The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-08-27
Reply to Hon. Wiley P. Harris
From the Master of the Mississippi
State Grange.

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al fp4t institution true patriotism, Pointet
,4t to them the most effective channels in whlci
t1 direct their efforts. This energIAng pubh
spirit he SAYS, sometimes displays itself IA IN
aivIIusl effort. But il mainly takes bod
FROM Houri-hneut and growth in associate
effort at IS my desire, young gen
tIc men, F." he says, 70 impress yo'
with this truth. These societies bring out th'
resources and energies OF country and dfec
Them" There have been at work some cause
90 diminish our reliance on this great machinery
of which shall speak after awhile :; and neal
his conclusion states a am confronted IN my
plea for society work by the iahuTe oi the
GRANGE That organization failed everywhere
from the same causes. 1t had naught 70 %
with rhl methods Of agriculture II separated
our great interests from ali others, ana was IN
epirif militant. IL made war upon those engage
iu trade and transportation, and IN attempting
to break down monopoly meudced Iree cohlPe-
tition. 1T did not propose 70 teach, but 70
Govern and feel from lis inherent detects The
societies which ! recommend, proceed on the
sound principle that the industries they promote
flourish most when those which surround them
flourish most
the speaker states without qualification that
the Grange has failed. HIS judgment III the
case must proceed from a precoHceIyed idea Of
what the Grange should be or should have been.
That it may have fallen short of what his con
ceptpu of what agricultural society should
be- Evs are free o. admit. hose VINO organized
the order Of Patrons of Husbandry, published
h the world declaration Of the objects they
mad iu view. IL would be well for both those
who oppose the Grange to examine tins Decia-
tiou.
Ia it. it viii be found, that one Of our specific
objects is to improve the methods 81 agriculture,
and we leave 10 for careful observers to say
whether the teachings Of the Grange are not
bringing "ouJ the energies of the people in the
DEVELOPMENT Of those industries and branches
OF agriculture, which do not require 50 many
laborerS and when viii attract different class
al laborers-sheep hu-bandry fruit culture,
-tOck-rIsiug, the production OF grain and forage,
the dairy" IL Will also be found that besides
fI..4 Ffss.afa IFHF4E
methods proposed which had IN view the
alienation OF unjust burdens imposed upon
this industry. The two may 90 along together,
but Development can never proceed until the
locks and hiudrances are removed.
The Declaration says: For our business in
ters-ts desire to bring producers and consul
nsrs, farmers and manufacturers, into the most
direct aud friendly relations possible. Hence
we must dispense with a surplus Of middlemen,
not that unirieudly to them, but we
do not need them Their surplus and their
actions diminish our profits" Here comes IN
with trade-and the wise observer must
have long since remarked that unless some
agency should intervene, the producer OF this
country must, at no distant day, cease to have
any voice in the disposition of his productions
The Grange is this agency and by bringing to
light through its educational department, the
impusitious practiced upon agriculturalists in
moving and exchanging their productions, the
vast sums expended unnecessarily, by discOun-
tcnaucing "the credit system, the mortgage
system. the fashion system, and every other
<
has saved its members much money, but more
than all, il has iuauguratcd a better system
among those who have come under its influence,
than could possibly have been attained without
its useful teachings.
To still further husband our resources, we now
recommend the cooperative plan of doing bus
mess which has succeeded so admirably in Eng
land. In this attitude towards trade are
not actuated by a spirit of aggression, but Of
f-pr0tectIOn. While are free to admit that
we have not not accomplished all that we de-
hat y-t4fh II, 81
correcting the errors of the present system of
trade, yet would ask of those most intrusted, /
if the GRANGE HAS FAILED entirely in this re-
FPectt II SO, why Is the effort so persistently /
made to impede its progress, even to destroy +
it institution?
