78 AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS. 



its bearings, and concluded that the consolidation of these two 

 forces into one would form a power for good that, in the end, 

 would be irresistible. Having come to this conclusion, he made 

 every exertion possible to accomplish this result. In this he 

 was ably assisted by Brothers L. L. Polk, J. H. McDowell, and 

 others. 



The annual meeting at Meridian was composed of full dele- 

 gations from twelve States and Territories, every one in earnest, 

 and all flushed with the victories of the past year. I give the 

 most important acts of that meeting, in the synopsis which 

 follows : 



" The National Farmers' Alliance and Co-operative Union of America met in 

 regular session in the city of Meridian, Mississippi, December 5, 1888, with the 

 following officers present : C. W. Macune, President ; L. L. Polk, First Vice- 

 President ; R. T. Love, Vice-President for Mississippi; S. B. Alexander, 

 Vice-President for North Carolina; H. P. Bone, Vice-President for Alabama; 

 Linn Tanner, Vice-President for Louisiana ; A. B. Johnson, Vice-President 

 for Missouri; J. H. McDowell, Vice-President for Tennessee; E. B. Warren, 

 Secretary ; A. E. Gardner, Treasurer ; Ben Terrell, Lecturer ; H. C. Brown, 

 Assistant Doorkeeper; T. E. Groome, Sergeant-at-Arms. 



'* The president filled vacancies by appointing the following, pro tern. : 

 J. W. Beck of Georgia, Chaplain; T. J. Bounds, Doorkeeper. 



"Alliance opened in due form. 



"Committee on Credentials appointed, consisting of Quicksall of Ken- 

 tucky, Dimmick of Louisiana, Tracy of Texas, Bone of Alabama, and 

 Payne of North Carolina. 



"The following officers were appointed temporarily: Evan Jones, Vice- 

 President for Texas ; W. A. Wilson, Vice-President for Georgia; H. McRae, 

 Vice-President for South Carolina ; W. M. Huey, Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms ; 

 G. L. Clark, Assistant Doorkeeper. J. W. Reid, B. J. Hubbard, and J. C. 

 DeLoach were appointed secretaries. 



" While waiting for the report of Committee on Credentials, President 

 Macune read his annual message, as follows : 



"Brethren: In presenting to you this, my annual message, to the third 

 regular session of this body, at the expiration of my term of office, I have 

 much to say, and feel deeply impressed with the importance of a full and free 

 expression to you as to the past and present condition of the order, and the 

 necessities of the future. Ours is no common struggle ; upon it depend, in a 

 great measure, the future prosperity of agriculture and the liberty and inde- 

 pendence of those engaged in that pursuit And, indirectly, the perpetuity of 

 our system of government must be largely affected by our success or failure. 

 This is true because the people whom we seek to relieve from the oppression of 

 unjust conditions, are the largest and most conservative class of citizens of 

 this country ; they are the greatest producers, and are the permanent, stable, 



