The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-06-06
An ApOstate' Granger.

A few weeks since We noted the fact tina
an agricultural and statistical journal publish
ed at Indianapolis, Ind, was making war up
on the oranges and devoting much space TO
the illustration of their workings and to point
ing out the bad and dangerous tendencies
The present week the editor of that paper, if
we mistake not, Mr.. Charles w. Greene, Sec
retory of the last National Agricultural Con
gress, read an extended paper on the working
of the order before the national association
opposed to secret societies which held ses
sion at Syracuse, N. Y, copy of which w
have before us. Before noticing the state
ments of Mr.. Greene, it is fair to say that h,
has been member of the organization, but
dissatisfied with its objects and the men max
ing use of the power it organized, he either
withdrew from it or was expelled.
Mr.. Greene begins by giving the origin Of
the order which so far as is known, was insti-
tuted in Washington upon the plan of a
Scotch social organization of the same name.
The originators are not very well kno wn, and
so far as determined are inclined to be fortune
seekers Of a political cast or tinctured with
communism. In the days o. its infancy, Mr..
Greene asserts that Andy johnson declared
to its founders that if the farmers could be
united into such societies, the organization
would be vast power in politics.
In the next place Mr.. Greene notes the de-
fects of the organization itself. He says the
its provisions to perpetuate the power of the
originators. They install themselves as grand
deputies and 90 ''forth to plant the seed OF
the order and make a living' First, thir
teen persons are constituted subordinate
lodge which has thirteen offices. Second,
when fifteen subordinate lodges are organized
state grange is organized with thirteen
offices to be filled for two years from the mas
tiers of subordinate lodges who alone are en-
titled to seats in the higher body. Third, the
state masters constitute a national grange
whose officers hold their places for three
years. Thus the entire control of the organ
ization, its finances, its regulations and man
agement are put in the hands of the officers
of the national grange whom, Mr.. Greene
describes as crafty nobodies without culture
or good impulses.
In speaking of the workings of the subor-
dinate grange, the writer says that while the
order claims that its primary object is the So
cial and educational advancement of the peo-
pie, its real tendency is to create class dis
tinctions in society, as the poorer as we'll as
the most Independent classes are debarred
from membership, thus Indicating clan
nishness among people whose boast is So
cial equality. So far as the educational
advantages of the oranges are concerned,
they are myth. True, the masters undertake
10 instruct the farmer in his political duties
and also in reference to his commercial rela-
tons, but in these cases only one side is pre-.
sented, and the general questions of political
economy and progress are ignored. -
The rapid growth of this organization in
the West Mr.. Greene attributes to the hos
tility stirred up against railroad companies,
middlemen, manufacturers and capitalists,
and by the constant representation that
these classes had united to wrest from the
farmer the result OF his labor. True, there
were abuses by railroad corporations and mid
dlemen but all these have been greatly exag-
gerated by the granger leaders, and the result
of their labors is discernable in the elections
OF last fall, in the hasty railroad legislation of
several states and in the evident disposition OF
towns and counties to rid themselves Of the re-
sponsibility of paying the bonds issued by them.
And now as the natural sequence of this hostil-
ity to capitalists and disposition to repudiate
honest debts, millions of capital have been
Withdrawn from the West and credit contract
cd, because investors and lenders are afraid
to trust their money where the se,f-chosen
masters" of millions are intoxicating the
ideas OF the commune. To the grangers and
their policy, Mr.. Greene attributes the search
ty of money in the West, and the high rates
of interest, both of which have led the peo-
pie to demand the further expansion of our
irredeemable currency, Indeed, the average
politician in Congress has got an idea of the
Importance of the granger vote and this fact
has led men who have otherwise declared to
champion the unlimited circulation of paper
money. Nor has the influence of the granger
upon national politics stopped here. This
new demand for water routes of transporta-
ton and double tracked railroads from the in
terror to the seward, comes from the "mas-
ter" Even Mr.. Window before making his
reporton transportation to the Senate asked
Master Maxwell of the national grange what
KIND OF report he should make and he re-
pied three water routes from west to east.
ana 10, IL was SO recommended The Nor
tons are keenly watching the developments
oil tllis organization, and they talk of new
party winch shall embrace its ideas of
paper money and paternal government that
shall build railroads and canals at tbe ex-
pense Of the people, make war unon c,n;t.1
and assume control of all railroads
The writer predicts that the leaders Of tbe
organization are marshaling their FORCES fon
political movement, but he predicts the e,;,
ure of the attempt whether they essay TO 90
alone or combine with either of the present |
political parties. He says that the enthusi-
asm OF the members is waning. that they are
impatient OF the restraint and dictation of the
leaders, and if the latter fail to do something
IN Tue coming elections, the disintregration of |
Inc ofder is close at hand. If they succeed,
the order may survive short time but as II |
rs hostile to all interests and classes eontror,,
IN senia' Oh our government and managed
W a.ew ignorant and selfseeking men. IL
cannot long survive. IL
'o inereiy condensed the views of
mf. 1reene without attempting to clotbe tbon,
IN his vigorous language. OF oo,,ua.
champions OF the grange will repIv. wbon
they do we shall be sure to give an 49,.