Of transportation our Declaration says, eve (
wage aggressive warfare against any other /
interest whatever" eve hold that transporter
tiou companies of every kind necessary to
our success, that their interests are intimately /
connected with our interests, and harmonious
action is mutually advantageous keeping in
view the first sentence OF declaration OF
principles of action that "Individual happiness
depends upon general prosperity - and again,
''Nr are opposed to such spirit and manage
lnent of amy corporation or enterprise as tends
I" Cypress the people and rob them OF their just
profits"
T. our agitation of the railroad question has pro-
ceeded from the spirit they have manifested to
Cypress the people and rob them Of their just ,
profits, by cruel eNactiuus and unjust diScrimi-
nations. To show that the Grange has not
'i9iIed" in its efforts in this respect it is only
necessary To- alludc to the fact that the public
sentiment created by the discussion of this ques-
ton resulted In what is known the Granger
laws and the decision of the Supreme Court
that State Legislatures have right to control
transportation companies within their respec-
tive Jurisdictions. When this agitation first
began, the unequal contest was left to the
Grange and the very few papers then published
in its interest; now, many of the ablest of our
political papers have joined in this contest not
TO destroy Railroads or their usefulness, but to
al f-.,r .5. II
the people, and many OF our wisest statemen
view with alarm their eucroachments and their
powerw which now bids defiance TO the laws of the
land.
TO those who think farmers should take no in
terest in the management of Railroads, | call
their attention To the evidence OF decadence in
farming in the great States of New York, Penn
syiv1nIa New jersey and Connecticut, as shown
in "a series OF articles which recently appeared
in the New Nork Bulletin, the only cause that
can he assigned being the discrimination of the
Railroads.
/ would also direct attention to the diserimi
nations made i'm our State and close this part
Of my letter by asking the question, our in
dustrv prosper with the extortions and dscrim-
nations practiced by transportation compa-
mics?
Again, we are told that the Grange does not
propose TO teach, but to govern. This will
be news - our membership throughout the
country. The Grange is a voluntary institution,
and does not and cannot exercise any control
over the actions of its members, but seeks
all questions that its members may act intelH-
gently. Nor, as il is sometimes charged has it .
ever attempted TO govern political parties In
our ranks all parties are represented ma
ority OF the voters OF this nation are connected
with agriculture, and ON the questions of which
we have been speaking are almost unit, and
had our object been to govern" the issue I
would long since have been made up and the .
results demonstrated No. Our object is not
TO govern but to teach and the intelligence {
now displayed by farmers all questions, .
sIt.fv ,.fttBllF fI,.r IL
taught
The National Grange has, at various times, :
sent petitions to Congress The petitions have
never been brought from the committee rooms
but have been invariably treated with the ut |
most contempt. Seeing that Agriculture had
no representative at Washington, and that its
interests were the least protected and encour-
aged of any other, the National Grange petit
toned that the Commissioner of Agriculture be {
Il Cabinet officer. Its useless to commentup l
the result of this petition, or the manner in I
petition were treated No. Agriculture must I
develop its science without encouragement or '
help.
Seeing industry ignored and all our pc
ttions unayailing, that we produce nearly ali of
the wealth of the nation, and while we own :
only a little more than one-third OF the pro- :
perry that we pay over 90 per cent. of the taxes
the National Grange, at its last session. passed I
an additional Declaration of Purposes which, ;
after summing up some of our grievances con- ,
famed "A purpose to further extend the benefits
Of education, which shall comprise /" knowl- /
edge of public affairs and that we will de- :
mand the recognition of our rights in the legis- :
iative bodies OF the land This is not intended I
10 govern our members in their party rela-
tons, but to unite them in all parties upon mat
tiers pertaining 10 the interest of agriculture
Nor was ii intended to thrust the Grange into !
politics, for q resolution was passed declaring
that no Grange could call political conventions ,
nominate candidates Tor political Offices or dis
cuss their merits. These steps are but prelim- !
inaries TO put ourselves in position TO develop
the methods Of agriculture As il is with
contend, we claim to have done much in this
direction.
OF Education, our Declaration says: eve '
shall advance the cause of education among
ourselves and for our children bv all lust means I
b narl-r ,