Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

V Mb H w 88-- /CiMßy Rs Kfe EM Mses "te *. \"'——-. fC/* WiWIHUi PF/ A "M”JrjJ i| F^r' l<l _T Z7 \ w n AI " LajjSjV®* '■«■&> - ’’’fl* UWcßlx »-eE ~"/- />' ! •■. • '" - 7 ’-W’LV-' - 1 _>'• - -i ■■;. ■ •A\&'.- ■'• •* * VwS\ ’t '■ Y- .’’ "'-<i‘&TjpV' ’*, '“-'■ •■’■■ /*2ilS£- w . / wr <• ' W.s££^^iS® / '3®K f®Bi afi&fe w VOL. 13--NO. J "2 9l Georgia Siftings. On November 7th the Y. M. C. A. give a reception to the printers of Atlanta. We are glad to note the unusually large hay crop of Newton county. Mercer University expects to have 300 students enrolled by the first of Janu ary. Twenty-four members of tho last legis lature will be returned. Twelve of them are Alliancemen. Peter Vickers is said to be the wealthi est and best colored citizen in Coffee •county. He owns nearly 0,000 acres of land and is a first-class farmer. Toccoa has a bank with a paid up cap ital of $50,000; a tannery with a capital of $ (5,000 ;a'furniture factory with a cap ital of $15,000, and a chair factory. We have just received the premium list of the Columbia County Fair. We are glad that this association is organized and we doubt not that the fair will be of infinite advantage to the county. SIO,OOO will ba given away as prizes by the North Georgia and Alabama Exposi tion. The exposition is divided into de partments. Opens on the sth ;of No vember and closes on the 15th of the same month. Rev. James Rees, of Muscogee county is dead. Mr. Rees was a Baptist minis ter and was licensed to preach in 1825. He was the oldest mason in Georgia, having become a member of the Flint Hi 11 lodge in 1838. fie was ninety years old at his death. Miss Adna C. Safford, whose recent death occurred in Foochow', China, was connected with the Lutheran Presbyteri an Mission in China, where she did special work among Chinese women. Miss Safford was 'a native Georgian, Greensboro was her old home. She was a fine scholar and of deep piety and de voted to tlie missionary cause. The flags are lowered and folded. The doors of bur political Jerusalem are closed. The Sanhedrims have done little for the great farming class, but hope lies still at the bottom of the box. It is ar dently desired that the next session will be noted for something more than Mr. Morse’s seat, Mr. Reed’s blue belt, Mr. Houk’s, trousers and Mr. Springer’s pink bouttoniere. The Macon & Atlanta railroad, which is being built by the Macon Construction company, will make Fort Point on the Colleton river, about twenty miles from Port Royal, its water terminus. Five thousand acres of land have been pur chased, and large docks, grain elevators, and other terminal facilities will be built. It is claimed that the Colleton river gives the deepest watei - on the At lantic south of Norfolk. A draft for $35,555.42 in full settle ■>iut pf the now celebrated Tregrout has been sent Governor Gordon by (!■« treasurer of the United States. Con ■e<> once before made an appropriation ■ cover this claim, but the comptroller ■efused to certify it for payment and ■rdered the amount to be carried on the ■looks of the treasury as a partial offset ■o the amount charged against Georgia ■on account of “direct taxes.” The case ■was then taken to the court of claims by ■ Mr. James Green, of Milledgeville, the f state’s agent. It was argued by Mr. J. G. Zachary, a prominent Georgia attor ney and son of the senator-elect, Col. Charles Zachary, of Henry county, and upon the able presentation of the case by Mr. Zachary, the claim was allowed. The noted train robber, Rube Bqrrows, was caught in Monroe county, Alabama, and was carried to jail at Linden, Mo rengo countyj October the 7th. The Southern Express Company has spent many thousand dollars in the endeavor to catch him. The total rewards that nave been offered for his capture amount to SIO,OOO. Mr. John McDuffie who had been set on‘his trail by the Southern Ex press Company found him in a house where he had stepped out of the rain. Burrows was bound hand and foot and placed across McDuffie’s horse in front of him, and in this position was taken to Linden jail, where he was guarded by McDuffie and a negro. Carter—one of the captors,, took the money $17,800 found on the'person of Burrows and wont to the hotel. Just before daylight on the morning of the Btb, Burrows complained of being hungry and asked for this sad dle' bags saying, that there were some crackers in them. McDuffie handed 'ihem to him without’opening them;Bur rows put his hands into the bags and soon defied McDuffie aud the negro—or dered them to untie him and they did. Burrows then disarmed them, unlocked the front dpor, and made the negro take him to the hotel where Carter was with the $17,800. He shot Carter in the