Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-05-17

W. ihCiplchI movements Tie germ OF
new political power. Primarily, it
was nothing more than a secret. CO.
operative, industrial and literary as
ISOLATION, the benefit of which not only
the farmer, but his wife and family,
alike enjoyed. BY its means, mid
dlemen were done away with, thus
making Il reduction of expense upon
every article purchased, whether in
the line Of luxury or necessity
Early in 1868. the order was formed
and its general plan elabora' ed by a
number of the prominent agriculturists
of Minnesota.
The first lodge or "grange," was
organized in Itasca, in that State /; the
,pcond was instituted in Eown, and,
few months later, two or three each
in Wisconsin and Illinois. For four
years the order made little headway,
and at the close Of tie year 1871 there
was not in the whole West more than
sc, 900 members. The seed had been
carefully sown, however, and by de-
grees thepeople began to st e the hene-
fits accruing from the SYSTEM pursued
BY the oranges, both in a Business
and social point Of view. Trey saw
that the patron could live at least ten
per cent. cheaper than the outsider,
while he was enabled to purchase his
farming utensils and machinery at a
discount Of at least twenty per cent.
from the prices paid by others. They
say, too, that the organization must
sometime become power in the land,
and that it was far better to be for it
than against, or even Indifferent to it,
Certain local causes, which are appa-
rent to all who have marked the cur
rent of Western events for the past
year or two, added in giving a sudden
and strong impetus to the IN Ivement.
To-day, the order exists in nineteen
different states, and numbers nearly
half Il million members. There is, Of
course, q grand head, to which the
oranges Of all the states are subordin-
ate. 1t is styled the National Grange,
aud meets every two years.
State oranges are required to meet
every year, and subordinate oranges
every month, or oftener, if occasion
require. In these last, women, as
well as men, are admitted to all the
degrees, which are four in number,
and hold office the same. The fifth
degree is conferred upon men only,
and is peculiar to the State oranges.
Those only are eligible who have
served as masters Of subordinate
bodies. The sixth degree is conferred
only on members of the council OF the
national grange. This council is
composed Of masters and past masters
OF the state oranges. The council
meets once in every year. The
seventh is the highest degree to which
any patron can attain. 1t is coninrr-
ed only on members Of the national
senate, which is composed Of men,
bers Of the council who have served
one year in that body. The functions
Of the council and senate ere similar
to those OF Representatives and Sena-
tors in legislative bodies. The su
preme executive authority in the order
is lodged in the master of the national
grange but each subordinate grange
has its own master, Overseer. lecturer
and officers. The halls on rooms used
for the meetings of many OF the sub
ordinate oranges are elegantly fitted
up,and furnished with every NEGATIVE.
to attendance. Libraries-solne of
them laundering thousands Of vol
umes-panos, pictures, chess-tahles,
and, in fact, everything that may
serve to amuse and instruct, are the
almost invariable concomitants Of
these places. Private concerts and
social parties are Of frequent occur
renee, the very intimacy thus engen-
dered rendering the bond more firm,
and the action Of the organization
more combined and powerful.
1t will be seen from this that the
order is more compactly and thorough
ly organized alRl in a manner that
would all opposition to it on the
ground OF its principles, merely wholly
vain. AS instances of what they
have accomplished in a material way,
we are told that in some of the West
ern cities they have purchased or
leased grain elevators ); 1T other places
they have employed forwarding agents
Of their own order. In Iowa they
have already built an agricultural i'm.
pIement mandatory Of extensive ca
pacity. But what is most significant
OF this movement is the almost mirac
uIous progress it has made and is
making. In Tennessee, Mississippi,
Alabama, and, most Of all, in Georgia,
the people are organizing oranges
with the same avidity as has charac-
terized the people Of the Northwes
and the idea will probably Gre long
find developement in the New Eng-
land and Middle States. Boston
Globe.