THE ALLIANCE IN TEXAS. 43 



To prevent the granting of rebates ; to prevent pooling freights to shut off 

 competition ; and to secure to the people the benefit of railroad transportation 

 at reasonable cost. 



"15. We demand that all convicts shall be confined within the prison 

 walls, and the contract system be abolished. 



" 1 6. We recommend a call for a national labor conference, to which all 

 labor organizations shall be invited to send representative men, to discuss 

 such measures as may be of interest to the laboring classes. 



* 17. . That the president of the State Alliance be, and he is hereby, directed 

 to appoint a committee of three to press these demands upon the attention of 

 the legislators of the State and nation, and report progress at the next meet- 

 ing of the State Alliance. And further, that newspapers be furnished copies 

 of these demands for publication ; and be it further 



"Resolved, That the president of the State Alliance have fifty thousand 

 copies of these resolutions and demands printed and distributed to the Sub- 

 Alliances, through the respective county secretaries. 



"Resolved, That each delegate to the State Alliance present a copy of 

 these resolutions to each candidate for a legislative office, State or national, 

 and endeavor to secure his indorsement and assistance in carrying them to a 

 successful issue. 



(Signed) "W. M. MATHES, E. B. WARREN, 



"H. T. CLARK, J. H. MORROW, 



"J. M. PERDUE, GEO. H. STOVALL." 

 "B. F. ROGERS, 



The Committee on Sale and Shipment of Cotton reported as 

 follows : 



"i. Recognizing that cotton is the most important crop financially con- 

 sidered that concerns the farmers of this great State ; that its value for last 

 year having been $80,000,000, as paid by the spinners, and $64,000,000 paid 

 to the producers, leaving a margin of $16,000,000, over half of which immense 

 sum was marginal profits ; that this year the crop will not vary much from 

 that of last year ; hence, if concerted action is not taken by the producers of 

 Texas, eight or nine million dollars will again be swallowed up as marginal 

 profits, over and above all fair charges, to liquidate expenses of transportation, 

 sampling, weighing, inspecting, classifying, handling, etc. Eight or nine 

 millions of dollars are lost each year to the producers of Texas, principally 

 through false weights, defective sampling, cliques and corners, and enormous 

 charges for transportation. Therefore your committee recommends, after 

 careful consideration, that the cotton yard system be adopted by the County 

 Alliances, as the surest and most immediate relief to the producers of the 

 State. 



"2. It is recommended by your committee that the County Alliances (either 

 singly or where a number of counties lie contiguous to an oil mill) make the 

 best terms possible for the sale of cotton seed, and that each County Alliance 



