Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-10-02
Evening Session,


On reassembling in the evening Joseph
Sims, Master of Sacramento Grange, deliv-
cred the following address of welcome:
Worthy Master. Brothers and Sisters of the State
Grange Of California; As Master of Sacramento
Grange the pleasure of welcoming you to our
beautiful city and to the homes of loving
Patrons falls upon me. In behalf of Sacra-
mento Grange and the surrounding Oranges of
this district l extend to you and the officers
and members OF the State Grange assembled
here to-day heartfelt welcome.
rms being the third time you have honored
us by accepting our invitation to be our guests
session of our beloved Order grand success that
can be done by the willing hands and hearts of
the sisters and brothers of Sacramento and sur
rounding Oranges; We welcome you, brothers
and sisters whose homes are in the sunny south
IN the evergreen coast counties, in the
fertile foothills and in the grand Sac
ramento and San Joaquin valleys This,
your third visit to the City of the Plains
and to our homes viii ever be remembered and
kept green in our hearts, As you all know, the
National Grange will meet here soon. prom
| Use to the State Grange that Sacramento Grange
and her sister Oranges will respond heartily to
any call for assistance to entertain the distin-
| gu1shed visitors, and they would like to see
every Patron here stay with US until that time,
| to aid the State Grange in preparing such well
come as only Californians can give.
In glancing around this hall and seeing so
| many faces, ask myself, why are we here?
| to greet each other as sisters and brothers in
| this great work; to interchange thoughts and to
| suggest improvements i'll methods of farming
in our social relations with each other and with
| mankind at large; to watch over legislation af-
| fccting our interests and to suggest changes
necessary for our good and the good of the
| State; to see that taxes are equal and uniform
and not special and so burdensome to us beyond
other classes. In short to protect our interests
| as farmers, broaden the scope of our thoughts
and bind us together in common effort to i'm
nas op1
| stitutions may have bright, glorious future
| and be glorious and everlasting. From all en-
lightened countries electricity brings the intel
ligence that all industries ale uniting for self
| protection. Then why should not we the
representatives of the great agricultural inter-
| ests, come together and demand our rights :?
| How long are we tc be inactive and allow our
| selves to be crowded to the wall, and have our
| homes endangered by unlawful combinations
entered into by men to rob us of any small sur
| plus that may remain offer the annual expenses
| have been paid? hope this State Grange will
express is convictions forcibly on the forming of
| trus S. We stand to-day in need of men who
will act together and resolve that from this
| time on, until the agricultural class is repre-
sented in the halls of Congress and the state
| Legislatures in proportion 10 its numbers, they
Will ignore party lines.
Worthy Master l would not at this time
| have dwelt on these facts if had not thought
| the time was proptious. The demand of the
age is reform. That this State Grange may keep
its high position as leader in this great fight let
ii be said that at the very beginning of this ses-
| sion, this was in the minds of all; let it be
known that our order is growing rapidly: that
soon from every hamlet there will emanate
those principles of reform which before long
| agriculturists Will not advocate oniy but will
| help to enact into laws.
Again / extend to you the hand of welcome.
Abide with us swhile and partake of hospital
| ity.
THE RESPONSE.
Hon. George Steele responded as follows
Worthy Master, Brothers and Sisters of Sacra-
| n1erlto and adjoining Oranges; 1t has been well
| said THAT which comes from the heart goes to
the heart" Welcome, State Grange of Califor-
nia TO the Capital City of the State is expressed
| not only in the heartfelt and eloquent language
of the worthy brother who has Just addressed us,
| but Is written in letters OF light over the en-
| trance to this hall and over the gates of the
| CITY, The hearts of the people, as well as the
Patrons, seem inspired with the sentiment and
manifest it by cordial greetings 6nd heartfelt
welcome, which is appreciated by the members
| of this Grange. This kind reception and gener-
| GUS welcome by the Patrons of Sacramento and
| vicinity touch u responsive chord in the hea is
of true and noble Patrons from the sun-lit hills
and mountain sides, from the broad and fertile
| plains and valleys and from the sea. giTt shores
| of the grand old Pacific, who have assembled
| here ut the call of duty and fraternity to de-
| wise ways and means for the protection of the
| Just rights and privileges of the farmer and
the promotion of his interests pecuniary
educational, social and moral, The State
Grange of California which is the repre-
sentative OF our Order in this State has fire.
questly, in the past. demonstrated by its dec
larations and its acts, and of which it will fur
nish further proof at this session, that its aims
and purposes are circumscribed by mo pent up
Utica" but reach forth from stout hearts with
the strong brms of the farmer, the Patron, to
embrace mankind.
