Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-11-22
FARMERS. CONGRESS.
The National Grange and Farmers' Con
gress Meet in Topeka.

The National Grange and Farmers' Con.
gress Meet in Topeka.
TorExA, Kan. Nov. 15.-The twenty.
second annual meeting of the National
Grange Patrons of Husbandry met in
Representative Hall yesterday, with .
fair numbsr of delegates present. The
forenoon work consisted in the appoint
ment Of committees, there being nineteen.
In the afternoon Master James Draper, Of
Worcester, Mass, read the annual adj
dress. There are fifty-one delegates pres.
ent representing rwenty-nine States.
The session will last three days,
the delegates giving Saturday to the
Agricultural College at Manhattan. There
will be q public reception rendered the
visitors to-day at two p. m, Governor
Martin and Mayor Aetzker delivering the
addresses of welcome. The National Con-
gress of Farmers, r. +. Kolb. of Mont
gomery, Ala, president, and s. F. Clayton,
of Macedonia, Ia, secretary. opened its
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisi-
ana, Maine, Mississippi Missouri and
Rhode Island. Owing to delayed trains
nothing was done except the formal OPEN
ing.
Grange was the address of Acting Master
James Draper. In beginning his address
he paid tribute to the late master of the
National Grange, Putnam Darden. He
spoke of the hourishing condition of the
order and said that during the past year
1913 subordinate oranges had been organ
ized-the greatest increase being in
North Carolina Past experience
showed that the organization needed
system in the supervision Of its
legislative interests, and he recommended
that some person with authority to act for
the grange be stationed in Washington
during sessions of Congress. After criti-
cising the action of the United States
Senate in rejecting the bill to enlarge
the powers aud duties Of the Department
of Agriculture, he turned his attention
to trusts, which he denounced as injurious
to the producer and consumer alike to
an extent unparalleled in the worlds
history. The grange, as the only
National organization Of agricult-
urai interests should take the first
aggressive steps in defending that in
dustry which underlay all other industries
and affects so seriously the National pros
perity. He spoke of the alarming increase
In food adulteration, which had assumed a
proportion so gigantic that it threatened
the healthfulness of nearly every article
Of diet. On the tariff question he said:
''The declaration of the purposes of our
order demands protection for the weak,
restraint upon the strong. Equitable
tariff legislation is an issue Sec
ond to none in this direction
and to accomplish any thing we must use
our individual influence and organized
power in demanding a reduction of the
highly protected industries to correspond
with the protection agriculture is now re-
ceiving. or else an increase of protection
to agriculture that shall be equitable and
just to all concerned" He also spoke of
the State universities established by the
for the benefit of sons of
farmers and artisans and of other matters
pertaining to the work of the grange.
Second Day.
TOPEKA, Kan, Nov. 16.-The National
congress Of farmers held its second session
yesterday forenoon, when President Kolb,
of Alabama, delivered his annual address.