Richland beacon., 1875-08-14
AN ADDRESS,
Delivered at the Grange Din.
ner ut Midway, July r. 1879,
BY Hon. +. II. q. Taylor, Of
Carroll Parish.

careful estimate is made OF the
amount Of goods sold and the profit
thereon. Five per cent of this profit !
is then entered up to the credit OF the.
stock paid in, and the balance of the
profit is divided between the purchas-
BIS, pro rata the amount of their bills
the members Of the society receiving
The full rate of profit over and above
Eve per cent, and outsiders half that
rate. They thus make it the interest
not only Of thcis own members, but
the outside world as well, To trade
with them Instead Of Withdrawing
this amount, purchasers have general
ly preferred, to, let it remain to their
credit, and thus many who were not
stockholders have in time
become SO, and interest has been
gradually piled upon interest, until
these cooperative societies, as they
are called, have grown with rapid
ty which is astounding, and almost
without parallel in the history of
trade. They have increased to mann
moth proportions, and now control
many millions of capital. Much of
this capital lies comparatively idle for
wn8t Of renuneratlve investment
and they are now knocking at our
d"ors, and Altering us inducements 10
trade uih them. They have organized
a company, which has been chartered
under the name and style of "Thc
Mississippi Valley Trading Society,""
aud they are making Overtures to the
order Of "Patrons Of Husbandry"
throughout this region of country,
and Offering to sell us goods for cash,
or TO exchange them for cotton and
ether products Of this great valley
for it is the tra AIDE of the Mississippi
Valley that they particularly solicit
and they propose to bring the goods
in their own vessels into the country
hy the way Of New Orleans. They
guarantee the quality Of goods; and
they already have some specimens IN
exhibition in New Orleans. that are
said to be remarkably cheap-fully Is
per cent cheaper than New York
Wholesale prices-and this too, after
having passed through the custom,
house and paid the duty.
We have been Informed that they
propose to put into this enterprise
t,oenty.fre millions Of dollars, aud
they ask cooperation on. the part of
the oranges Of this country. Shall
we refuse it?
Uniformity Of action in this enter
prise will be delayed for some time,
we fear, on the part of patrons, SIM
ply from the fact that debt, debt, lies
like an incubus upon us. But there
are many in our order, men Of brains
aud means, who can take hold and
net Immediately; end we can all lend
our active sympathy. and. remotely
our aid to this greatest undertaking in
which our people can engage. In
this, il in anything. lies the redeu'p-
ton of the South-direct trade Uith
Europe through our Southern ports.
Let US talk about it among ourselves
IS neighbors aud friends let us dis.
euss it IN our meetings; let every man,
who can do SO, write and speak upon
the subject. The ball has been pu,
in motion; let US keep j; rolling.
The National Grange has formalt.
endorsed the Increment. Ii it had
been inaugurated and placed upon a
firm footing twenty years ago, we
would, in all probability, have had
no civil war.
One of the first great departures
from the policy and practice of the
founders of the republic was the class
Legislation by Congress, in favor OF
New England and against the South
on the subject Of the tariff. Many Of
our prominent public men in the
South were inveigled into the support
of this most Ubiquitous measure. and
ever since its adoption as the policy
Of the government, the South has
been paying tribute to New England
What have we gained by this policy
We have excluded foreign competition
and destroyed our best interests, to
build up SET Of sharpers, who have
manufactured at enormous profits, and
flooded the country with worthless
goods ; their cloths, in many instances
not worth making up. and their other
wares the veriest swind!es ever per.
petra,ed upon o deluded people. LIE,
US, then, urge u reduction Of the tariff
to q strictly revenue standard, and
bend our energies to effect free and
direct trade with Europe. Let Us
throw wide open our ports and invite
English capital aud English goods t.
our marts oil trade.
The Northwest is as much inter
ested in this thing as we are, and her
mighty influence is beginning to bt
felt. We have been authoritatively
Informed that, but for the tremendou,
pressure brought to bear upon Con
gress through the North Western
oranges. no appropriation would have
been made to test Eads' plan Of open
ing the mouth of the Mississippi.
The great enterprise Of direct trade
with Europe has awakened the TIT
slumbering energies of our people
and whether Eads shall succeed o.
cot. the barrier at the Delta OF thu
great river will be overcome; and il
. short while English and French
manufactured goods will be poured
chin lad efAop chin lad into the lar