Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1877-10-20
GRANGER'S DEPARTMENT.

recent meeting of the Maryland State
Grange
know that you are expecting more
of me than l have the power to give
Won. for | am no orator, but was raised
mon farm aud have been the compan-
ion of hard labor. l never rise to ad-
dress an audience of my fellow citizens
on the subject of which / shall invite
you to consider without wishing some
one more able than were chosen who
could in language of livid light arouse
and awaken tine isolated farmer, and
impress upon him the Importance of as
ISOLATED action and cooperation. How
ever ancient that isolation, break 1t up
once and forever If there were no
other reason, the condition OF our class
in the Old World ought to senslbiy i'm,
press you with the Importance OF united
action. Once they were like ourselves
proprietors of the homesteadS IN which
they raised their offspring, but now they
are tenants at the will and beck OF a
landed aristocracy who have taken their
homesteads, their inheritance, and drv-
en- them to the condition they are now
in-of all the men on earth the most
pitiable and miserable. Shall that be
The lot of that class OH this continent?
is the question l ask myself, and 1t Is
the question for you to consider. What
will avert this fearful doom to the agri-
cultural class, the people OF all others
who make the annual added wealth OF
the world, and who produce every article
of human subsistence, and the raw ma
terial of which is made every fabric tor
human wear? So long as republican
equality last so long will we maintain
our proprietorship. We wish to break
mp this isolation and organize, and place
our class upon an equality with other
avocations
You who are outside of our order
have seen the secret inside OF our
Grange; you have heard the invocation
of Heaven, you have witnt sSed the lnstl-
lation OF officers, our services IN the ln-
terest of agricultural and our devotion
TO tin fact you have seen everything
but how we get on the goat, aid that
is none of your business. Laughter
Now, farmers, what are your objections
10 uniting with your teilow-laborers in
this cause If there is no such organi-
cation in your township, appropriate
one day in six to meet at stated place
to consider and inquire what is the rea-
son the interest OF agriculture do not
stand on the same platform with other
ayocations. For my part | cannot see
why the farmers do not stand together
solidly. A gentleman recently said to
Inc, ''Whst itevery avocation combine!
Every avocatiou has combined long
since, aud the farmers are the only men
who have not combined. There is not
one avocation that you can name to me
that has not had its organization
long years ago. There is no avocation
that is not more profitable than farm
ing. We read in the journals through b.
out the country of nothing but railroads,
banks and manufactures, as though they
were alone the industries tina. character
1zed this country. Laws are made to
distinguish between agriculture and 9th
or ayocations, and that Is the reason
we are the poorest paid Of all avocations
on this continent. The manufacturer
has the satisfaction of knowing that he
can force us to take his product at his
price, while he can turn around and tell
aus that he can buy his raw material
wherever he pleases. There is not
farmer in Marylaud who makes three
per cent. upon his capital after paying
for the labor he employs. If there is
enc such within hearing of my voice |
should inc ~" g speak out, and l
would 60 home with him, stay week
and try to learn how he does it,-Nh
is this so? Because every other avoca-
ton has come together and combined
and co-operated to take advantage OF
the isolated farmer, the man who Is con-
tented with remaining and operating
alone. Uuorganized men are never
match for the organized.
Let US see if the, laws of our National
Government do not operate equally
against you. Take any one OF our IN
dustries-they all have some little pro-
lection it is true. There is SO per cent.
duty on manufactured leather, bnt there
is no duty on hides, so manufactures
can 90 to South America and purchase
their hides and bring them here tree OF
duty, and we have to sell ours in com
petition with those hides. 1t is Amer
can industry to tan a hide, but 1t is not
American industry to produce hide.
There is a duty OF cents a pound on
wool, Lut there is duty of GO and 80
cts. yard OIL manufactured cloth. Now 1t
takes as much capital and labor to pro-
duce pound of wool as it does TO man
ufacture yard of cloth. 1t is as much
American industry TO do one as the 9th
er, and we have the right to ask for
laws regulating this protection, and If
there is any class protected we should
stand protected with them, and then We
can talk of this being government of
republican equality.
Five tenths of the people of this coun-
try are engaged in agriculture, and what
representation have we? "A member OF
Congress sent me Congressional Di-
rectory which gives the residence and
ayocation of each member. took my
,encil and marked where every man
was horn and what his profession was.
put down L for lawyer, and, heavens
it was l. all the time. After a long
time my patience was rewarded by see,
ing an Il. which stood tor farmer, and