The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1881-11-26
The National Grange.
Annual ADDRESS Of worthy MAS
Ter j. I-Woodman.

fer ,. LWood man, 49,
Delivered at|the opening Of the fifteenth
Session. washington City, Nov. Is, 1851.
Worthy Patrons laBd Members Of
the National Grange. As the chosen
representatives OF the greatest in
dustriai interest of this Nation, and
members of one great brotherhood
of agricnlturists which extends into
every State, and almost every
neighborhood in this broad land,
we have come from the East and
the West, the North and the South,
to counsel together and devise ways
and means By which that interest
may be better protected, and the
prosperity of agricnlturists more
fully secured.
At the sixth annual session of this
National Grange, held in this city
in January, 1869, Worthy Master
Saunders, In abiding to the duties
of the National Grange, in his adj
dress to that body, said, 81 con-
ceive that its principal duties are
to collect and disseminate informa-
ton for the benefit Of the whole Or.
der, to place State Oranges IN co.
| operative standardization, and ad
wise Subordinate Oranges with ref
erenee to matters of special inter-
est. Thus it acts as ar agency But
it should be something more than
this; being in comm unicaticn with
the whole Order, it is eminently
placed in position to judge as to
the value of measures calcn lated to
be for the best interest of the whole,
and thus it should be creative as yell
as administrative"
No language of mine could more
clearly define the powers and duties
of this body as the National Legis-
lature, the Congress of our great
organization of farmers. Although
it is not our province to enact laws
for the people, yet no Congress ever
assembled bene 4th the dome OF
yonder N RATIONAL Capitol with duties
more closely allied to the general
welfare than are devolving upon
this National Grange of the Patrons
of Husbandry.
Although we represent class,
| yet it is an industrial aud wealth
producing class, upon which the
prosperity of all other industries
and interests depend. We produce
moro wealth, and contribute more
to commerce, more for the education
of the masses, and more for the sup
| port of the Government and its in
stitutions than all other interests
combined. Upon the prosperity OF
agriculture depends the welfare, il
not the very existence of all other
interests, and the strength and per
| petuity of the Government. When
the soil yields an abundant harvest
every channel of business is cleo
trified into life, but a partial failure
OF crops, as the returns of the pres
ent year indicates, operates like the
dying away of the stream which
furnishes the propelling power O
the mill, the machinery moves
slower, aud much OF it will stor
altogether.
Washington and Jefferson based
! their faith in the ability of the pco
pie of this country to maintain {
republican form of government
upon the fact that their occupation
was to be mainly agricultural
| Hence it can not be said, that W,
ovcrestimate the importance 0
agriculture. or the work Of our or
ganization.
The establishment of free institu
tons upon this continent was no
on y new era in the history o
civil governments, but in agricul
ture and the intellectual develop
ment Of those engaged in it. Far
;. mers have been made not only own
: ers of the soil they cultivate, bu
their own readers, thinkers, and ex
ecutors, the browning glory o
which las eliminated in their de-
mahd for a more elevated, socia
and intellectual life, the cultivation
OF noble manhood and womanhooC
among themselves, and by organi
cation and cooperation, eDdeavol
to dignity labor, honor their pro
fession, protect their rights, and t.
maintain their equality among men
1t is wise provision in our or
ganic law which requires that tn,
voting mem bers of this body shall
be composed Of the Masters o
State Oranges and their wives whc
are Matrons. This does away with
the strife incident to all elections
and brings together in annual SEES
sion the men and women who hav,
had the care and responsibility o
experimenting the work of the Or
der in the several States, and wbt
of all others should best know thu
condition and wants of the Order
and ought to be best qualified t.
originate a system for practica
work by which the interest in the
Subordinate Oranges may be KEEP
up, united and harmonious actor
secured on all important questions
and thorough business cooperation
encouraged and made practical.
Worthy Master Saunders was on,
of the honored founders of this Or
der, and for six years Master of tn,
National Grange. He we'll under