shoulder; Carter returned the fire, hit ting him in the abdomen, killing him in stantly, There were originally five men in the Barrows gang—now they are all taken. The oil mills of Athens are now mak ing six hundred gallons of oil per day. Dr. J. Thad Johnson, a well known physician, died at Maidson last week. Judge Samuel Lawrence, a prominent mason of died in Marietta last week. Capt. B. It Tillman, the governor-elect of South Carolina, is visiting with his family in Toccoa. Acworth expects a shoe factory that will give employment to nearly a hun dred hands. The great poetic contributor to the Congressional Record, ex-Congressman Downey, of Wyoming, is a candidate for United States senator from that state. Six hands picked 2900 pounds of cotton one day last week on the farm of Mr. G. T. Wheeler. John Hargrove, cue of the hands, picked 525 pounds. The sugar cane crop of Appling couuty will not be so abundant this year on am count of the dry weather during August. Hon. R. H. Jackson, the first president of the Georgia State Alliance, will repre sent Heard county in the next house of representatives. The governor offers S2OO reward for the arrest and delivery of James H. Crawford, for the murder of R. S. Shep herd. The crime was done on Septem 22nd. i Mr. Henry J. Pratt, chief organizer of the Rome Chemical company, died of typhoid fever in Rome, Ga., last week. He was a son of Dr. N. A. Pratt, the chemist. The rock work on the new factory at Porterdale, Newton county, has been completed. The company expect to have the facitory ln rulinlng’order bytire Ist of December. Great interest was manifested over the election of Mr. John A. Sibley of Cobb county. Mr. Sibley was put out only two days before the election. After the death of Mr. Dempey, one of the nomi nees, Mr. Sibley was elected to represent Cobb county by one vote. The journalist and evangelist Henr y D. Howren,is dead. He parted with his life in Charleston, S. C., October the 7th. He was educated by Bishop Pierce, at Emory college, and went to Florida. At the age of 22 years, he represented his county in the Florida legislature In 1889 he began to devote his life to temper ance and preaching the gospel. He was received into the Methodist ministry. Mr. Charles Astin, a native Georgian, and an accomplished musician, has re cently composed a very inspiring march entitled, “The Farmers Alliance March’ r —and dedicated to Hon. L. F. Living ston, president of the Georgia State Al liance. Which piece of music will be rendered daily by the Zouave band dur ing Alliance week at the Piedmont Ex position. The title page of the piano edition has a fine likeness of Col. Liv ingston, with his autograph. We com merdthe music and composer to all lovers of music. On November 4th Alabama will elect eight congressmen Arkansas five. California six. Colorado one. Connecticut four. D jlaware one. Fldrida two. Georgia ten. Idaho one- Illinois twenty. Indiana thirteen. lowa eleven. Kansas seven. Kentucky eleven. Louisiana six. Maine four. Maryland six. Massachusetts twelve. Michigan eleven. Minnesota five. Mississippi seven. Missouri fourteen. Montana one. Nebraska three. Nevada one. New Hampshire two. New Jersey seven. New York thirty-four. North Carolina nine. North Dakota one. Ohio twenty-one. Oregon one—June 2, Pennsylvania twenty-eight. Rhpde Island two. South Carolina seven. South Dakota twr>. Tennessee ten. Texas eleven. Vermont two —September 2. Virginia ten. Washington one. West Virginia four. Wisconsin nine. Wyoming one—September 11. THE OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE GEORGIA STATE ALLIANCE. ATLANTA, GEORGIA, TUESDAY MOIiNING, OCTOBER 14. 1890. THE BASIS OF WEALTH IGNORED AND DISHONORED BY THE GOVERNMENT. The Sub-Treasury or a Setter Bill By. W- E. H- Searcy. A great deal has been written upon the financial situation of our country, and many plans suggested for relief. I wish to contribute my mite towards the solution of the great question, humbly trusting that from all that may be said or written upon it, the better bill, of which we hear so much, may yet be brought out to bless the naiion. I wish to lay down a few propositions as a basis of the though I shall offer: I. AGRICULTURE IS THE BASIS OF WEALTH IN THIS COUNTRY. As an evidence sufficient to support the statement, I need only say that it our crops were a total failure for one year only it would nearly bankrupt the nation. It is not only true that agticul- 1 ture is the basis of our wealth, but it is I alsb true that the superstructure built | upon it is not much higher than the base itself. It is hardly yet beyond the growi ig crop of the year. In our rural districts the commercial world does not move a peg uutil the growing crop reach es a point where failure