Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-02-19
Platform Of the National Grange of
the Patrons of Husbandry.
ST. LOUIS, February II

! the following report Of the Committee on
| Resolutions, presented by Mr.. Wardlow,
of Florida, and adopted il unanimously:
DECLARATION OF PURPOSES.
| Profoundly impressed with the truth that
the National Grange of the United States
/ should definitely proclaim to the world its
/ general objects, we hereby unanimously make
| this declaration of purposes Of the Patrons of
/ Husbandry
FRATERNITY.
| FirSt-United by the strong and faithful tie
! of agriculture, we mutually resolve to labor
for the good of our Order, our country, and
! mankind
UNITY---LIBERTY-C
! Second-We heartily indorse the motto
I'm essentials Unity; in non-essentials Lib
! erty; in all things Charity"
COOPERATION.
IhH1-We shall endeayor to advance our
! cause by laboring to accomplish the following
/ objects: To develop better and higher man
| hood and womanhood among ourselves; to
enhance the comforts and attractions of our
! homes and strengthen our attachments to our
/ pursuits; to foster mutual understanding and
corporations to maintain mvioate our laws,
| and 10 stimulate each other to labor to hasten
! the good time coming; TO reduce our expenses
! both individual and corporate; to buy less and
produce more, in order to make our farms
self-supporting; to diversity our crops and
| plant no more than we can cultivate; TO
| condense the weight of our exports
| selling less in the bushel and more on
! the hoof and in fieeces; to systematic our
work, and calculate intelligently on the proba-
! hilities; to discountenance the credit system
the mortgage system, the fashion system, and
every other system tending to prodigality and
! bankruptcy. We propose meeting together,
talking together, working together, buying to-
! gether selling together, and generally acting
! together for our mutual protection and ad-
| vancement, as occasion NAV reQwire We
! shall avoid litigation as much as possible, by
arbitration in the Grange. We shall constant
! ly strive to secure entire harmony, goodwill
and vital brotherhood among ourselves, and TO
| make our Order perpetual. We shall earn
estly endeavor to suppress personal, local, sec
! tional and national preiudices, all unhealthy
rivalry and all selfish ambition Faithful adj
herence to these principles will insure our
mental, moral, social and material advance
| ment
! NO MONOPOLY.
| FouTth-For our business interests we de-
| sire to bring producers and consumers, farm
! ers and manufacturers, into the most intimate
relations possible. Hence, we must dispense
with a surplus of middle-men, not that we
are unfriendly to them, but we do not need
! them. Their surplus and their eXactons di-
minish our profits. We wage no aggressive
warfare against any other interests whatever.
| On the contrary, all our acts and all our eff
| forts, so far as business is concerned, are not
only for the benefit of producers but also for
all other interests that try to bring those
| two parties into speedy and economical con
! tact Hence we hold that Transportation
companies of every kind are necessary to
our success; that their interest are intimate
| ly connected with our interests. and that
! harmonious action is mutually advan-
tageous. Keeping in view the first sentence
of our declaration of principles of action that
individual happiness depends upon the gen
eral prosperity" we shall therefore advocate
for every State the increase in every practical
bic way of all facilities for Transporting cheap
ly TO the seaboard or between home producers
and consumers all the oductious of our
country. We adopt it as our fixed purpose to
open out the channels in Natures great
arteries, that the blood Of commerce may
flow freely. We are not enemies of railroads,
navigable and irrigating canals, nor Of any
corporation that Will advance our industrial
interests, nor of any laboring classes. In our
noble Order there is 10 communism, no
| agrarianlsm. We are opposed to such spirit
| ana management OF any corporation or enter
prise as tend to Cypress the people and rob
them of their just profits. We are not enemies
to capital, but we oppose the tyranny of mo-
nopolles. we long to see the antagonism
between capital and labor removed by com
mon consent, and by an enlightened statesman
ship worthy OF the nineteenth century. We
| are opposed to excessive salaries, high rates
of interest, and eXorbitant per cent profits in
trade. They greatly increase our burdens,
ana 90 not bear a proportion to the profits of
producers. We desire only scf-protection and
the protection Of every true interest of
our land by legitimate transactions,
legitimate trade, and legitimate profits
We shall advance the cause of education
among ourselves and for our children
by all just means within our power. We
especially advocate for our agricultural and
industrial colleges that practical agriculture,
domestic science, and all the arts which adorn
the home be taught in their courses of
study.
NOT POLITICAL BODY.
FJfl-We emphatically ard sincerely assert
the oft-repeated truth taught in our organic
law, that the Grangc-NatiOnal, State or sub
ordinate-is not political or party organza-
ton No Grange, if true to It's obligations,
can discuss political or religious questions,
nor call political conventions nor nominate
candidates nor even discuss their merits in
its meetings; yet the principles we teach UNI
derlle all true politics, all true craftsmanship,
and, if properly carried out, will tend to purify
the whole political atmosphere of our coun-
try, for we seek the greatest good of the great
est number; but.we must always bear it in
mind that no one, by becoming a Grange
member, gives up that inalienable right aud
duty which belongs to every American citizen
to take proper interest in the politics Of his
country. On the contrary, it is right for every
member to do all in his power legitmately ia
influence for good the action Of any political
party to which he belongs It is his duty TO do
all he can in his own party 10 put down
bribery, corruption and trckery; to see that
none but competent, faithful, and honest
men, who will un1nchingly stand by our in.
dustrial interests are nominated for all posi-
tious Of trust, and 10 have carried out the
principle which should always characterize
every Grange member-that the Office should
seek the man, and not the man the office
We acknowledge the broad principle that DIFF