The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-10-14
COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI OCTOBER "a

others who had taken the prelimi.
nary steps to re-organize the State
Grange, and the State Grange will
organize next month and nouisi,
ana will be represented at the No.
vember session of the Nationa
Grange.
THE FUTURE PROSPECTS
Of the Order in the State are very
encouraging, but much work is re-
quired to build it up, and there is
much good material in Louisiana
and many good, honest, noble men
and women in the State who love
the Order and wish it we'll, AND
will work faithfully for its advance
ment. But the opposers of the
Grange learned our mission the
second day we were in the State,
and their disapproval to reoragan-
ization and its influence to hinder
its progress was visible at every
point throughout the State. And
it will require great determination
and earnest, faithful efforts on the
part of the members of the Order
to overcome the powerful opposi-
tion arrayed against them, but by
thorough organization and co-ope-
ration they can do it, SO strong is
my faith in the opinion formed oi
the working members in the
Grange that | do not hesitate to
say "they will"
THE GREAT DRAWBACK
to the rapid advancement of the
Order in the State is, that the mer-
chants oWn many of the farmers,
soul and body,,and many of the far
mers are not ~freemen, although
they own their plantations, have
The title in their own name, and
yet are not masters of their own
situation, but the servants of the
merchants and they gather the
profits of the products themselves,
and farmers at the close of the year
are in the same condition as at the
beginning and sometimes even
worse; and it is done in this way:
the country merchants draws their
supplies from the commission and
wholesale merchants in New Or
leans and much of it on credit,
then he beseeches every farmer in
the whole Parish offering them
every inducement to supply them
with groceries, meats, dry goods
teams, tools, and even money, and
wait for pay until the crop is ma
tured and gathered, and too many
farmers bite freely at the preten.
tious bait placed before them, and
when the farmer takes his supplies
home, he has paid two extra profits
one to the local merchant and one
to commission or wholesale mer.
chant, and this is not the worst OF
it, for when the crop is ready for
the market the farmer must sell to
the local merchant who furnished
the supplies, and that at the mer-
chants price, for all merchants
furnish more or less supplies in this
way, and these combine, yes, CO.
operate to keep the price down al
low as possible in the home market
so as to make good profits on their
purchases and in this way the local
merchant is paid for supplies fur.
nished, and he, the local merchant
ships to his merchant in New Or.
leans and pays the demand agains,
him there. Thus it is seen thai
the farmer pays two profits, one te
the local and one to the com mission
merchant, on his crop while it if
growing for supplies furnished te
him, and whom the crop is market
ed he pays two more profits again
one to the locel merchant and one
to the commission merchant fol
handling his crop, hence the farmer
really pays four profits out OF biz
crop to the merchants, two before
it is made and two after it is made
and then he wonders why it is thai
he is making nothing after so much
work and effort! He does not re-
alize that he is absolutely the ser.
want of the merchant, and all tha
is allowed him is simply a living
Did they once realize the fact tha
by uniting with the Grange ane
then learn the ways of business fol
the farmers and then co-operat.
and secure their supplies from frs
hands they would save the first twt
profits, and again cooperate in dis
posing of their surplus product
they would save the two las
profits, in short they all save th'
the four profits now given away.
I have much more that I woult
like to say, but in order to keel
this communication within bound
in not making it too lengthy | vii
close by returning my heartfelt
thanks for kindness shown M
by many Patrons and frend
during my labors in Louisiana.
am under special obligations t
Bros. Keegan, Branch, George, Al
ford, Morgan, Nesen, Odam, Til
lerry, and doubly SO to Bro. Lewis
for coutesies extended me.
Fratsrnally, Il. EsHaAuoH.