Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-01-29
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Sound Advice TO Changers.

ing applicable to the present move
ments of the seventeen Oranges of Los
Angeles and San Bemardino counties.
We commend its careful perusal to our
large army of Granger readers:
If the Changers make mistake, and
fail to accomplish the reforms for
which they have set out, it will be in
this one thing-in supposing that they
can do anything without money. The
men who have combined against them
are men of means, and of large ideas.
They project great schemes, and draw
on their purses to carry them out. Ii
millicS= are required to control legis-
lation, to build canals or railroads, to
charter vessels and control the grain
market-the millions are forthcoming.
Moreover, they do not publish in the
papers, nor commit to thoughtless per-
sons. what they intend to do a year in
advance. We do not of course approve
their methods altogether, especially in
the matter of special legislatiOn-the
men who have votes, if they stand to-
gether, are more than the men who
have money. We may, nevertheless,
adopt in the Grange some OF the sug-
gestions furnished by these men, as
men of business.
First, then, let us not dream of effect
ing any business reform without
money. We are not quite sure that
we have not been little spoiled
already in this respect. By fortu.
nate train of circumstances, we saved
last year many thousands of dollars,
at n cost of less than few hundreds.
But this cannot always be, and we
cannot reasonably expect it. Norca
we hope for reform to be inangurated
by those who have heretofore, and do
now control the business of the coun-
try to our disadvantage. They have
invested their money with view to
making other money, and they pro-
coed Just as we should expect business
men to do always in like circum-
stances, and just as the Changers must
do if they hope to make Roadway.
Resolutions and propositions are so
plenty as to be drug on the market
considerably below par. They amount
to nothing. A thousand or two of
them do not obstruct the path of a
man who has money and is intent on
making more. Before the spectators
| feel much annoyed by the Changers,
! the latter will be in the field with
money, and with agencies to charter
ships, to purchase grain, to loan money,
to build factories, and to do whatever
else is needful to be done. Until that
time. notwithstanding our resolves
and feasible plans, and well-laid COM
plants, We expect things to go on
about the same as usual. Our Exc
cutive Committee may meet month
after month, and issue advisory and
hortatOry circulars to no purpose, UNI
til fund is placed at their command
to be used in seizing upon the oppor-.
tunities they see passing. and until
every subordinate Grange has fund
at the disposal of it's trustees. Sup
pose the committee be composed of
responsible men-will they assume
the responsibility of transacting bust
ness for the Grange, and trust to the
caprice of a scanty quorum for reim-
bursement Or can they us ether dis
cretion as business men without know
ing beforehand what support they will
have? Unless they are supposed to
advance their own means, many an
opportunity will be allowed to pass
before the heavy machinery OF the
Grange can be got in motion to grind
out the money necessary to avail
themselves of it. But the necessity.
or at least the convenience, we will
suppose admitted.
The how, is the second point to be
determined. The subject has been one
of serious thought to us, and in the alb
sence of any example parallel to our
case, the outline suggested is to some
extent original, and is held subject to
revision. In the first place then, We
must bear in mind the fact, that the
Oranges of this State represent an i'm
mense capital-basing our estimate on
known facts, we should say not less
than seventy-five millions $4,000, 0OQ
| of dollars, or an average of fiye-hund-
red thousand ($50O,O0O) dollars each.
| This estimate Is far too low We are
satisfied, but it is sufficient for our pur-
| pose.) Now, let each subordinate
Grange establish fund, call it bank
ing fund or business fund, or what
you will-equal to one-twentieth of its
ability, that is, following the average
! S25, OOO-said fund to be taken as capt.
| tai stock in shares appOrtioned
among the members of the Grange.
This would give an aggregate
fund of three millions seven humid
red and fifty thousand (S3, $780,
900 dollars. Now, set apart as a
state fund, subject to the control of the
Executive Committee as board of di-
rectOrs--say ten per eent-that is, three
hundred and seventy-five thousand
($375, 900 dollars; the balance to be re-
tanned by the several subordinate
Oranges, to carry out their local
schemes Of cooperation, to loan indi-
viduals, etc. Here we have means
quite sufficient to conduct the business
of the Oranges Of this State, made
available for buying, selling, loaning,
or doing anything else that may be
done in their interest. The central
fund, with its several branches, may
be used as banks use their money, each
board of trustees being local board of
directors. Money may be drawn at
will whenever there is most need of it,
and applied as the exigencies of the
case may require.
We do not propose in this article to
enter more fully into the details of our
plan. Suffice it to say, that some such
plan, by which the Changers will be
enabled to conduct their business on
business principles and on safe basis,
must be adopted, or they must give up
the struggle. Talk, talk, talk We
have had enough Of it--and yet, are
but little better off than in the Begin
ming. To be sure, we have established
An agency In San EraneiSco and an