The Republican journal., 1874-03-05

ne new ofueI OF trfanGelS, OF aSSOcl-
| atel farmers recently held national con-
| vention al ST. LOUIS The address Of the
wonderful growth OF the association. The
subordinate lodges now number II 900.
and are constantly increasing. What the
future OF this association of wonderful
growth may be, ii is impossible TO predict !;
but that it can, if 1t chooses. exert great
political influence. must be admitted. But
Mr. Adams, the Grand Master, insists that
this is not among it purposes-that it
aims simply to improve the standing of
the lillers of the soil, mentally, morally
and socially, The Changers are unknown
in Maine, and are very few in New
England The great agricultural middle
and western States must be the field of
their labors.
A correspondent recently interviewed
the original granger Nh William Saunders
at Washington, who told many interesting
facts bearing on the inception and develop
ment Of the order Mr. Saunders is a
Scotchman, typical in appearance and
character He came to this country in
1917 The order of the Patrons of llus
bandry was first thought of by him seven
years ago His object WAS the general i'm
proyement of husbandry, the promotion
OF the welfare and happiness of those who
engaged in it. and the consequent increase
OF the wealth and property Of the whole
country, He saw that the appliances in
use for this object were faulty and INSULT
cient. He saw that for the welfare of the
producing classes and efficiency of tn il
labor two things We're csscntial-instruc-
ton in the best methods of production and
unity Of ,iction-these two essentials he
kept and still keeps steadily in view. Set
tied on these two points he spent two years
IN correspondence with the leading agri-
cnlturlsts of great Britain to get them in
terestcd but with little success. and final
", in 1867, he organized a grange at
Washington composed of members from
all parts of the Union. soon after, one of
the members on a visit to Minnesota or
ganized a grange there. Then followed a
slow uphill discouraging work for four
wears until 1872, since when the astoniSh-
ing increase Of the order is matter of
daily wonder Nh Saunders emphatically
corrected the notion that the patrons OF
husbandlv was al order TO fight monopo-
lies and control political action. He has
no fight to make with the railroads nor the
middlcmen, but has solely to do with the
farmers.
lii regard to the secrecy OF the organi
zation Mr. Saunders declared that there
really We're no secrets more than in tami-
lies or business firms. who, undertaking to
mind their own affairs, must do it discreet
~. He is constantly at work devising
means for the better ordering and welfare
Of the members, One is an improved
method OF insurance for farmers, another
is to have n portion of the funds Of the
National Grange, which now amounts to
SO 600, expended for libraries for subor-
dnate Oranges Already the educational
Interests have been 10 an extent provided
for by the creation Of a lecturer in each
grange whose duty it is to give special at
tention 10 the Improvements in agriculture
and instruct the grange. Referring to
their marvellous growth Mr. Sunders said
the order had passed out of his control
and he could only watch it, and while so
much had been done in the past year he
felt confident it was only a small begin
ming of an order of things which should
assure golden future Of prosperity and
happiness to the husbandmen Of America.