Mexico weekly ledger., 1878-02-28

Last Friday, at I O'Clock p. M, as
announced in the LEDGER, the grand
master Of the State Grange, Mr., Esh-
baugh, of St. Louis, addressed tie
farmers of Audrain county in a neat
and practical speech Notwithstanding
the mud and rain, quite a large mum
Der of grangers from different parts
of the county were present TO enjoy
the discourse.
The speaker first took up the social
feature of the Grange, and had no
trouble in showing that this alone had
worked wonders among the farmers /;
and that there was now q social feel
ing in existence between neighbors
where there used to be q cold indif-
ference; that all those little cases
about unruly stock, &C., which used
to come up at every court between
neiShbors were nearly all done away
with that all these little troubles
which, when tried in court, accrued a
heavy cost and created hard feelings
between neighbors, could all be set
tied nov privately, amicably and
without cost, in the Grange.
Out of the social featui es Of the
Grange springs the intellectual one.
Farmers meeting together once a
week in their Grange, discussing
points of interest to themselves and
the country, are compelled to read
and keep posted on the current topics
Of the day, and to-day you will find
that eight newspapers are taken
where, seven years ago, only n was
taken. The Grange educates. retines
and ~elevates. The time was once
when a stock mai could go out in
in the country and buy stock at his
own figures, simply because the farm
er knew no better. The farmer would
then go to town and pay the mereh-
ant his own price for goods and get
swindled in both of his transactions.
Now it is different the Intelligent
Granger now reads the papers, and
knows what his stock is worth in st.
Louis or New York he knows what
it costs to makes y yard of cloth or a
pair of boots. He is posted on all
points of interest to himself and hi
business. He clearly showed tn,
| Grange has done this and more tina
when the farmer Was wont, in Olde
times, to get half price for his prS
duce and pay a double price for b
farming implements, &c now u
matter was different. He got VIII
his produce was worth; lie paid ws
his purchases were worth. In Il
way thousands of dollars were say
the laTfner eacll ycaF'
He spent u few moments III shy
ing what a power and infincnceI
Changers held in their hands. in
made the matter clear that d.
Changers deserved thanks for 10
%ietties, and said that lads hadd
him that if the river was eve cls
/ out up to St. Louis, or highe-
Grangers would have 10 pus-t
Il after. s
lie explained how the price o IL
fee and other articles. Of CONF
could be brought dowl to a rci
bic rate. ay
He stated that the G.ange he
and could not he, into pol
their motto was ''the best ma.
the place." let his politics be ws
may. He made the point clear,
although the Grange did not
to-day the number it once had 81
still str pnger than ever; that the,
were moro united and worked with
more zeal and energy, spurred on by
what they had accomplished in the
past. .
lie seemed to dwell with severity
and acrimony on those who had
dropped out of the Grange. He di-
vided them into two classes. One
class joined the Grange to make
money, Chose who, SO long as they
could get paid $40 or more for estab-
fishing Oranges were good Changers,
but after that combed the hay-seed
out of their hair, and now think
themselves too good to speak to a
common laborer,) to the above men
toned class he gave a good square
talk.
Another class he scathed in a more
bitter manner, namely: Men that
had joined the Grange for the sake of
office; men that had gone into the
Grange to get to the Legislature, and
when they found that Changers, as
we'll as the rest of mankind, did not
or rather did appreciate them by al
ways eleeting them to--stay at home.
-t
They then took up their plug hat,
shook the Granger soil off their calf
boots, drew on their kid gloves, and
now sheer at the efforts OF the
Changers. and think all the time to
themselves, 'sThe Changers may be
good enough in their intentions, but
they made n big mistake in not elect
ing me tc the legislature, and l really
can't see why Changers cannot have
sense enough to appreciate me as l do
myself" The Grange is better off
without such men, and we trust thew
will stay on the outside.