The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-03-20
TIne Grangers Platform

MI. Wright, Gfana Master OIL Tile
State Grange of California, has written
ga declaration Of purposes. Of the Pa
irons of Husbandry," which the st.
Louis Convention has unanimously
adopted. The National Grange there
by becomes q great social union of near
" eight hundred thousand people. The
platform announces that no Grange is u
party organization, and that political
questions are excluded from discussion.
The only influence that the Order can
have upon the politics of the country is
through the education and development
Of individual character, each member
being left at liberty to belong to any
political party that will best carry out
lis principles. 1t is noticeable that
while the platform proclaims the IN
political character of the Order of Gram
gers, it announces that the principles
Taught by the Order underlie all true
politics and all true craftsmanship and
il properly carried ont will tend to puri-
fy the whole political atmosphere of u
country.
The Patrons of Husbandry are there
by a party devoted to the development
Of principles, and not to the aid of POI
litical machinery. Politicians may learn
that the Patrons will find principles to
which they will adhere, but that they re-
duire some other body of men to furnish
the party. If the Republican Party will
announce its determination to put down
briberys corruption and trickeTy, and to
execute measures for the amellorati0n
OF tile industrial interest IN which the
Patrons are concerned, it may receive
their sHffrages. Otherwise they will
vote with some other party.
The standard OF development for the
s.Is%sJ.,aI rsyho anT1ac nYIf nf Tho G1sanOn
lodge-roOm To be d voter is likely to be
very high. While the Patrons can be
nothing industrially but b farmer, he
has q human interest iii his country and
in mankind. He is always a progressive
conservative, recognizing natural laws
and he cannot be a. Communist or an
agrarian. In order that he may arrive
at ii comprehension of right principles
Of citizenship when he is outside OF his
Grange, he is, when inside of it, taught
to know the value Of a higher man
hood, and have q profound realization
Of the qualities Of higher WomanhOod.
Farming is TO made something lovable,
and home an attraction. Economy in
home and government is to be consider
ed necessary, not mean. The Grange is
to be- place for domestic meeting, a.
school for adults, a social caucus for the
perfecting of plans of living and of la
boring. lit teaches a mar to be neither
selfish nor q bigot.
THE industrial problems which are to
influence the political action of the citi
zen Patron are very plainly announced,
and their solution is suggested. The
platform pr0claims an aggressive warfare
against no class but that of the middle
men. Capital is to be f0stered, but ty-
Famous ~monopOlies, because they sop-
press the people, are to be opposed.
Earnest efforts are tp be made for sus-
tanning the great routes of transpOrta-
ton, and for ereatingnew b Bnthere
tleplatform, being indefinite in its terms
Of statement, must be explained by the
opening speechO of Grand Master Adams,
which, as we said last week, proposed
TINT the Government should undertake.
to regulate the rates to be charged for
transportation. Fer any party that
offers to supplement political victory
with a plan for opening channels of com
meTce, the Patron is by his lodge assoc
Citations instructed To vote. The plat
form, however, offers no inducements
for capital to become invested in the
construction of the new lines of trans
p~Ortation, or for the earning Of money
in old ones. What the Patrons will do
if railways cease to be constructed by
enterprise is not plainly old.
They will probablyv vote for Government