The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-06-13
Grange Meetings ms "a sEusimes>
ENPctIieHa.

The Importance Of grange meetings,
considered solely as part Of the business
instrumentalities of the order, is not
always fully appreciated. Some members
holding the order only as a money max
ing institution, are inclined to neglect
their oranges and grange meetings seem
not to. contribute anything toward IN
creasng the farmers income and lessen
ing his expenditure. These same mem
bers are ardent and faithful enough, per-
haps, in their support OF business agen
Cies aud cooperative stores; and would
be equally ardent and faithful in support
ing their oranges, could they see any
money in oranges. But they think Il
grange, if OF any benefit, of only educa-
tional and social benefit-sorts Of bene-
fcialness for which they do not care
enough to give themselves any trouble to
obtain them.
Without encouraging or defending
these Patrons in the belief that the grange
meetings are of sufficient value, sim
ply on account of their social and educa-
aional advantages, to warrant any eXpen-
dlture of time or trouble in attending
them, we desire to show them that the
subordinate oranges and era lge meetings
are an essential part of the business ma
chinerv OF the order, and cannot be neg
lected without greatly iniurlng, If not
destroying, all our business enterprises.
Under some circumstances, Il good sys-
tenn Of business co operation IS possible
without the aid of oranges or similar
organizations. The English system of
cooperation is of this character. Un-
der that system each cooperative assocla-
ton is independent, except so far as all
the associations are united under ''cen
trail board" The co-operators are the
members-the stocllholders--of the asso-.
citation all other people are outsiders.
With us, on the other hand, the -ope-
rators In any grange or Patrons business
enterprise are all Patrons who are inter
ested in it, whether as stockholders or
simply as customers. An English CO.
operative store is run for the benefit of
all persons who pay into the treasury OF
the store certain sum per week; a Pa
irons cooperative store is run for the
benefit of all members of the order, and
leaving out Of view the remuneration of
stockholders, rs much for the benefit of
one rs of another. In England the store
association is the main association; with
IL
England certain persons have formed
themselves into an organization for cheap
" supplying their own wants; here a
certain organization has formed certain
companies within itself for the purpose
of cheaply supplying the ants>of all its
members. Hence, while meeting of
the mem bers of an English cooperative
store association includes all the persons
directly interested in the store, n meeting
OF the members OF a Patrons supply
house association does not include all the
persons directly interested in the supply
house.
If the meetings of the stockholders of
Patrons supply house includes only
small portion of those who are directly
Interested in it, then there must needs be
some other meetings and some other
association into which the other or all in
terested parties may come. Such an aSso-
citation we have in the subordinate grange
and such meetings IN its meetings. Into
the subordinate oranges all the coOpera-
tors NAV come and confer together the
meetings of the stockholders being simply
in the nature of meetings of the mana
gers. If the Patrons customers stay
away from their grange meetings, they
leave everything to tRe stockholders-the
persons whose interests are in measure
antagonistic to their own, and the result
is worse than if the members of the
Roehdslle association should never advise
with or attempt to cotrol their directors.
Where a subordinate grange is stock
holder In some business company the
necessity for frequent and well attended
meetings is still greater. The members
have then to confer with one another, |
both in the capacity of customers and in |
that of stockholders. They have then |
rights as buyers and rights as sellers to
look after A delegate must be appoint
ed to each meeting of the stockholders
and the delegates must receive lnstfnc- |
tions from their grange. In addition to |
the above there is another reason why |
our business success depends largely on a /
faithful ATTENDANCE at the grange meet /
ings. While in England the cooperative
associations are mostly associations OF /
persons living in the same town, With US |
they are associations of persons living in /
the country and apart from one another.
There, most of the co-operators are with
10 few minutes walk of their co opera
tive atore here, they are usually several
sometimes many miles away. Hence. IN
England, each co operator, as a rnle, re-
ceives the full advantage Of cooperation