The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-11-23
THE NATIONAL GRANGE.
Address OF the Worthy NIaster-The
WORTHY Lecturers Report.

Grange at its recent session in Chicago:
At the last session of this body several inn
portant amendments to the Constitution
were proposed and subsequently, ratified by
the State Oranges, of which proclamation
was duly made.
As part of the system and plan of the Or
ganiZation and government of the co-opera.
tive societies of Great Britain, which it was
our purpose to adopt, these rules, with some
slight changes, will be most valuable, but
taken alone they are disiointed link in q
chain, the perfection of which by our Brit
ish friends has been the work of their edu-
Gated, thinking, practical men, for the last
thirty-iiye years. The fraction which we
have given our Order has been utilized to an
extent which we can only conjecture Hun
dreds, and it may be thousands, of cooper
alive stores have been established in the
various States and Territories of the Union,
with various amounts of share capital, and
perhaps as various in other features and in
their fortunes. They are without head or
connecting link, 81 like SO many islands in
the sea, without even Il boat plying from one
to the othcr''-without that principle of
unity VIII ch is the life of co-opl rations and
the guiding star of humanity.
W 18th the perfection of our system of Or
ganiZation, is the necessity of educating our
members in the true principles of co-opera-
ton. Let us follow the example of our En-
EiiSl FIR Ill llllS also. lutlT
courtesy have received a large number of
tracts, wi h the proceedings of their cooper
alive Congress from 1868 to the present
time, making most va liable collection of
cooperative literature. We have to reach
the minds of many who are ignorant, and to
stimulate in them 4 thirst for knowledge.
The latter, which is the first requisite, is
better accomplished by living missionaries.
If we could send out some of the friends of
cooperation (WhO could be named) to act as
pioneers in this work, we would soon see a
large demand for cooperative intelligence.
1t may be thought by sumo who take a
solely sentimental view of our organization,
that | am giving an undue prominence to its
material objects. If so, | cannot think they
have studied the deep philosophy, pure
morality, lofty virtue, and 9 nuine religion,
that undcrlicS co-Ope,1.tjre life. Rightly un-
derstOod, it is the practical realization of
Christian ethics. The silent virtues of tenn
perance, forethought, just dealing, and fell
lowship in work, will do more to correct the
moral disorders which darkcn our land, and
have tainted our Government, as well as
trade and commerce, than all the penal
statutes that have been or can be devised.
The material, moral, social and intellectual
influences are in near connection with each
other. The most material thi rs have great
influence on mental Subjects a sentiment
that ages ago the poet Homer gave vent to,
i'll saying that "whcn man becomes SLAVE he
loses nalf his virtue"
At the last session of this Grange much
interest was expressed in the action which
had been taken by the cooperative societies
of Great Britain to inauguratc a system of
exchange between them and the agricultural
producers in this country. and in their
Friendly messages to our Order, through
their special dcputation, and subsequent
correspondence with our Executive Com
mittcc, which was directed, by resolution
of this body, to continue, as | did until
point was reached when, in my Judgment,
with the approval of the Executive Commit
tee, it became cXpcdicnt to send special
commissioner 10 confer with the authorities
in those societies upon this subject, and to
represent our ideas and interest in this con-
ncction. Brother J. W. A. Wright was APP
pointed to this office, and it affords me sim
ccrc pleasure to bear testimony to the abli-
ty, dignity and grace with which he dis
charged its important duties. Compiled
tionS of very serious character had arisen
through the Misrepresentation of unfriend-
ly parties, tue character and extent of which
were unknown to us until asccrtained by
our Commissioner, after his arrival in En-
gland. These matters were fully discussed
in the Cooperative Congress which met at
Glasgow in April last, the courte.y of open
ing and closing the discus ion having been
extended to our commissioner. The result
-
estncss and integrity of our Order in these
negotiations, and their reference to Mr..
