Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1873-09-04
The Grange and q New Party.

The big and little Democratic poll
ticians say that if the Grangers want
to do anything they must throw over
board both the old parties. That the
reason why so many Republicans coun-
sci them to keep out of politics is
from the partizan fear that the Repub-
lican party will come to grief if they
don't. And that Republicans want, by
the course they recommend, to render
the Grange inefficient and pOwerless to
do what it aims. Well, suppose the
Republican politicians are just as self
ish as the Democratic politicians in
this matter. Suppose that Republican
politicians want to give such counsel
to the Grange as will enable them
selves to keep in, just as the Demo
cratic politicians on their side are CIV
ing the Graugers counsel by which
they hope to get in and get the Repu5-
licans out. : Suppose all this; the
questions recur, apart from any motive
of the advisor, which course is best
and wisest for the Grange? And this
must be settled by the Grangers them
selves. Does any farmer think that it
is wise, prudent, safe, or desirable that
the farmers or any other one class of
our people should form into politi-
cal party and a secret one at that ?
The population of the United States
at the last census was thirty eight and
one-half millions. OF this the number
all told, male and female, from the age
of ten years and upwards, engaged in
agriculture was five million nine hun
dred thousand. Were is practicable or
desirable do you think that class
which embraces only one-seventh of
the population OF the country could
organize into political party with any
prospect of success ? Why, shortly
after 1850, when the native born pop
ulation of the country was over TWEEN
ty-one millions, and the foreign born
only a little over two millions; the
former being more than ten to one,
tried to organize secret party formed
of that class. We need not recount
how quickly and hopelessly the effort
died. And any attempt of any class
of the American people to organize
pecifcally into a secret political party
will die just as speedily and hopelessly
as did that 1t would not succeed
however strong might be its numerical
if it only numbers, all told, onely one
seventh of the population of the
country?
What needs to be considered is.-
W hat is it that the Grange is aiming
to do, and can that end be best reach
ed by converting it into a secret polit
ical partyp 1t is not a question O
the hopes or fears of politicians it is
a question of what is best for the worl
it aims to do. It should be remem
bered that much of the strength tina
the Grange now has, it has gained
because it has steadily disvow
ed oil political complexion. W.
have showed that if the Grarge EN-
braced every person above ten year
of both sexes engaged in agriculture
in the United States, and all these IN
, amin ously favored resolving it into
secret political party, it would still in
/ clude but one seventh OF the people o
the country. But large part of tn
! members of the Grange belong to
, because it does disavow politics.
Now let it take political stand an
} not only does it encounter ovel
whelming opposition outside the oil
der, but opposition disintergation in
side. The temper and genius of th
, American people are opposed to seere
political societies. This oppositio
) is as strong among the members {
the Grange as it is in any part of th
b people. Is it wise on. the face {
S things then, for the Grange to sto
right at its beginning, and at tt
threshold of the good work it migt
| do, and we hope will do, and comm
!. suicide; as it will do if it follows til
D lead of tricksters and demagogues an
' forms in secret political party ?
if Gate City.