is impossible. It is then that goods ase bought and monied arrangements made. It is then that we airsmile, while the eye of hope lights up the scene. The usual plan ot procedure is for the farmer to give the merchant his paper for about what he will need during the year, tne merchant endorses this paper aud turns it over to the bank; the bank, if not in funds, en dorses the paper and sends it to the money centers, and thus “the farmer runs us all.” The farmer is at the mercy of the mer chant, the merchant at the mercy of the bank, the bank at the mercy of the cap italist, and thus our nation sleeps while its financial system reels like a drunk ard. May God open, the tyes of this great people to see that this condition of affairs is too unstable to last! The poor farmer, almost bereft of reason, tied up in the fatal web of his necessities, is strugs; in<; ' ke a fly in the parlor’ t<‘ escape; but, alas! alas! alas! his country ignores him and his struggle waxes long. He comes with his products and says “help me or. these.” The cry comes back, “they are perishable!” He comes with his lauds and says, “help me on these.” The cry comes back, “they are outlawed and disallowed as a basis of credit, the government having refused to allow our banks to take it.” What must the farmer do? He must submit of fight. When I say fight, I do not mean to fight our merchants, our lawyers, our doctors, or our preachers. We of this section are all an agricultural people,and are bound together by many ties. Our interests are the interests of every class in our sunny clime. Many an Alliance man has sons in the mercantile business, and many a merchant has sons who have chosen the noble calling of agriculture. There should be no conflicts between all these. When I say fight I mean to fight those who put the present financial sys tem upon us, or who now refuse to lift its burdens and let the. nation prosper. That man who refuses aid in their hour of peril, no matter what class he belongs to, is unworthy the love and the affection of any people. 2. The basis of wealth is a solid basis. Our government and banks fid vance money upon stocks. and bonds, and yet these constantly fluctuate depending often them selves upon the success of agricult ure. I have read in the financial reports that the crops in the west having some what failed the rai Toad securities had declined. Our lands however, will never be of less value than now, and the con tinued increase of oar population will render more stable the value of our pro ducts. An owner of a large amount, of real estate come to me one day, and ask ed me to secure him a loan. I thought he had some stock and bonds on which the amount could be readily raised; but when be said he had nothing but land, I saw that he was on a cold trail, and so it turned out. A piece of paper that represents something of value is honored in the commercial world but the thing of per manent value itself is despised) and re jected of men. Why is this so? It is because our government has ignored and dishonored our land as a basis of credit. It is our lands and what we grow on them that constitutes the basis of all our wealth; and this nation and the people can never have a permant and just finan cial system without building ic on this basis and fostering this basis with its affection and the aid of all its powers. 4. Our sub treasury bill is a move in the right direction: The object of this bill is ts aid the far mer by advances on his products. It matters not as to the details of the bill Dr. Macune, (who has a level head) in his speech before the State Alliance con vention warned the Alliance against be coming wedded to any details whatever. They were urged to cling to the principle alone, whjch I have already shown is a just and equitable one—the recognition of agriculture, the baisis of the nation’s wealth. I have always thought this bill too cumbersome in its details, but I confess I did not know whereby to rem edy it until “Georgian” in his great article on the sub-treasury (the ablest and best yet written on the subject), suggested that we did not need more than one or two sub treasuries in the state. I now see that we need but one, and that the better bill should ,so require. A change in this one point destroys forever the charge that the system would fill the south with republican office holders, aud eliminates the chief objection in political circles to the bill. Officials for one sub-treasury to a state, and about four inspectors to look after the govern ment’s interests, would be all th» offi cials to be appointed. The farmers with their own fire-proof warehouses could do the rest. There is another objection to the sub treasury bill which might be remedied; that is the rate