The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-08-05
Purposes of the Grange and Its
Work.
California Patron.


The fundamental ideas associated with the
organization of the Grange. were the advance
ment of the farmer mentally, morally, socially
and financially. From the very nature OF
their calling, isolated from the centers OF
population and disentegrated socially and
financially among themselves, the farmers of
the United States in 1867 present ted pitiable
condition, and strife between the two great
sections OF our common country had left a
gulf Of desolation and heart burnings so wide
| and deep that the great power of the religious
| and secular press, backed by Congressional
action: pied, labored, and legislated in vain
cordial return to the ransomed household of
oar fathers.
of all the ills that soreIy scourge the earth,
Red war, aud want and pestilential hate,
There's none to which the world has yet given
birth,
So deep and deadly as fraternaI hate.
In addition to this fraternal discord, the
diversions of the attention and resources OF
the country from their legitimate channels,
enabled a set of political and financial vul-
lures, to fasten their fangs upon the vitals OF
the nation by favorotism shown in Congress
sional legislation in the form Of lands and SUBJ
sides to corporations which have grown into
a power higher in its influence over and con
troll of men and things than the Nation itself.
The peopl-, and especially the farmers of
the great West and South, were absolutely
under the control of these corporations, which
CLEANED, in the way of costs and charges for
transportation, all the profits Of the husband
mans toll.
This showing is faint outline of the con-
ditlon of things at the time that o. Fl. Kelley
and VIM. Saunders first conceived the idea
OF organizing fraternsl order. With the
n IT,. r
land, the Ritual was prepared and the first
orange organised at Harrisburg Pennsylv ania.
The objects sought to be attained through
the work and influence of the Order, were
nothing less than the establishment of a ma
tlOnal sentiment of unity and harmony be-
tween the Northern and Southern sections of
our then divorced country and to educate
farmers up in unitarian point of view sufi-
GENTLY to induce among them unity of action
and cooperation in all things conducive to
their temporal and spiritual welfare. The
success attained has surpassed the hopes and
expectations of the founders of the Order
Through the Interchange of sentiment be-
tween the North and South established by the
cooperative and brotherly work of Grange
especially through the &C mmin Cling of our rep
resentatlves to the National Grange coming
as they have from every section of the Union
rs before. indicated, has done more to restore
other sources combined. In the matter of
financial cooperative enterprise, much has
been done which will remain forever as mon
uments OF the farmers business tact and
talent developed through operations of the
orange. lis true there have been many
iaiiures of business enterprises and with rea.
soR; for how few farmers ms class, isolated
and disentegraded for centuries, without
knowledge or experience in anything but
Ill III
as they have in their co operative business
enterprises is wonder and enigma to the
uniniuated. The percentage of merchants
ana other business men who fail at some pe-
riod OF their lives, are estim Ated at ninety
nVe OF the whole number, while Grange CO..
SSpeIauEe business enterprises, even in this
state where 1t is claimed the worst breaks
nave been made, there have been on an aver
age TWO successes to one failure. Among the
prospectus institutions established and direc-
ted Wnoly or in part by the Grange cooperative
system We may mention the Changers Bank Of
oahtornia, the Changers Business Associ-
a'ion OF this city, the Changers cooperative
Association of Sacramento, the Changers I'm.
ION OF Stockton, the Changers Business Asso-
ciauons, Healdsburg, the New Lodi co-opera-
i've store, the Ferndale Grange Store, the
ro.ter valley Grange Store, the Farmers
Union OF San Jose and some others we cannot
just at this moment call to mind
matter of successful enterprises, as compared
with the failures. The influence of some of
anese FULLY established Institutions is immense.
Ihe drangers Bank has perfected q system of
leaning money on grain warehouse receipts,
mhicn TACT IN conjunction with the business it
nas uone with the country, has tended greatly
20 reduce the rates of interest paid by far
mers, and instead of having to send their
gram to Mission Rock warehouse, or some
osner place of deep water storage, money is
rcaoily obtained at interest ranging from sew
on 70 nine per cent. almost anywhere in the
country where warehouse is located.
ine drangers Business Association of this
CITY, when it started cut on its business VEN
tare, at once reduced the rate of commission
on grain sales from az per cent down to IL
per cent. where 1t has remained ever since
Ihe Stockton and San Jose farm machinery
ana implement houses, have gone largely in
TO the importing Of hardware, and while thew
nave reduced rates TO consumers at least 20
Per cent below what they were previously.
hey have at the same time made money in 40
doing. The Sacramento, Ferndals, Potter
valley and other Grange stores have been of
immense benefit to the people in their several
localities, be the establishment Of such low
cash rates for their goods, a. to excite |
lively competition and consequently keen
rates down. After this showing, who shah |
say that Grange cooperative has accom- |
plished nothingf Who will undertake to |
show that the State are not millions better off |
financially, than they wonid have been had |
the Grange never existedf Besides the 6n.n- |
cial benefits thus derived, the social, moral |
and intellectual gain to the farmers has been |
incalonlable. Taking the farmers of this |
State as receiving fair avsvage of Grange |
benefits, the aggregate benefits for the whole /
Union win certainly be immense. Think Of |
these things, dear friends, and ask yourselves |
II the Grange il not worth sustaining.