The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-02-27
THE GRANGE MOVEMENT.

considerable commotion in regar
to trade al oyer the country a
: the present time, We feel, as one G
the producing class, that our in
tentions are generally misundeI
stood; and we are being abused
3 insulted and prosecuted withou
cause. 1t is a we'll known fac
that the agriculturist has always
been looked upon by the would-b
upper tendoms" not very fal
from e level with the dumb brute
Now our intention is plain talk
and if the shoe pinches we cannot
help it. In the first place we are
assaulted by the middle man, be
cause we see fit to concentrate oul
trade. He says we are forming q
monopoly. Our mission is to put
down monopoly. Concentration
of tradeis to secure more reason.
able rates. The middle man SAYS
| what would you think if we were
to figure your produce down to
cost when you bring it into mar
ket and offer you ten per cent.
above cost? Now it is not pre-
sumed that he knows the cost OF
our produce, any more than the
producer does the cost of his
goods.
However we will take this fgur-
ing and feel safe in saying that if
our produce for the last two years
had been sold On an average at
ten per cent. above the cost of pro-
ducing, the farmers of Kansas
would have been the gamers.
Another argument against the far
mers organizing, is the amount of
money sent off TO the State and
National oranges. What a pity
to see so much money "squander-
ed-fiVe dollars to become q men,
Der Of the grange" Oh it is q
fearfully ridiculous, saint itT"
Three dollars, they say, goes to
the state grange. That will do
for children to play grange by.
Some of these soft handed gentry
will spend five dollars at time
for drinks; that is nothing, oh no,
but if an old "clod hopper dares
to pay out five dollars to better
his social, financial, and spiritual
condition, 1t is wonderful extrava-
gance! No, bretheren, it is to your
disadvantage to keep the producer
in ignorance, and it is to the adj
vantage of the producer to educate,
just as long as the STAKEHOLDER in
the south could keep his slave in
ignorance he was manageable. So
it was with the "clOd hopper" He
is getting his eyes opened, he is
reading more; he is patronizing
the printer more than heretofore;
he Is beginning to realize his con-
dition, "that all work and no play
makes Jack a dull boy" He is
beginning to realize that he has a
mission to fill, and that by com
bined effort will be recognized as
human being at least, if he does
not wear so good clothes. 1t is a
fact that a man is judged by the
clothes he wears, by a certain
class, whether he has any brains
or not.
Another charge against US is,
that by concentration of our trade
we will ruin the town. Now all we
have to say in reply, is this: there
will be just as much trade as there
ever was; the only difference
being, it may be done by less mer-
chants. Now, how is that going
to ruin the town? The money
and produce will be handled here
the same as ever. Now if our for
mer way of trading has made the
town what it is, is it any wonder
we are poor? According to your
own argument the producer has
built up the town. No, gentle
men, because we have kept and
fostered thousands of middlemen
heretofore is no reason that we
shall continue to do SO; not at all.
We have learned to do better, and
as we claim to he on the reform,
pardon us il we should occasion
ally "tramp your corns little" 1t
is as / have said in former paper:
too many farmers and merchants
endeavoring to cheat one another
to get living. More manufac-
tories is my hobby. We will new
er prosper as a State until we
change our ways. We must be an
Independent people, and this can
only be accomplished by establish
ing manufactures Of all kinds.
We must stop sending all our
money out of the country. But to
bring up agriculture to higher
standard, "Plow deep while lazy
men sleep, and you shall have corn
to sell and keep" RURAL.
In absorbing into our lungs the
quantity of air necessary to sus.
tain life, we inadvertently inhale
whole hosts of microscopical an.
finals, which are in suspension in
A. AA..oA.oHo-saol An;1 A-A arar