The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-02-06
TaL GRANGE.

formation In rCiCl'r. 100 ~" order, much @
n which, rs it scti1, .. 10. authentic, we rcgar
;. AS of sufficient ,r..,I Ia abstract for til
It benefit of our + tt'-
4 In reference t. tIy origin and growth o
i the order, the yra.' ,nyS Dr., founders wcr
q VIM. Saunders mi O II Kelly, who perfect
:, ed the plan Of il in Angus, 1867, and organ
G lied the first grangr l., Washington City il
December 1867 which ia, sIoce Develop
2 itself into the Narluual Grange. BY Dec
1868 ten more graug.- Nrlc established d
which six were located in Minnesota. In
1869, 30 more were Organzrd; in 1870, So; in
1871, 1875; while in 1872 The grange " Is fairly
launched on the popular sea, as III that year
ll49 new oranges were organized. When the
National Grange mtl II, 81, Louis III Feb lS'i
10000 organized oranges were reported with
membership of 100000. AT present the
number of oranges Is given at 81 203, with an
aggregate membership of about 100000.
| No exact acc)uut Of the financial status Of
the grange can be given, as the books are
kept secret, the most reliable statements,
howev' r place The present cash Ia the treas,
ury Of the national grange at Sl25, 900, which
is not large estimate considering its in
come, which is thus summarizes
| Dispensations, 1900 at $l5. $4,000
Dues 10 cents from / 800 900 membs. 100000
! Interest and miscellaneous ......... 5000
! Total Observation-Disclosures. 33S,000
! At present there are four degrees in the or.
der, rs follows.
| /. Laborer. Maid.
.. Cultivator. ShcphCrdc>-
3. Harvester. Cleaner
4. Husbandman. MatrUn.
But the masters of the state and county
oranges and their wives forming he State
Grange, constitute another, which may be
called a fifth degree-POmona and Hope.
Then the masters Of state oranges and theil
wives, members of the national grange, con
sttutc a sixth degree-Flora and Charity.
Ceres and Faith-a sort of court of impeaCh-
mcnt, form a seventh degree, though not yet
fully provided for.
The entire organization and polity of the
grange is asserted by the writer to be antire.
publican ohgarchical. Only masters can 90
to the state grange, and only masters of the
state grange to the national grange; yet the
rank and file are taxed to support both, con
shutting thus clear case OF taxation without
representation. And there is no way in
which the rank and file, or "high privates,"
can touch the general constitution, as the
privileged order have power to perpetuate
their official existence and can never be dis.
turbed except by their own consent.
Naturally this state of things has given
birth to Reform Party in the oranges, who
make sundry demands. First they propose
to abolish all but the first tour degrees, and
some even insist on abolishing all degrees
The only excuse for degrees is that it tends
to maintain secrecy, while on the other hand,
it is asserted that there is no secrecy about ii,
for almost any day renegade members may
be seen about the newspaper Offices in New
York or Chicago, offering to sell full dis.
closure of the secrets of the order for very
moderate pay,
Secondly, financial reform IS demanded.
Grand master Kelly gets a salary OF $4,000,
for not over four weeks work in year; his
secretary gets large salary with plckings,
and other officers have large pay. Then there
is no legitimate purpose to which the large
revenue Of the national grange can be DEVOTED,
and no proper object contemplated by the
constitution upon which the large surplus Oh
hand can be expended. The little "ring'
constituting the heads of the national grange
have expended good many thousands In
sending out circulars, proposing to organize
a gigantic crop bureau; also to institute a
grand speculation in patents, and other Wis
ienary projects, but all have proved fizzles.
The retormers' insist that the national sur
pins shall be distributed among the member.
ship and the income Of the national grange
cut down to neces airy expenses, and its head
quarters removed from Washington to Colum
bus, Indianapolis st. LOUIS or other point
nearer the geographical! center Of the order.
As to the achievements of the oranges thus
far they are but triilC TO what they are ca
pable Of The Juror against railroads and
other transportation monopolles they gave so
mach impetus 10 has amounted to little, for
it was only "the dog biting the stone that Int
him. the railroads themselves being but in
strumcnts of a much greater source of evil
behind them in the shape of Official extraya'
gance and corruption, vicious currency, &c,
&c. But for the future, the writer of the ar
ticle INDUCES in many bright predictions
There seems no room 10 doubt that the
grange will ultimately hecome great coop
erativc association or series of associations,
each occupying n state or territory, and lound
: to all the Others by the fratenal feeling bred
OF common occupation, though absolutely
independent of all the others. There will be
no national grange, and the state grange will
hardly exist save body for annual compar
isOn of views and the transaction of such bus
mess RS cannot be carried on to advantage by
IN,