Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-12-03
For the VERMONT FARMER.
Power and Influence of the Grange

BROTHER AND SISTER PATRONS AS a
grange we have been organized about two
years, and ip that time if VIC have not done
as much financially and made as rapid i'm
provement Intellectually as we might. we still
have great reason to be thankful and even
proud that We are graugers. Many have
joined us aud no doubt many more are con-
templatDg joining as soon as they are con-
WINGED it is paying concern con.
Germ. Many have joined to derive benefit,
and others may have joined through curiosity
TO see what manner of men the grapgers are.
Not aving the statistics at hand l cannot
say positively, but believe, as regards num-
bers, the Patrons of Husbandry in the United
States exceed two millions. Two millions Of
what2 Why, of good, honest, hard working
farmers and their wives. But the strength,
power and influence Of the Order does not
consist in its numbers alone. The character
Of this army is peculiar. It contains at least
two millions Of mstured men and women.
Few Of lie members live in palaces mono
have Offices in Wall street; none
are railroad presidents or large contractors
none are bankers or large merchauts. Almost
every msmber Of this large agricultural army
is freebooter, fixture, the owner OF por-
tion of the land which composes our great
and glorious country. 1t represents the
great, sober, honest, respectable, anti.sboddy
middle class Of society. The Order discards
the professional politician, the wire puller
in all cliques and rings. the low aud dis
honest individual, be he whom he may.
Already The order reaches from the Allan.
tic to the Pacific 90 one side, aud from
Maine to California on the other. Disdain-
ing natural or geographical boundaries it has
leaped to aud spread over Canada, and then
like the submarine telegraph, it has Owed
into the turbulent ocean to emerge upon the
eastern hemisphere like most other enter.
prises originating 10 America. Its influence
Is gigantic; it holds the very lives of
the people 10 Its hands; it controls
-four, corn, beef and pork, the wool and
the cotton, the woOdpie aud the wardrobe
Let the Order lock up It's wheat and other
articles have mentioned above, and in six
months the people from Portland to San
Francisco would be starving and GseeSing
Here Is q glimse Of the power that lies in
the Patrons Of HusbandFy. lift we're CON-
posed Of the low, viscious, rsbid aud igno-
rant it would be almoat sure 10 prove an
unmltigated curse but the safety Of the
Order OF of nation consists 10 the standing
Of its members Should this Order see fit TO
answer the sneers and abuse Of the non- pro-
duceFs, middlsmen aud others who feed aud
| live of their hard earned products and blot
the word retail out Of their dictionaries, 10
twelve months tho principal streets in our
cities would be as lonely as Sodom. But
they do not wish to do any such thing
Middlemen are necessary to a certain extent
if their business is honestly and fairly con.
Quoted, but the order have rebelled against
unconscionable profits on what they buy, and
gnEeasonable commissions on what they sell
They do not believe that the man who hands
their grain and other produce over 10 The
consumer should have the grist, and he whose
sweat produced the crop only the toll. They
wish only TO better their own condition, not
by robbiOg somebody else but by taking
care that no one rObs them. They mean
further to cultivate their intellectual facul-
ties, learn something as we'll as earn some
thing. 1t is matter Of congratulation that
this Order has developed new era IN the
agricultural history OF our Notion. BY i
aud through il we propose to cultivate mind
and hearts as well as wheat and corn, anC
while we may grow less corn We will cult
vate more brains. This feature Of tn,
Order, in my mind, is worth all the troubl,
and expense consequent to belonging to thu
grange. AS general thing the farmers o
our country are isolated, or in other words
spread and scattered over the hills and val
lsys, lsveling aud Subduing the forest, cul
tivating and tilling those waste places AM
trying to carve out Of nature that which the,
call home Often has il taken the power
and strength of the whole family, the goo'
wife and daughters included, consequent 1
all these Inconvenience. Farmers as elias
have not been as accomplished az some Othe
GLASSES Of society, but carefully and surel
observing the abuse aud other psrplexitie
that were continually hespsd upon then
through their ignorance, they have had th
impudence to demaDd their rights with othe
people and communities. aud 10 be prepare
for this they have found il necessary 10 b
better informed. To this end they are sup
plying themselves and families with NOR
J and better books and other little convenience
, We already see that they have mad
: rapid improvement and progress and nj
; the least Of these facilities for improvement
{ aud learning are the grange meeting
: There they can converse aud discuss question
I peculiar to themselves, and hope ID
. officers that have the good Of the order I