Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-07-10


From among the many good things contained in
MIR. Things address We present few.
Mr.. Thing said For myself j desire TO say
that l AIN AS a Patren, an old man, for farming III
kennebec has been my business all my lie, and
when speak OF the disabilities and burdens OF
fai liners know what am talking about; aud
have seen something OF the working and inhu.
ence OF our Order, and desire to say to such out
siders as may be present that also know what
am discussing upon. We Will consider the or
der negatively, or as to what we are not. We
make war upon no man or organization of men
We clam to be friends to all law adding citizens
of whatever trade, occupation or profession; aud
by our united efforts thousand oil good hon
est men aud women have received encouragement
and ins true iion and material aid while thousand.
and tens OF thousands have been elevated, not one
individual in all the land has been injured OF
harmed in the least by the legitimate workings OF
The Order. Not one individual has suffered III
his business, unless il be that undefnabe, iIIe-
presslble, every where present leech upon the
worlds indusuy-the miudle man. If by our ell
forts we have made less of these drones necessary
IN the great hive of workers, they have the same
privilege that we have, to 60 10 work and for
themselves in future the bread which other and
better men have earned for them in the past
Neither are we political organization, tor our
pride and our boast is that we have a platform
upon VIII ich ali honest men, and women too, can
stand ana do battle Tor the right, untramme led by
party lines; where we can accept the good
aud the true from whatever source II may come,
and reject the base ind the false no mater who
offers II. Neither are we q sectarlan organza-
ton for VIII lie we claim the right as individuals
to bear such a christian name AS we please, yet
truth and honesty, industry and economy, sobilety
and virtue. are the essentials 10 admission within
our gates.
Neither are we disorganzers, seeking to turn
the world upside down, and to revolutonizc the
existing order Of things regardless Of conseQuen
and herause finding wrong DerDetratp
greater without removing the first.
Finally, we claim TO have no sinister aims or
objects IN view, no personal ambition to crafty,
no enemies to punish, no friends TO reward. Well
then, why the Fraternity OF Patrons Farmers
as well As other men, have grown wiser as tn !.
years have rolled on. They have seen every other
occupation, trade, profession or branch OF labor
organized and banded together for mutual protec-
ton, support in trial and assistance in need.
In the West where the order first gained foot
hold, railroad men had already fixed the price Of
land, and then by fixing such a tariff Of freight
rates as they pleased, they virtually said what
should be received Tor what was grown upon it,
and it was reserved for this order to compel rail
road corpoi atoms to conform to State statues and
regard the rights OF tie pr oducer. Thea steps In
the dealer and likes the prices OF all We have 10
sell when ii is in ma, ket; they put their heads to-
gether aud fix the price 10 be pad by the consum-
er. SO it will be seen that the whole thing was
pretty well fixed SO long rs times were good
money circulated freely, with ready demand for
all the iarmer had to sell; he managed 10 get on
somehow and keep his head ABOVE water; but
~hen prices came down so that fieight commis-
slons aud the ious other charges eat up the
goods, and sometimes more, lie was driven In
sheer self defence 10 cast about him Tor some
tried way out OF mis- dilemma. lie saw those who
merely handled what his labor produced, living in
aiiiuence; rsilro sd kings rolling up fortunes of
millions by carrying his productions, while he, the
only one OF all who added one dollar to the wealth
OF the world was growing poorer every day. I'm
der these circumstances when the agricultural
producer saw how easy one was sustained when all
tue lest sustained him, he began TO realize that
what was 50 good for others might not be very
bad for him. and from this thought developed the
Order of Patrons of Husbandry. We propose to
do good and only good, and from the nature Of
our work, and the manner OF prosecuting IT. we
can possibly harm no one. We admit none but
farmers.
We aspire to extract from the earth the great
est possible returns Tor our labor, and then TO
make what our hands have produced worth as
much IS it costs. We desire TO do this, not BY
making 1t cost the consumer more, for that won Id
be unreasonable as times are, but we would
have less men to pay between the producer and
the con,umer. When good steers are sold Tor
seven and eight cents, and consumers pay 80 cts
for their steak and 20 cts. for their roasis some
thing is wrong. When brogsns are sold to job
bers for IS cts. q pair, and then to farmers for
wool is sold from the farm for 80 to 40 cts, and q
yer4 oi cloth from half of it is sold to the same
man who raised the wool for SIPS, there is some
thing wrong again.
The great business curse of this country is the
credit system. The order OF Patrons has COM
menced to pay as it goes"
The order already in some States numbers
q majority Of their actual cilizens aud is
increasing in all the land.
In closing his very interesting address, Mr..
Thing said he was not there to array one class
against another, or to provoke antagonism be-
tween necessary and lawful occupations and pro-
fessions on the contrary he exhoted all good Pa
irons here and everywhere, to so diligently mind
their own business that they will have no time to
attend to that OF other people. We are as an or
der, assailed on every hand. What shall we do
Why do as the moon did when the little dog
barked at it-keep right along in our course
elevating the social, moral, intellectual and ma
terlal prosperity and standing of the farming peo-
pie OF our country, thus making their lives more
pleasant to themselves and more valuable to the
world. Let us not slack our hands till the farmer
and the farmers wife, and the farmers son and
daughter, shall stand side by side with the proad-
est and most honored in the land-til we shall be
recognized and acknowledged as what we are, the
strength, The support, dependence and help OF all
the earth.
After Mr.. Things address, short and interest
ing speeches were made by the master of the
State Grange, Nelson Ham, Esq, of Lewiston /;
Secretary OF the State Grange, j. NJ. jackson
ESQ.,, of the same city; Mr.. Cobb, Treasurer OF
State Grange, |. n. Wadsworth, Esq., of Man
chester, and Eli Hodgkins, overseer of Pomona
Grange of Androscoggin county.
AT the close OF the exercises on the stand, which
where plentlinlly interpreted with fine music by
the Richmond Band, the procession was reformed
and the speakers and visiting members aud the
officers of the State Grange were escorted to the
hall. where magnificent dinner engrossed Their
attention for an hour, when the vast ihrong was
again RECALLED by good music from the band and
good speaking by Z. IL. Berry of Monmouth, and
l.. w. Palmer, Esq. of Lilcnfeld, which closed
the pubic exercises of the day.
Everything passed off pleasantly and the occa.
sion seemed 10 be of satisfaction and profit to
ALL Good order prevailed throughout the day.
When you get heated, step into Devine & How,
ards and cool off with glass of Ottawa Beer oil