The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-11-10
THE GRANGE.


- THE GRANGE.
rhs Rumor Of Its Decline uAsounded III" "u'
xi,,iou ssing Faithfully Performed.
The last We.tern Rural has the follow
ing as its leader. 1t contains ideas worthy
Of the attention Of our farmer readers ana
especially those belonging to the oranges
There are some who deduce from IN, tae
facts that the newspapers w ~. a;d
the doiugs of the 'Grangers as '1ey u,u
q year aeo-that, ever aud anon, nIsnsS
oa;ci.ls find Unnecessary to admonssn ana
exhort their subordinates that they 90 not
lot the interest Of the meetings run down
that, occasionally, there arise troubles Anu M
rumors of troubles, grumbling about va
tiopal Grange funds, secessions, b;cKerlnss'
heartburnings and strife In the Graneesu
there are some who conclude, from THESE
circumstances, that the force OF the uransI
food is spent, and that the Order mas
ready reached the acme OF its power OF Is
."These persons deceive tbemselVes-
some willfully, all egregiously. FROM ;ne
frst. there has been an exaggel ateu no'Ion
about the intentions and possibilities OF tne
Grange Panic stricken otilce- holders
thought they recognized the hand w i.1.
ON the wall that sentenced them TO poi''loa'
apcanitation. Conscious OF rotteness, the'
started cry that the Grange was gong W
control everythiug--to elect orange lesis
l.tnres a Grange congress aud orange
;uJ;c;,r;es- con6scate railrc ads, and TX
.ur;nos of nroduce-- to break contracts ana
r. seouestrate the capital invested on falth
of those contracts. The Grange was credit
ed with all this and other communistic
bosb nartly in ignorance and partly with
the design of bringing it into odium. Inc
raaGtv Is that the Grange never set Itself
~ do any of these things. All OF its OH
cial nt.erances have been characterized by
extreme good sense, conservatism ana
.Donbtless the Grange is less talked
about than it has been. but, instead OF de-
clning, it is getting down steadily to ITS
right work, is accomplishing the mission
with which it commenced life, viz:-the
promotion of the welfare of it's members
social. mental and pecuniary--the better
filing Of the farmer for his duties as cif,
;zen. and the cultivation of spirit OF
neighborly love aud fellowship,
'rhere are many reasons why the lar
mers are less demonstratiye now than they
were a year back, and it Is this quictneSS
which gives rise to the idea that the
Grange is dying. The principal reason IS
that the farmers, as class, are now vastly
better off than they have been tor years. -
No observer could fail to note the thriving
appearance of the hundred thousand coun
trv visitors to the Chicago Exposition
New clothes, and contented, sun-browne'
faces met the eye aud gladdened the hear
at every turn. Substantial, stalwart heal
thy looking yeoman piloted harry .wNe
and any number Of arrows through tn
throng, examining things with the critics
ewes of persons intending and able to pu
chase. The palace stores OF rebuilt Chlci
90 were patronized literally -and the fa
mers are the only people who are now abb
to do this. TO what extent these bette
times are owing to the societies, some 9th
err fellow may calculate. The facts thai
before the Oranges and Clubs existed, III
farmers were poor, and that, now the OF
carnations exist, farmers circumstance
are improved, are enough for Us.
THE crowds which visited Chicago dun
ing last month may be taken as indlcatin
that. excepting in districts afflicted wit
extraordinary calamaties there is now yer
little distress in the rural districts. An
this, again, may be taken as Il certain il
dication of renewal, on IA permanen
basis, of that business enterprise Whici
undue speculation has wrecked. By-and
nv. the good times Of the farmers viii
reach the trades The mercantile atmos
phere will be clearer and purcr, and, save
among direct victims, the September cycl
one will be regarded as blessing.
The Grange Movement has now been
established long enough to show for what
purposes it is adapted, and in what direc
ton 1t fails. The average city intellect has
realized the fact that there is some new
mysterious leavcn at work in politics, whiel
will have to be allowed for in future. Flo
the first time, the farmers have asserte'
their political power, and it has been rec
ognized, that in the elections just ter
minated, or now in course, the farmer
have not been willing to incur the odlun
Of running farmers party. Sun, the
have made and will make themselves Sc
verely felt and the 44th congress and tn
various new legislatures will be all I'll
purer Tor 1t.
Zone excellent thing the Grange hi
certainly done-aud that Is, it has avail
ened the high American producer to
sense OF the high position he ought to hu
as political unit, aud the low position
which, in fact, he stands. Ihe farm
now knows that the reason of his polite
insiguifcauce is, that he has neglected h
duties as "a citizen. The intelligent use
the ballot is the one thing most wante
Let the Grange continue its work IN tn
direction, carefully eschewiDg Dythr
which will give it the color of seer,
political society, but freely handling thos
great questions which affect the interes
of the farmers as a class, but which ougl
not to be made partisan questions.
In running Grange stores. the Patron
as a rule. have been unsuccessful. Th
probability of this failure we pointed out
year ago, 1t is but the history of CO. ope
alive effort repeated. Where cu.operatiy
stores have been successful, they are ee
orally found, on investigation. to be mo
properly cooperative trading s0cletlt
supported to large degree by profits {
purchase by non-members. Others OF Il
successful cooperative stores have bee
established, or coddled into existence.
large employers of labor who aim to be
ter more the working qualities than the
nancial condition OF their hands. The
are many directions, however, where
Oranges have co-operated with remarkab
success-notabIy in the way OF oOperati'
purchasing. 10 which line, as yet, the grea
est benefits of the movement have bee
manifested
The changers have recognized Il
L., 9 a So