Farmers' State Alliance of South Carolina

The State Agricultural and Mechanical society, 1869, the State Grange or Patrons of Husbandry, 1872, and the Farmers' Association, 1886, preceded the July 11, 1888 organization of the Farmers' State alliance of South Carolina under the parent organization, the National Farmers' alliance and Cooperative Union of America. By 1890, more than one million farmers had become member of this non-partisan organization which established cooperatives, arranged social gatherings, disseminated agricultural and economic information, influenced legislation, took positions regarding regulation of utilities and the banking industry, taxation of all forms of wealth and efforts to halt the exploitation of the farmer by large corporations.

The South Carolina Farmers' Association had also demanded such reforms as a separate school for agricultural education, more farmer representation on the Board of Trustees of what is now the University of South Carolina, enlargement of the State Board of Agriculture, and transfer of fertilizer fees to the new agricultural college. Although the Alliance did not support Benjamin Ryan Tillman for governor in the 1890 Democratic primary, he did articulate and adopt many of the Alliance positions. Some of their goals saw fruition under Tillmans' administration and that of his immediate successor.

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