cf interest for advance ments. The Farmers Alliance has for its leading principle that just and equi table declaration “Equal rights to all and special privileges co none.” In ask ing.au advance on our crops I am satis fied we do not violate this principle, be cause the advance will inure in one way and another to the benefit of all Clasres of people; since the success of ths basis of wealth must necessarily help every superstructure built upon it. But there might be objection to ’ho rate of interest on these advances. Other class es would have aright to say that the government should make these advanc es at such an amount of interest as it would lave to pay for the money in the markets of the world. In other words, that the government should be saved harmless in the transaction. At the present rate of 4} per cent bonds, I should think the government could float a bond at par for 3 orSApercent interest. Again, the better sub treasury bill should provide that any agricultural products, not perishable, if further stor age will not injure and impair their val ue, may be kept in storage longer than a r year if the owners of such products will pay all interest, storage and other ac counts that have accrued up to the end of the first year. The object of this would be to enable cotton planters, in case of a corner about the end of the year, to car ry cotton over if desired. It would per haps only affect cotte?,i and tobacco, My system, then, would be: I. One sub-ireasury in a state. 11. About four inspectors to look after the government’s interests. lit. The farm ers to build their own warehouses—just as national banks erect their own build ings. IV. Interest charges, say 3 per cent per annum. V. Products (not perish abh) to be carried over.if desired. VI. A system of national banking on real estate as we now have it on government bonds. These measures would hurt no class, but bring relief to the entire nation. Would it not, then, be better for us to place the interest at 3 per cent than at one? I know the national bank system operates on less, but we must not be unmindful of the battle cry of our beloved order, of equal rights to all. But as regards the details of this or any other bill, we all know that its discussion and the amendments that will grow out of the discussion before it can pass any legisla tive body, will necessarily change it greatly. We may never hear again of the details of the present sub-treasury bill. Who will care if we do not, if the better bill is evolved from it? Let us work for the principle as Dr.; Macune said, and leave the details to the en lightened judgment and experience of those we send to legislate for it. The lands cf the country are the mud sills of agriculture. As agricultural productions are the basis of wealth. We should not forget that our lands are the mud sills of agri culture. We must demand that our lands be recognized in the financial world, and not ignored and dishonored at the counters of our banks and govern ment. A great banking system should be built up on our lands, equal at least in dignity, tvith those built upon our paper bonds. Such a system would be solid as gold and never fail. It would rest on the true basis (wother earth) from whence springs all our wealth, on which is built all our homes, aud where even our bones and dust will repose when the fitful,scenes of life are ended. If weffiave a hundred thousand dollars in government bonds, we mny organize a bank on them and the government takes them and gives us money within one-tenth of their par value to operate upon. Why not do the same on our lands to within three-fourths or even half their value, and when we file our mortgages in tne sub-treasuries, in the state to be established. Why may not the inspector, heretofore mentioned,look after the titles and situations and have appraisements made by honest men or juries, and the government then give xis money on them as on bonds. Ah I My countrymen, we deserve this much of our country and we should de mand it. Real estate loans that are .made by real estate companies at”sixteen to eighteen per cent for the first year, like a night-mare hunts the pillows of the distressed farmer, and brings a cloud of despair over his hopes and life. Let us marshall our hosts as one man and strike for the right due us and oar fellow coun trymen—asking only for that which is equal and jusf-, to the injury of no man, bat tho benefit oc all, aud may the god of battles uphold our strong arms. GEN- L. J. GARTRELL ADMONISHES THE FARMERS 10 STAND BY THEIR CONVIC- TIONS- He Believes the Sub-treasury Plan Constitutional and Would Support It—A Letter to the Fulton Alliance. General L. J. Gartrell, in reply to a communication of the Fulton County Alliance has written the following let ter : Atlanta, Ga., October 7th. To Colonel J. T. Austin, President of County Alliance and Messrs. T. A. Jackson, Chairman —J. C. P. Johnson, R. H. Wardlaw, A. 5. Poo!, R. T. Baker, Committee: ‘ Gentlemen: I had the honor to re cieve through you, several days ago, the tollowing resolutions adopted by the ex ecutive campaign committee of tne Farmers Alliance of Fulton county: 1 Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed to address our fellow-citi zen, General L. J. Gartrell, and request for publication, bis views upon the or ganization and principles of the Farmers Alliance of Georgia. 