The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-12-24
Correspondence.

The Business Feature of the ORDER
An Admirable Communication.
What the State Grange Did Not Do
The most important thing which the
State Grange could have done, but did
not, was to have put good co-opera
tive system of business in good working
order. say the most important, be-
cause without the pecuniary benefits
which should flow to the membership
through county agencies, or other bust
ness channels, the Oranges must Ian
guish ard finally perish.
The business feature of the Order has
been the main attraction to very large
number Of members, and as this feature
fades out, the vitality Of the whole or
ganzation correspondingly decays.
The great problem of the Minnesota
farmer is how to make living. Nine.
tenths Of his time must be devoted to
that object, and an institution which
assists him in this momentous matter is
what he hoped to find in the Order, and
II he does not find it, he soon wearies
Of It. and feels like laying it down.
There can be little doubt that this is
the principal cause Of the waning con.
ditlon of our organization in this
State. The State agency, has,
Tor some reasOn,-nO matter what
proved failure, and other scattering
attempts at cooperation in trade have
been so imperfectly arranged and man
aged that they have yielded but little
profit. In many counties no attempt
whatever has been made, and in all
cases there has been such a lack of uni
formity and working power that COM
paratively nothing has been done in
this direction.
Something must be done, the Grange
cannot exist without it, A cooperative
society in which the members do not
cooperate is an empty humbug and
must soon collapse. Corporation in
10th sales and purchases should be the
most certain and palpable thing in the
Grange. Every Grange should be in
working line with every other Grange.
IN business as in ceremonies, and thus
each new Grange would add its quota
OF actual working power to the whole.
One of the first things taught candi.
date should be that he has Joined an
association which means business; that
the machinery is already in operation
and that he is under Obligations to take
hold and hell work it. If we had but
one object, ard that were simply making
money or saving it, and that object
were accomplished, our society would |
show a degree Of strength and stability |
which cannot now be claimed for it.
If any say, that this is unduly mag
nifvlng the Importance of the business
feature, he answer must be that it can
not be exaggerated. Self-preservation
is the first law of nature, and it is the |
main spring of nearly all the individual |
and associated efforts of mankind. |
GorarnDlen UseU in It's last aaaty. |
sis, IS only an enlightened se!f-inter- |
est. If n farmer can see that through |
his connection with the Grange he gets |
his supplies at less cost, and at the
same time disposes of his saleablc pro-
ducts at an advanced price, assurance |
is made doublv sure in his case-he
Will remain an ardent granger as long |
as this happy state of things continues.
lnaSmuch as this point was not ade- |
quatcly attended to at the late session |
of the State Grange, it would seem to |
be one OF the first and most imperative /
duties Of the Executive Committee to i
prepare a uniform plan of action for the
whole State. Unless something is |
done in this direction, the order will |
not 1--we to see the great matter of Chean
Transportation reached. or the other
great measures Of the order accomplish /
cd. Promises and possibilities must BE-
superseded by results.
LEWIS PORTER.
MANKAro. Mimi, Dec 81, 1874.