Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-12-18

VT. STATE GRANGE
The VT. State Grange held its 18th an
nual business meeting at w. Randolph
last Wednesday and Thursday. Thu
meeting has passed into history as one o
the most successful and profitable meet.
ings ever held as the reports OF the dele
J gates and the healthy condition of the
treasury proved. New oranges have beer
formed and large increase in member
ship has been made in nearly all the sub
ordinate oranges. The farming interests
OF the state were well represented by many
OF our best and most successful farmers
and the resolutions they presented and
! passed will prove that their motto for the
coming year will be "Organize, Educate
and Act The annual address of the
4 Master Alpha Messer. was listened to with
marked attention and was work which
will speak for itself. 1t viii be printed
in full in many of our state papers.
We only have space for an abstract and
some OF the more important portions.
Masters Address.
PATRoNs:-ln accordance with the or
ganic law of our Order, we are once again
called together in the nineteenth annual
session of the Vermont State Grange, and
ii becomes my official duty to call your at
tention TO such matters, past, present and
prospec live, as will tend To strengthen and
perpetuate our Order, and have an influ-
ence and bearing upon the educational, $50
cial and material prosperity of the farm
ers of our loved State and Nation.
. While the Grange is not, never has
been, and never can be, political organi-
cation, am firm in the belief that its prov
identlal work in non-paItiZan politics dur
ing all the years of its existence, has been
a most important factor in suppressing
and holding in check the worst element in
American politics.
THE ORDER IN VERMONT.
There has been an increase in member
ship during the past year. Three new
oranges have been organized and existing
ones have received aceessions. Some have
remained in a semi dormant state During
the year a change has been made in the
constitution of the National grange reduc-
ing initiation fees, for men, from s. to 81;
for women, from 81 to Soc, in States that
so desire. This is done to meet the chang
ed condition Of financial affairs. The Ma
tional grange also offers premium to du-
~ authorized persons for the organization
OF local oranges. These changes and pro-
visions accepted and supplemented by the
State Grange ought to result in strength
ening the Order in the State.
WORK OF THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE.
AT the last annual meeting of the State
Grange it was thought there might be leg
islative work of importance to the farmers
coming up at the next biennial session
Provision was made through the Executive
committee TO look after things. A. Messer
OF Rochester, Cassius Peck of Brookfield
and e. L. Bass of Randolph were selected
as this committee and they found plenty
Ia do For time the faFmaFo have
been growing dissatisfied with the manage
ment OF the Vermont University and State
Agricultural College. Various sums OF
money have been appropriated at different
times by Congress and the State during the
past twenty-five years, for instruction in
agriculture and the mechanic arts. These
have amounted in the ag
gregate to a large sum, but the results are
wholly inadequate. Careful investigation
shows that the farmers are not getting as
much good as they ought from this out
lay. Not single diploma has been grant
ed to an agricultural student for the last
twenty five years. The experimental farm
having proved a failure, he outlook in this
was not brilliant IL seemed as
though the time had come to demand a
separate and distinct Agricultural and Me-
chanical college. A bill was drawn up in |
a careful manner to secure this object. Ii 1
was introduced early in the session and re-
ferred to the Committee on Education. In /
of this movement the Univer- |
sity authorities organized powerful lob /
by composed of its officers and friends,a and /
also retained many leading lawyers who I
joined the lobby, and brought strong in /
fuence to bear upon the Legislature as
soon as the bill was introduced.
There is no need 10 rehearse the history 1
of the struggle with the people on one side /
and aristocratic corporate power on the 4
f.~ ~. NaHHe he. Iaanl
struggle two years when the people repu- |
dating those who have ignored them viii \
elect a legislature that Will do their Will. .
This COMMITTEES in connection with SIM
liar one OF the Dairymens Association Sc
cured the passage OF stringent oleomar-
garine law, which win help secure honest
butter and drive out the fraudulent.
MEETING or THE NATIONAL GRANGE.
This body met at Atlanta, Georgia, in
November. There were radical differences
81 opinion in the body on many things,
but the members seemed to be pretty well
agreed that there should be an increase in
he volume of the currency sufficient to
bring about lower rate of interest and
increase in farm products and
arm values. Senator Stantord's plan was
partly approved, viz: that the Government
ssue loans on real estate at nominal IN
crest OF two per cent. IL Is thought that
MS NOuA0 AAAE Aut AAA AtI hA'AANa
hey needed. The more conservative ele-
nent favored an increase of the volume Of
he currency to forty dollars per capita.
several changes were made in the const-
ution of the National grange. 81 oranges
we're organized during the year. 1000
have been organized since the be-
Ginning in 1860 Arrangements were made
or the organization of Juvenile oranges
nd ritual provided for the same. Lee
urers are to be placed in the field with
Jew to extend the organization, and an
fort will be made 10 secure National
irange hall in the city of Washington.
he report of the Legislative committee
bowed that good work had been done in
congress in the in 'erests of the farmers.
UNoCcuPIED FARMS.
The position is taken that there are no
bandoned or deserted farms, only unoc-
upied or unsaleable farms. In respect to
his matter we are no worse than the other
lew England States and even some OF the
Western States. Several causes which
here is not time to discuss have contribut-
a to this, but the labor question is trou-
A. he VII of In h1r IL ont of