2. His opinion as a lawyer of the con stitutionality of the sub-treasury bill and whether in his judgement, it should be enacted, for the relief of the agricult ural interests. 3. would he support the sub treas ury bill as a measure of financial re lief. It affords me pleasure now that the excitement of the recent election has passed, to respond to vour request, and present briefly and candidly my views upon the important? questions pro pounded. It must be apparent to every observer of passing events, that we have at last reached a period in American politics when the toiling millions imperatively damaad. jl ßadical change in the adminit trative policy of the government. The great movement inaugurated by the far mers is simply the logical result of laws forced on the laboring classes by vicious federal legislation. Party platforms have been fertile in suggestions of expedients to relieve the people, and promises of reform and retrenchment have greeted the popular ear at each recurring presidential elec tion. But the solemn truth stares the country in the face that for the last quarter of a century the “poor grow poorer and the rich richer.” With a soil and climate peculiarly adapted for agricultural pursuits, it is a lamentable fact that in some portions of our beloved land great povery prevails. This state of affairs is the result of legislation too often in the interest of monopolies and trusts; at the expense ot the poor, and ib this contest no patriot—no lover of his race—ought to hesitate to seek an alignment with the noble men of toil, who are battling for human progress and the general prosperity of ;the coun try. That the interests of the agricultural And laboring classes has been neglected by state and federal legislation, no can died man will deny. It was, therefore not only proper, but right that the far mers should form an Alliance for their own protection aud preservation. I re gard it therefore, as a praiseworthy or ganization within the folds of the demo cratic party, that can harm no one and greatly benefit all classes of our people who wish to prosper by legitimate meth ods. The assumption that the farmers can notcapable of good self-government, is wholly unfounded, as observance teaches me that there are no more patriotic or intelligent citizens than t e great mass of agriculturists, who have contributed, and are contributing to the general pros perity of the whole people. These noble men of toil may truly be classed as the “bone imd sinew of the land.” What would become of our railroads, cities, towns, banks, manufacturing interests, but for these honest producers, who labor “in sunshine and in rain?” For these and many other reasons that might be stated, I approved and advocated the organization of the Farmers Alliance from its inception, and now rejoice at the triumph of the great principle of right and justice advocated by its mem bers. These great principles have been incorporated in your platform, published in the press, and may be said to be “known to all men,” and are neither un democratic nor sectional, and, as far as I am informed, have been generally ac cepted by the people of this state, ex cept the sub-treasury bill, which I shall allude to hereafter. Composing, as you do, a majority of the democracy of this state, it is to be regretted that our dem ocratic friends of the minority should resort to crimination, and it is to be hoped that after the pending election shall have been decided, all animosities i will be buried, and Alliancemen and auti-Alliancemen will march hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder in the grand democratic column. > In answer to your other questions, I beg leave to state, that as a lawyer, for SINGLE COPY 5 my own information, and at the request of others, I read aud carefully consider ed the sub-treasury bill several months ago, and freely expressed my opiuiou at the time, that congress possessed the constitutional power and authority to pass it; aud am gratified that this opin ion of its constitutionality has since been confirmed by some of the best legal talent in the state. Entertaining