The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-03-27
i, CLASS ORGANIZATIONS.

wv Ia "
oranges, provided therevas no politics
in them. AS first ofganizedtheyaid not
touch on politics. As organized here
they bear ali evident political aspect;
and from what we hear from New Or
leans, the farmers crops, instead of be-
ing disposed of to suit him, will all have
to pass through the mercantile monopo-
ly establishment of the merchant and
political grangers. If this is the use
they have for the farmers, to simply con-
troll their crops and votes, the farmers
hnd better let them alone. A farmer
should raise the means of subsistence at
home, and sell his cotton for cash and
part the money in his own pocket to be
used as suits him best. The establish
ment of a general grange agency in New
Orleans, to control all the crops OF this
State, will he a huge monopoly, that
will in all probability break just after
the crops have gone in, and leave the
farmer in grief. They know by expert
enee that individual merchants often
break and farmers lose thereby; but il
the crops are all concentrated in n es-
adjustment and it should break, the
ruin among farmers will be general. If
this grange business ispecullarly a farm
cqs' movement, why do others who are
not farmers take SO much interest III 1t!
3'fGrand Master Adams, of the Patrons
of Hunbandry, says that spectators,
demagogues, small politicians, grain
buyers, cotton factors, and lawyers, are
interested in agriculturists only as the
hawk is ~interestedin the sparrow" Now
when these classes go into the oranges,
Of course they go there for their own in
terests. If it is q farmers organizations
as alleged, none but farmers should be
admitted. Ii they must have the other
classes present TO manage, control, di-
rect, oversee the farmers, it is no farm
ers' movement at all.
In q recent article in the New Orleans
Times, "By D. Bennett" the following
statement is made and questions asked:
We sometimes find country merchants
| opposing the Patrons of Husbandry even
with some bitterness OF feeling.
Have not merchants organized to en-
/ able them to make more money out OF
the farmers and the public in all past
| time?
Have not mechanics organized in cities
and out OF cities all over this land and
all other landsg
Shall the merchant who merely hand
les the crop as the middle maj between
the producer and the consumer, ON
plain because the farmers organize for
their mutual good precisely as merchants
and other callings do2
The answer to the first two questions
lis, do such organizations admit farm
ers2 a farmers organization shouldad-
mitnone but farmers. lie other classes
are admitted, they will work in the in
terest of their classes. A politician viii
introduce politics into it, and try to
have all his brother grangers vote for
him. The lawyer will want all the legal
patronage of his brethren, and act ac-
cordingly. The tailor willwantto make
all their clothes, and the shoemaker their
shoes. The merchants belonging to the
order will. want to ~monopolize all the
crops of their brethren. There is no
harm in this, but we fail to see anything
peculiarly agricultural about it. "Too
many cooks spoil the broth Y and if the
farmers organization isoVerrun by other
classes, there will be considerable more
interest taken in their crops and votes
than in the welfare of the farmers them
selves.
The farmers organization is a class
organization, andnone that
" of that class should be admitted.