Ncalc and our Commissioner, by whom i'm
pOrtant notifications and changes of the
original ar iclcs were agreed upon, submit
ted to he Executive Commi ttcc of the Com
pany on the other side, and assentcd to by
that ummttce.
The plan o f organizing the American sec
ton of this Association, which | submit,
may be improved by your joint wisdom an d
united intelligence of the extended field for
which it is designed. BY some it may be re-
ga ded as yielding much of the authority
and fostering care, which our Constitution
wis, ly provides the National Grange shall
exercise, directly and through subordinate
Oranges, over the business interests of our
Order, in only becoming an "aRpiSoIy b0dy"
On he other hand it might be objected
that the National Grange is not elected by
those who may be Stockholders in the enter
prise alone, but by the representatives of all
the members, and therefore should not exer-
else supervision over their interests. OF
these opposite opinions the last would lead
to consequences, think, fatal to our
Order, and our cherished hopes. The
purposes OF our Order are so blended, each
SO in harmony with the others, and
So dependent upon one another, the separa-
ton Of one, and especially that one which is
the blood of the whole, would paralyze
=
these enterprises that our members will look
for greatest benefits, but in the facilities
they viii afford for the sale of our products
and the purchase of our supplies. The men,
Der that holds out Il single share will be en-.
titled to the same benefits, and have an
equal voice with the member holding the
maximum. Some of our members may not
be able to take singh share, yet such may
contribute to the profits, By their custom,
more than others holding the maximum of
Shares. Shall such members have no repre-
sentation in a purely Patrons enterprise, to
the support OF which they contribute per-
haps the largest share?
A Cooperative Congress, elected by stock
holders, could not be more responsible, or
represent the interest of their constituents
more intclligently or faithfully, than body
chosen from the Order, as is this National
Grange.
That we have opposition to our plans,
powerful, and energetic, we know, but the
source from which it comes should nerve us
to put forth whatever effort may be neces
sary to secure to the toiling farmer the right
full profit of his industry, as prerequisite to
the proper development of what are called
"the higher objects of our order" Do we
not see an educational power of the highest
Kind underlying this cooperative movement
for the great masses of our people? The
further we have gone the fairer and
wider the prospect before us. Do we mean
to go on? Have we faith enough in the princi-
Piles of our Association to follow them
wherever they may tend? l trust we have,
and that we shall take our forward steps in
the reorganization of labor, and therefore
of society, carefully and steadily, but reso-
lutely, and with perfect Indifference to the
abuse and opposition which we must of
course look for, until manh0od shall cease to
pay tribute to money; conscious as our
limited pinpn ion in these nriprin1rs baa
made us, in some dim way, of that highest
mystery of our human life, which can only
be adequat ly d scribcd in words with which
hope all of us are familiar, "That we are
members one of another, so that if one
member suffers all suffer, and if one mem
Der rejoces all rejoice"
l cannot too strongly urge the Importance
of such action at the present session as will
fix permanently the headquarters, and secure
a suitable building for the National Grange.
Your advice to the State and Subordinate
Gr'nges on this subject at the last session,
so well given, would receive much great-r
force by your own example.
The money in our Treasury, which might
be used for this purpose, is rapidly dimin-
ishing by donations. While we have any
considerable sum on hand urgent appeals
will be made for donations in the Interest of
our membership in States having suffered
from insects and drought. No amount that
can DC appropriated from our NATIONAL
Grange Treasury would afford an apprecia-
BILE relief, SO divided. This should be the
work of our Subordinate Oranges aud mem
bers blessed with abundance, and l rejoice
to say they have not been unmindful of such
THE WORTHY LECTURERS REPORT.
The following is the report of the
Worthy Lecturer, Mr.. Smedley, of Iowa:
WORTHY MASTER: In compliance with
the instructions of the Worthy Master of the
National Grange and the Executive Commit
tee, based on calls from Masters of State
Grang S, | have devoted nearly all the time
inn. pnr 1ac to bn l. nf -