this opinion and believing it to be a great measure of financial relief far the great distress now prevailing throughout the country, I, of course, would give it my earnest support. I have seen no better plan suggested from any source. A great deal has been written asd printed on the subject and it is unneces sary that I should fatigue by a repetition merely of the many able arguments made in its support. As to its fairness and pracitability I have just read the following pointed editorial by the able and intelligent editor of the Southern Alliance Farmer of this date and which I adopt, in which he says: “To make a currency equal to supply and demand, is to make prices steady, production profitable, business paying, commerce great and vigorous, and the people prosperous and happy. That would nor. be class legislation or incon stitutiona), yet it is practical—and that is the sub-treasury bill. The system that protects tho farmer protects his creditor also, for it enables him to pay bis creditor. This, instead of doing good on'y to one class, does good to all. It is not class legislation when it does that. To help 'he farmer is to help all, for he must feed them all. That is the sub-treasury.” In conclusion, gentlemen you will par don me for saying that as a friend of the great masses of our agricultural and laboring classes, reared amid the scenes of the farm yard, its consecrated associ ations will ever be cherished and its memories revived while I live. Be true to your convictions, be earnest in their advocacy, and place in office those only who have the manhood, courage and ability to dare to maintain your rights and espouse your cause, and very soon a brighter political era will dawn upou this beautiful laud of ours. With an earnest desire for the success of your order and the triumph of your principles, I am, with high personal re gard, Very truly ywurs, L. J. Gartueli.. From Batts County. I wish to say through your paper, that the 30th Georgia Reunion, which was held in Jackson the 16th inst., that pleasure of enjoying the meeting of the old soldiers was destroyed with politics. The first speech was to welcome the old soldiers to Jackson; the next was to i break up Gordon. The soldiers of Butts ; County hung their heads au* hoped it would soon stop; but the speech went > on and at last cried out for the 30th Georgia Reunion to endorse Gordon, but i the shout was weak, indeed. Ido not : think there were more than twelve for i Gordon. It was a sad time with me. > The next speech was by a minister of the gospel. He first said a few words to the old soldiers and veterans, and • then; with hands and eyes lifted to wards i heaven, and at the top of his voice he shouted, hurrah for Gordon. Alas, how i sad it is! that he must be thus treated. I Lave been a Gordon man, though I am an Allianceman and cannot holler for [ Gordon, with what I hear he has said [ about the Alliance.. Brethren, stop and . think who it is that are whooping up i Gordon before you fall in the ditch. . When our leaders ask for the things we • need, let us stand by them. I am a . member of the 30tii G eorgia regiment and am a true Allianieman. I hope and pray that President Livingston may be blest in all his undertakings for the Al liance. With best wishes for The Southern Alliane Farmer. R. J. Mayo, Pres’t. of Stark Alli ance, No. 239 Brother Felix Sloan writing from Gor don county, has this to say: “We are moving slowly but spreading out rapitly. A few more speeches from Felton and Gordon will give unanimous control of this whole county for Everette and the sub-treasury”. He says Dr. Felton’s ob jections to the sub-treasury plan falls til’-born in that county. Ho objects strenuously to Govei nor Gordon’s plan in lieu of ours. He thinks the governor had better try again. He says be went through the same war and same battles with our distinguished gov ernor, but that he is not willing to risk him on financial questions. He sends the following verses as an epitaph of a certain politician la his county: hbbi: is felton’s epitaph. There was a man who lived of late, Whom the people did impatient wait With outstretched arms and hearts of love To send him to higher courts above. But while disputing for tho prize (lathered around the lower skies (at Rome,) He took a notion otherwise And joined the organize. Brother D. B. Holbert, secretary of Bethsada Alliance, No. 848, writing from Ballground, says that they are doing very well. They are using cotton bag ging. Have thirty members in good standing. He says some will vote for Brother R. T. Pickett, candidate for 1 congress in that district. He thinks Brother Pickett superior to either of the candidates, and will suit the farmers bet ter than any cf the others.