirit. ' Lincoln wanted to re-es tablish and perpetuate democratic gov ernment for the people and by the whole people. These conspirators wanted to 1 centralize this government. To do this : they plucked up its groat tap root in the ' person of Abraham Lincoln. Many more noble fathers of our demo cratio institutions gave up their all in defense of democracy. The common, conservative people of our country are slow to receive knowl edge. fiut, glory be to God, light and knowledge is being disseminated among the great liberty-loving people of this once glorious republic. WhaVare the agencies? Viz. The National Laborers’ Union, the .Agricultural Wheel and the Farmers’ Alliance. I " tjk ' ■ Twa of these grand institutions have consolidated and there is every indication laboring organisations of Am£rsa will consolidate in December at St? Louis, and then rally under one flag and show an unbroken front to re instate and maintain a government for the people and by the people. Our government is no longer adminis terted by the sons of liberty. Just let your minds run back twenty-five years, immediately after Lincoln’s death; a bold set of corrupt demagogues took con trol of this government and have run it entirely in the interest of speculators and gamblers; greedy monopolists, corrupt politicians and giant corporations have about gulped down the entire wealth of our country. The poor laboring people have been so hard run in order to keep buckle and tonjpe together, or to make a support for themselves and families, that they have neglected the important duty of study ing political economy. The interest of labor has not been duly represented in our nation, or state legis latures since the great civil war. In con sequence of this neglect the greater class of our people are about reduced to abject slavery. Let’s see if we can’t prove the above statements. Mr. Thos. G. Shearman, of New York, is undoubtedly good authority. Mr. Shaarman’s estimate is that 25,000 per- J.-ns actually own half of the wealth of the U. S., and that the whole wealth of the country is practically owned by 250,000 persons from the recent lapid concentra tion of wealth. Jn twenty-five or thirty years 50,000 intsons will own the wealth of this coun than one in 500 of the adult 'rjpinlatiftn. This being jan undis- what are we going to do 1 about I say consolidate all the agricultural and laboring classes into one grand co operative organization, and then by and through a conservative press educate them. All of our order should be encouraged and pressed upon to read one line of thought. We must get our people to read such literature as will inspire them to consolidation and union of action. We should read such papers as are rep resenting our interest, viz., the National Economist and our own state organ. I find that the minds of the brethren are badly divided, and it is nearly all in consequence of reading on a different line of thought; in fact, the great majority of our order are studying and reading pa pers, the reading of which is detrimental to our principles as Alliaucemen. Then I say the greatest obstacle in the way of out success is the want of knowledge. Would to God that we could adopt some plan by which all of our order could be induced to read our national and state organs. We find men all over our country, who are farmers and good citizens, who will not join our order. They are reading adverse literature, and every influence possible is brought to bear upon them to prejudiee their minds against our order. And there are so few Alliancemen who are qualified to represent intelligently the principles we hold. The whole robbing, blood-sucking class is exerting every effort to keep the farm ers and laborers ignorant of their true interests, and divided among the old po ll ticai parties, who for many years have legislated solely in the interest of non pt oducing classes. We are in a position that demands of every American the most intense study of the principles of civil government in order that we may be able to sustain a government in hair mony with God’s eternal law of justice -and equality. God’s moral government is so arranged that nations that do not secure to all their citizens their inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happi ness tend rapidly to decay and destruc tion- j 'mG Sr ■ These important lessons can only be learned in organizations among the la boring classes. The great need of the country is a higher moral standard among the people and a better knowl edge cf a just principle of a wise govern ment. To raise the moral standard and to educate the farmers and laborers in the principles of a people’s government is a leading purpose of the Farmers and Laborers’ Union of America. Now,l would beg our brethren not to be captivated or led by shrewd politicians. They nearly all come from town. Shun them, neither be led by them. They are worse than an anaconda. A few more years of such legislation as they give you will reduce you to a worse condition than African slavery. The main hope of the country is now in the tillers of the soil, who, if united in solid phalanx, can place in the halls of legislation men from their own ranks, who know the needs of the labor classes, and who will place upon the statute books of the nation a code of laws that will restore peace and prosperity to this now unhappy country. In all previous crises of the country the farmers have come to the rescue, and have guidt d the nation into safe harbors. Then again I say, unite your forces, beat back the tide of corruption and profligacy which is fast undermining every vestige of lib erty. Without organization and co-operation therq can be no unity of action. Let’s not disappoint mankind by pur neglect of duty. Let’s not allow the grandest republic the world ever knew go to destruction. Then let organization and union be the rallying cry of the farmers and laborers of the nation. I have long looked and expected the church to come to our rescue, and, glory be to our God, she (the church), in some places at least, is coming out in denun ciatory terms against monopoly, greed and avarice. The mighty heart of the na tion through the Church of Christ (let us hope) will yet throw to the breeze her white flag of truth and create such an influence as will sweep out speculators and gamblers. Now, Mr. Editor, I wish to say a few words concerning the proclamation of .the National President of Farmers and "i. ibjrers’ (Inion of America. t'l'Mis rar ing is in direct harmony with the princi ples of our order, but it will certainly, if put in force, exclude