The anti-monopolist., 1876-07-20
THE GRANGE.

Abernethy,i in the Farmers Union, says,
speaking of the Grange
One by one, the professionals, y like DON
nelly Sherwood and others have stepped down
and out, aud the Order has been coming up
ever since.
And to prove how wonderfully it is
coming up" he adds
Perhaps to-day not over one half the subor
dinate oranges are working in the State.
Ii this be 80 the Grange may well ex-
claim, with Napoleon, ''apather such
victory and am undone" The Grange
grew because the farmers believed it
would furnish them relief from the evils
they endured; those evils were largely
governmental and could only be cured
at the ballot box ;bat Farsons;Abernethy
and Bib King feared if this was done it
would damage the Republican party,
and as they cared more for the Repub-
lican party than they did for the farmers,
they emasculated the Grange and saved
the party. The result is, the party has
to-day lo,e00 majority in the state ;
one half the subordinate oranges have
shut mp shop; and not-a single reform
has been accomplished.
And now Abernethy is exultant to
think that his treacherous policy has
driven one halt the subordinate oranges
out OF existence, and he wants the farmers
to take of their hard-earned means to
establish cooperative stores. He says: :
Cooperative stores, on the Rochdale plan
must be established throughout the State, as
suggested by our Worthy Master at the last
meeting in Minneapolis.
Does hejnot know that incontrovertible
statistics establish the fact that only
three merchants out OF one hundred sue
ceed and that the man who has the bus
mess capacity to conduct store has gen
erally a store OF his own. He wants each
grange to put in 800, or s25, 900 in all j;
and then the concern is to 60 in debt !:
the farmers being each responsible tor
the entire debts Of the concern. This
would bankrupt every solvent granger in
the state within one year.
Abernethy sthinks it horrible to in
terfere with the politics OF = granger but
he would not scruple to take his last dol
lar to invest in such reckless movements
as have already bankrupted Denman and
Milne.
Now we say all this more in sorrow
than in anger. No man more earnestly
desires the complete and great success
OF the Grange organization than we do.
We will do all we can to aid it even in
its crippled and emascnlated condition !;
Tor it is capable of being made an in
sIumentality OF good. But the very fact
stated by Abernethy. that one halt the
subordinats oranges Of the state have
ceased to exist. demonstrates that we
were right when we ecunselled the
Grange to place itself at the head of the
eforming tendencies Of the age. 1t did
not it followed the lead Of Abernethr,
and the result is before Us. 1t is perish
ing OF inanition. Of dry rot.
We were told BY repabliesns that
any attempt of the grangers at self-de-
fence at the ballot box would breed dis
sention, and that the Grange would ex.
plode. Il has not exploded. It has coll
lapsed. The widest and stormiest dis
cussions could not have been 50 destruct-
i've as silence and torpor have been. l,
has been used. As our army was ii the
first DAYS OF the rebellion, not to strike
the enemies OF the people, but to guard
the hen-coops Of Repuolicanism- And
now Aberne4hy thanks God that the her
coops are safe. even though one half the
army has deserted
The Grange needs new Lincoln te
proclaim The liberation Of the great army
OF white serfa, now helpless in the chains
of party bondage.