Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-03-27
of Husbandry. In Iowa, the State Grange
has bought patent and will sell harvest
ers at an even 500 less than it's members
have been paying each (applause.)

|
have been paying each (applause.)
EASY IN MONEY.
| In Minnesota, the oranges have worked
our farmers out of their hard places. A
broker told me that three years ago ne
loaned all tho capital he could get from the
East, to the farmers, putting it out like
grist at the mill, $50 to this farmer and
800 to that Now, he tells me he has
$4,000 in his vault, that he will have to
send back to the East, as nobody wants to
borrow it. We have three classes OF agents
at Chicago, one who sell onr butter, eggs
and wool, another who sells our grain and
another who sells our meats.
POLITICS.
We are accused of being a polite al or
ganization. l deny If. Our Constitution
forbids it. We make no nominations in our
oranges Among the hundred oranges l
have organized l have never once thought
what was the politics of the men who COM
posed them. AS Patron of Husbandry
I don't know and / don't care. If you had
seen the seventy-live men who composed
our National Grange, you would have seen
good representation of every shade OF
political Opinion with no political purposes.
But, will not disguise the fact that there
is one political bearing i'll our organization.
1t brings men to discuss together the pres
ent state Of bribery and corruption III pub
lie government, and the tendency Of the
present state of things to the absolute ruin
Of the country. A man to go to Cong ress
now, must pave his way with greenbacks,
and there is corruption in public life in
the executive, legislative and judiciary de-
partments. We are being educated to a
better knowledge of our condition. The
farmer and the blacksmith and the shoe
maker have staid at home long enough and
let politicians make their states and legis-
late with an eye to their personal advance
ment, instead of the good OF the country.
Dues it not look strange that there are
only eleven farmers in Congress, and that
out of the millions of dollars given to other
objects, only $205,00 was appropriated to
agriculture last year. But there is dif-
ferent state of things coming and the poll
ticians are trembling in their boots. The
best men OF the country are i'll this order,
and we can trust the best men always
The northwest wants the Mississippi Val
ley opened 10y water line. You in Viz
ginia want the Ohio and Kanawha con-
nected with the James, and i'll the present
state of things you may petition in vain.-
But in another Year, with another million
Of grangers, when you sand in your pet
tions, it will be different. Those men have
got sense enough to know that it they don't
do what you want, you will put somebody
in their places who will. applause and
cries of ''good.'') In illinois and Mime
sofa, we only have to ask and our petitions
are needed. 1t wasn't so a few years ago.
SECRECY.
There are some objections about secrecy.
There are secrets everywhere--int the family
circle, in the legislatures with their secret
sessions. the merchants with their secret
books of commercial information, and
their Boards of Trade with secret sittings.
If Masonry and Odd Fellowship were to
discard secrecy, they would not last year.
And it is right. There can be no harm in
secrecy when an order is quietly attending
to it's own interest and not Earring with
others outside of it's circle.
THE LADY MEMBERS.
The presence of ladies in any organization,
is q blessing in it's refining influence and Il
guarantee to the world Of its purposes
All OF us enjoy the presence of our wives
and sisters and daughters at the grange
meetings. They are interested too. A
woman is interested in all that concerns
her husband, and it is well that she should
manifest her interest by her presence. Not
lady has Withdrawn from grange of the
order since its organization. She has
given to the order the benefit of her refn-
ING social influence. The farmers, as a
class, are less social than any other, and
the establishment of oranges brings about
mental contact which begets thirst for in
formation and love of reading. One has
never been established which has not
brought about a greater use of papers and
books. And we ought to read more. The
age Of muscle has passed, and the day OF
brain has come. 1t is day of thought
and intelligence.
CONCLUSION.
The speaker concluded by prophesying
that in the next eighteen months there
would be 1000 oranges in this Common
wealth. In October there were only two,
and now there are so or 100. There are six
in the Valley, and the Deputy has appli-
cations in his pocket for four more. He
finished by domestic example Of the value
of the order-a Virginia lady member of a
grange having broken piece of her sew
ing machine, the cost of repair being ST.,
sent it to the Grange agent in New York,
who returned the piece repaired and SIS
cents of the money.
The address was received with loud ap-
plause ard the meeting adjourned.
NEW ORANGES IN AUGUSTA.
Mt Sidney Grange was instituted, by
Deputy G.. W. Koiner, on Saturday last.
Dist inst, with the following officers:
Master, J. II. Parkins; Overseer, Thos.
P. Wilson; Lecturer Thornton Berry
Steward. John w. Cline; Asst. Steward
John H. Huff Treasurer, VIM. H. Moor
man; Secretary, Samuel Fl. McCue; Gate
Keeper, Samuel Hunter; Chaplain, J. Mop
Crawford Ceres, Mrs. G. V. Parkins
Pomona, Mrs. Kittie Wilson; Flora, Mrs.
Ella Parkins; Lady Asst. Steward, Miss
Matte Vanfossen
"South River Grange was organized by
Deputy Koiner on the 2ard inst, at Halls
School House, near Waynesboro, with the
following officers:
6 E51;c Moc+ar. VIM r.. Hunter