The Grange advance., 1873-11-12
From Wesfly Granger.
Industrial Enter prises in the West.

Inc Farmers movement Is rapidly
calling the attede ion of the people to
the Importance ofSthe establishment of
more varied indul trial pursuits in the
West. The cost of transporting raw
material long disc lnces to be manu-
factured and then I$turned in the man
ufactured form and sold to the produ:
GERS whence it came. is being counted.
The per centagey paid to freight and
handling men are hlso beingsconsidered.
and the remedy will soon be applied.
1t will not be many yearssere the ener-
getic people of the. West will do much
of their own manufacturing, and there:
by save enormouss sums to themselves.
Heretofore the people have been too
much in the haHt of permitting the
manufacturers and middlemen to have
their own way Without question or
thought. The country was young, and
the chief battle had been with thf re-
sisting elements Of nature; butt little
consideration was bestowed upfn the
waste and cost Of being separated from
manufactures by Zlong fise>sces, and
the existing order Of Aings 4 as per-
n'itted without an effort bling n kde to
find relief 1t has scarcel( been sup.
posed that any change could be made
that any other mode Of procedure was
practicable, and the. money powers of
the east and foreign countries, had
their own way and accumulated im-
mense fortunes off the people. But
there is now change in sentiment in
this regard, and another view is being
taken. It is seen that the balance is
not properly adjusted; that it is so ad-
justed as to enrich: one section Of the
country, and one Or two classes Of men,
to the impoverishment and at the ex-
pense ofthe producing class.
The result of this investigation is
that preparations are making with the
view to establishing industrial enter
prises Of various kinds throughout tho
West. The enterprising of these
among the million farms lying in every
direction, will bring market almost to
the doors of the producers, and add
largely to the value Of their farms as
we'll as to whatever may be grown or
raised upon them: The price Of pro-
duce and live stock will not be eaten
up in exorbitant freights, and ma
chinery and goods of all kinds can be
furnished at less cost than when
brought long distances on the iron rails
Of overbearing monopolies. No enor-
nous establishments may spring up,
there being more establishments and
competition, but the wealth now con-
centrated in few hands will be more
evenly distributed, bringing more hap
piness, greater intelligence and less
suffering. Our own State is notable
example Of this determination to use
the iron and coal and wood 80 bounti-
fully spread over our country, without
shipping them Hundreds Of miles to
ditant manufactures. The past year
or two have witnessed great progress
in this respect, and it will BE- a grand
day for the Hoosier State when it can
be proclaimed that her9 mineral and
other resources are keR withjp->her
borders for home manu- fcA<rif, And
that her farmers cap find mArketA near at
home for all or nearly all they produced,
and are no longer depending upon the
fluctuations of foreign markets, or SUBJ
ject to the manipalations of carriers.
The whole community should act as
one man in fostering and encouraging
industrial enterprises, for therein lie
wealth and salty to the people. There
is no occasion for iojudicious and hasty
steps in that direction but there
should be no pulling back when it is
clearly demonstrated that thing of
that kind should 'be done. With