a good many members of the Alliance; however, this ruling was fully sustained by our state judiciary committee of the Farmers’ Al liance of Georgia. Where there is a di versity of interest, or pursuits, there can not be any co-operation. Certainly those brethren who are mer chants, clerks, or any one interested in merchandise, cannot be mistaken in Bro. Jones’ ruling, and they will now con form to the law of the National Laborers’ Union. We do not wish to lose one sin gle or farmer from our ranks, but they can easily make themselves eligible by leaving off diversity of pur suits and throw their whole interest in one co-operative interest with their other brethren and thereby help themselves and all their brethren. We want this law of the National Union strictly en forced. Fraternally, Vera Pro Grattis. Kennesaw Alliance. Mr. President—l feel it my duty as a member of Kennesaw Alliance, No. 1641, to say a few words to the brethren in be half of our noble order. It does me good to say something in behalf of the Alli ance, for I highly esteem its cause and like to meet with the members. My earn est desire is for us all to stick to our ob ligation. I would like to have every farm mer join us, for I believe if we go bravely on, we shall yet accomplish all our de sires. I also believe that if we unitedly go forward and conduct ourselves right, we shall gain the much desired victory. Wo are like a person starting out' on a journey: if we go on a short distance and thin turn back, we will never get to the end of our journey. But let us never turn back from our course, for I feel that we are somewhat benefited every day. It benefits me to belong to any or ganization that is as sound as the Alli ance. We all can have a reward if we will seek to obtain it, and we can obtain it as Alliancemen and women by keep" ing our obligations. Let us therefore never look to the dead past, but ever j.ress onward into the future, where there is something for us all to do. Hwe can do nothing else, we can love and respect each other. God bless the Farmers’ Alliance the world over. Let us not forget to wage an unceasing warfare upon the bagging trust until we have swept it as if by a mighty avalanche to destruction. Let us stand by the Alli ance as God requires us to stand by his eternal truth. Let us cherish it as tbe priest of old cherished the ark of the cov enant. Let us cling to it as the mariner clings to the floating wreck when the SINGLE COPY 5C storm fiend howls in the blast and the shades of despair settle upon the face of the waters. Let us live conscious of the fact that the Alliance, agriculturally speaking, has come like an angel of mer cy to save us. It will bind up our wounds, strip off our rags and clothe us with the garments of independence and prosperity. It will make ns men again; it brings us into a band of brothers who will throw their arms around us to shield and protect us; who will take us to them selves, encourage and assist us in health, nurse us in sickness, and pay the last honor and tribute to our memory after death. Whenever the Alliance roll is called and volunteers are needed, I rise to say, “ Here am I.” Brethren, when we say a thing ought to be done, let us not hesi tate to do our part. That will greatl lighten the burdens of others and encour age the weaker ones. Let us stand by our obligations by all means and under all circumstances. Let us show to the world that we are made of good mate rial and that we have energy, pluck and manhood enough in us to carry our reso lutions to a uni c , or better. Brethren, unless we do this—put in practice Alli ance principles—we had better quit preaching Allianceism, for if we fail to carry our point, we will be greatly injured in the attempt. We will receive jeers and scoffs from all pettifogging scape goats, and it will discourage our weak ones. D. S. Coe. From Gilmer County. You will please publish the following if thought worth notice: We will first notice the indebtedness of the state of Georgia, which, accord ing to the best information we can get, is yej>ay interest; tlie holdcivof vile Eofitis tidds not pay tax on them, as the law exempts state bonds from taxation, and our legis lators ever since the war claim that it is the best for the state to be in debt, it makes them economize. If there is any economy in the legislature staying in ses sion nearly half the year we have failed to see it. Last year they were in session 156 days; with 300 members at $4.00 per day, with cost of officers, it will amount to something near $187,200. If we had had the right kind of a body—no time killers, no money-grabbers, no loafers— and all had the welfare of the tax-payers at heart, they would have done the busi ness of that body in forty days, which would have cost the tax-payers $31,800; In the ten years the tax-payers have lost about $1,554,000. We are satisfied that there is enough good, honest men to fill all the offices who will aid the laboring class. We cannot expect men to legislate for us when their interests are not identical with ours. We have tried it long enough to know that they will legislate for their own interests. The national government makes us pay more taxes for manufacturing spirits to pay high-salaried officers than we get for our labor. ,The President of the United States gets $50,000, congress mem bers get $7,500 annually, etc. If we buy a $lO suit of clothes, we pay the govern ment $4.50. The government has taken the people’s money and loaned it to the banks at 1 per cent., and has given them the right to loan it back to the people at 10 per cent. Be it resolved, That we condemn the present legislature in its long session, for voting against the Olive bill, and for voting against the resolution for mem bers to not draw pay when absent. We would ask all Alliancemen not to send men to make laws who vote against such resolutions, as we unanimously pledge ourselves to not vote for them. M. J. West, Committee. From Talbot County. We have information that some man ufacturers are refusing to sell their fertil izers through the Exchange, on the plea that they must protect their trade and Whereas, It is equally important that we should protect ourselves, therefore be it, Resolved, That we request our state agent to furnish us with a list of the names of those who refuse to sell us through the Exchange. Resolved, That we hereby pledge our selves to buy no fertilizers unless we get them through the Exchange. Resolved, That a copy of these resolu tions be forwarded to The Southern Alliance Farmer for publication. P. F. Mahone, Sec. S. Maxwell, Pres»