The Patrons of the State are looking forward
with fond anticipation to the approaching
meeting of the National Grange at the Capital
City OF our Golden State. 1t will bring to our
State noble Patrous, brothers and sisters tried
PNnaTIanpa n viz
OF Dig brains and bigger hearts, who were pio-
neers in our noble order; some of whom were
present aud assisted at its birth, rocked the in
iant in the cradle OF paternal love and baptized
II in Faith, and in Hope, aud in Charity. Who
watched and guarded its youthful footsteps
with parental care, and who are still laboring
for its welfare with fidelity, pushing it onward
and upward in its progressive course to the at
tainment of an exalted manhood and woman
hood. May we be so fortunate in our delibera
tions declarations and acts. as State Grange
that the lines of our work may be supplemented
broadened and extended by the action of the
National Grange.
Brothers ana sisters, hope we are cognizant
OF and alive TO the importance of the labor
gu estion which agiates the nations. The
mighty conflict which is being waged by the
capitalists, represented by the great corpora
tons, the gigantic trusts, on the one SIDE and
the people, represented by the toiling millions,
on the other side. The vexed problem of the
proper adjustment of the true relations between
labor and capital, and the lust dis
tribution of the joint proceeds, await solution.
The issues involved are stupendous Itis not
too much to say that upon satisfactory solu-
ton OF this problem depends the peace, the
progress, the prosperity aud the happiness, not
only of our own people but of the nations of the
earth. The fate, the destiny of kingdoms and
empires and republics are cast in the die. The
rights OF the people, of the laborers, the pro-
oucers. to the use and enjoyment OF the fruits
of their honest toll, are superior and paramount
to written statutes, to any form of government
which conflict with them. Any combination of
men and capital, any organization sny gov
ernment which disregards and tramples under
foot those sacred rights must sooner or later
come to grief and bite the dust
The ange since its organization has labcred
earnestly, ard Will continue 10 labor faithfully
in aid of a peaceful settlement of these i'm
pJrtant questions Worthy Master it stands us
IN hand, as patrons, to study well the lesson
which these great corporations that dominate
the country are teaching, not only the farmer
but mankind, viz: That in unity, in ihtelli-
gent cooperation there is strength, there is
power; but in divided effort there is weakness,
there is diSintegration. 1t is pfoblematic at
least, whether these great trusts, which are an
abuse OF corporate power. good and useful in
itself-for we could not successfully conduct
the great enterprises of this age, such as build
ing railroads and telegraph lines without cor
porations-can be successfully controlled
or suppressed wholly by legal enactments
What, then, do sou ask2 We must do SIS the
corporations are doing-meet combinatioPs of
capital and brains with like combinations;
unite heart end hand in intelligent cooperative
effort for the accomplishment OF the laudable
objects 50 clearly set forth in our declaration of
purposes. The farmers have more votes and
more capital in the aggregate. than any other
class in the country. Who doubts, if they were
united, as the members of the corporations are
and educated to intelligent cooperation, that
they could exercise controlling influence in
this Government to-day?
Cooperation is the tslisman that shall wave
the magic wand OF successful solution over the
vexed problems presented by the conflicting
claims of the capitalists and laborers
Fellow patrons, let us labor with renewed
faith and zeal in our subordinate, our State and
National Oranges. and wisely cooperate for the
accomplishment o.. the grand purposes for
which our order was instituted. The laborers
in the crafts and trades of the country are
studying and TO some extent practcing coop
Grafton. The time may come in the not far DIS
tant future when zee can unite lgith them and form,
II necessary, one grand trust, in which the peo-
pie shall be the factor, and the government the
principal, the trust. Then may be realized the
Utopia, the ideal Republic of which, all along
the ages, philanthfopists have dreamed and
philosophers have prophesied
Pas! Master s. T. Coulter, of Santa Rosa,
eloquently extended the congratulations of
the State Grange to the representatives and
visitors from the eleven new GaDges or
ganizsd or rsorganized Oranges.
Brother w. j. Hill, Master of Salinas
Grange, responded to Brother Coulter in
most appropriate manner.