The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1878-09-21
Correspondence baltimore County Union.
THE GRANGE.
Carefully Considered by Farmer who is
not Granger

The Changers claim that Faith, Hope and Char
ity are the foundation and guide of the Order, and
that the key stone or uniting principle or power
that binds them together is Cooperation. The
object for which the Order was originated, they
claim, was to bring the manufacturer and con
sumer together or in other words, to enable the
consumer to buy direct from the manufacturer OF
producer, and the manufacturer or producer to sell
direct to the consumer without the aid of the
"agent" or middle The class to be bene-
fitted by the Grange is the owner or renter of a
farm. All other classes, if | am rightly informed
excluded. The manner in which the benefits
are to be derived is by having general agency
at which an agent is employed at a salary and
through which the business of the different Oranges
is transacted.
LIST. Wewill notice the foundation-Faith, Hope
and Charity. 1t is through faith that they hope
to obtain the desired object, but where charity
comes in we have in vain endeavOred to find out.
Charity is defined by Webster as disposition to
think favorably of others and do them good
Now when we take into consideration the fact that
a majority of the producers of the agricultural
wealth of our country neither Ocners nor rent
of farms, and that they work more hours and
receiue less wages per day than almost any other
class of people, can we call an Order charitable
that debars this class (the real bone and sinew of
agricultural from receiving the benefits which the
owners and renters receive?
Is it charitable for the owner and renter to buy
their groceries at the "Grange store," at a large
reduction, for cash, while their farm hands are
compelled to buy wherever they can at a high
price on credit because the Granger had spent all
his money at the "Grange store" and had none
left to pay his hands with? Is it charitable for the
Granger to goaway from home to "Grange store"
to buy his groceries when he has the money and
when he has to ask his neghbor, who is q
"store- keeper" to let him shave some things on
credit" and then spend the first money he gets at
the "Grange store" instead of paying his debts?
But enough ON this point. We have said enough
to show that it will not be charitable Order until
the members treat their neighbOrs in a charitable
manner, and allow all persons engaged in agricul-
tural pursuits to become members of the Order and
participants in its benefits.
I'd. We will briefly notice the key -stone-Co-
operation. Cooperation is acting together, and
the more mowers you put to work in field the
sooner the grass is cut down if they keep at work
all the tme if it is for their interest that they are
working they will not lose much time, but if only
of them (the owner of the grass is interested
and he tells the others he will only pay them what
he pleases for their labors they will not cooper
ate with him cheerfully as if they had mutual
understanding in regard to the price to be paid
for certain amount of labor. From this we
would argue that all who are engaged in agricul-
ture-owncr, renter and farm labOrer-should CO.
operate together and have a mutual understand
ing with each other. There can be no real CO.
operation where large ma jority of those engaged
in agriculture are forced to pay high prices for
the necessaries of life while the minority buy
cheap and "set the wages" for the majority
Therefore we think that to make the Grange "per-
petual" all engaged in agriculture should CO.
operate together, and owner renter and labOrer
equally enjoy the benefits to be derived therefrom
Sd. Another thing we wish to notice is the
"mdde-man" or "agent." Here comes in one of
the greatest anomalies connected with the Grange.
The prime object for which the Grange was gotten
up was to get rid of the ''middleman," and here
we find him fourishing in all his glory especially
the agent for fertilizers and the huckster. Why
are they admitted? Simply because they own
little farm and hire farm labOrers, who are ex
cluded from the benefits of the Grange, to work it
for them, while they buy the Changers produce
send it to market and make a living out of the
profit they make on it, and sell him fertilizer which
they also make profit on. Every person of this
class who is admitted to the Grange (and the
number is being multiplicity is just the amount of
business that that person does lost to the general
continues to be the case, in the not far distant
future there will be as many ''middle men" in the
Grange as there are outside its fold.
This article has not been written for the pur-
pose of condemning the Grange. No, no, far from
it, But for the purpose of pointing out some
things that hinder its progress and usefulness and
keep many farmers, who sympathize with farm
laborers (who are equally interested in the cult
walton of the soil) from becoming members of the
Order. SOLD F0GY."