Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-04-09
KENT POMONA GRA No u.
Meeting In BTiiford--yisitors from othel
States--Interesting Addresses.

meeting IN Mtiford--tisitors from Other
States--Interesting Addresses.
Special Correspondence of Gazette and journal
MILFORD, April 3-The Pomona Grange
of Kent county met in the Grange Hall in
Milford on Thursday morning. Before
any business was undertaken the brothers
enjoyed an excellent dinner set ont in the
hall by the sisters of Milford Grange.
.Among the visitors present were Hon.
y. II. Hale, master of Connecticut State
Grange, Representative John @. Higgins,
lecturer of Delaware State Grange, and
Mortimer Whitehead, lecturer of the Ma
tional Grange.
The afternoon session opened about
p. m. by Master Alliband. On motion, the
regular order of business was suspended
in order to hear from the visitors, whose
time was limited. Y. IL. Hale was first
called on. He spoke of the beginning of
thegrange. When it started many thought
il was going to work a revolution in farm
ing; all manner Of good was to result from
it. IL came to Connecticut about 20 years
ago, and starting under such conditions,
drew i'll a very undesirable class of MEM
bers. 1t had proved failure. Six or
seven years ago it was organized on the
true grange basis, not to do the farmers
work but to help him in it, There were
now in the state 10S oranges and five po-
monas, all live, active farmers clubs, He
did not claim that they raised larger crops,
but they had happier homes; their lives
were brighter; they used their brains; they
had learned to think about public matters,
and not only to think but to act; they had
learned that they had an influence and
how to make that influence felt. The
grange had done wonders for the farmers
of Connecticut. II had taught the young
men to stay on the farms, to use their
brains and to build up homes for them
selves. 1t had taught the girls to be proud
to be farmers wife and to help i'll the
good work.
He insisted that farming did pay. If it
was not paying business it would not
have furnished even living for so many
thousands under the helter-skelter man
agenent of the past.
He then spoke of the general work of
the grange. 1t had caused the appoint
ment Of the secretary of agriculture to
look after the farmers interest. 1t had
compelled the government to gather sta
tistics for the benefit of the farmer. In
taking the last census special exertion
was made to secure practical information
in regard to what the farmer was doing, in
fruit raising, truck farming &c, all of this
information was of value to the farmer
and it had been secured through the
grange The man who succeeds is the
man who studies these things he is pros
porous and contented on the farm. 1t is
the man who never reads, who don't know
the cost of what he raises that says farm
ing don't pay
The workingman is the best patron of
the farmer, and the grange must stand
hand in hand with industry. 1t must join
with the laboring man in all his Just
demands. But he warned his hearers that
the grange was conservative, and especially
could not endorse unjust demands.
He scorned the idea of oyer-production.
The same good prospect for large peach
crop that appeared here were everywhere
where the peach was grown, and thousands
of trees would bear this year in sections
where peaches had never been grown be-
fore, but the peaple were ready for them
and they would take them at a price
that would pay the grower. There was
more demand for such luxuries and it
showed the growth of a healthy sentiment.
The growth of the florist business was an
indication of a higher life. Millions were
spent for cut flowers alone, and he was
glad of it; he would rather have slice and
a half of bread and the balance in flowers,
than two slices of bread without them
Fifty millions of rose bushes were set out
last year, and yet the farmers wives did
not have as many as they should have had
and they would have had if their husbands
had helped to set them out. He closed
with glowing eulogy of our country, its |
crops and resources.a
Mr.. Higgins then spoke, congratulating
the grange on its successes and bright |
Said il had weakened party ties
and taught its members what true politics
were.
n. NJ. Brown, lecturer of the Pomona,
read short paper on the advantages that |
the grange gives its members. He con.
trasted the past state of the farmers with |
the present and showed that much of the |
was owing to the grange. |
The grange had given the farmer infu- |
ence, and he called on the members to ad- |
vocate it and extend its influence, and |
not to be misled by societies that
were striving to occupy the ground that |
the grange had prepared.
MIR. Whitehead was then called for. He |
spoke of the pleasure that it was to him to |
meet so many old and tried grange friends, |
hat had every reason to be satisfied with |
heir success. The receipts of the Ma
tional Grange were double this year what
hey were last, and they had doubled the
year before. Since the meeting of the Ma
.ional Grange last November, new oranges
had been organized in twenty states. He
spoke of what the grange had done in pol
tics, said the interests of the farmer had
been well cared for in the Mckinley bill
The tax of five cents on Canada eggs had
Kept ont millions and given the Delaware
'armers five cents more dozen. Grange
influence had reduced the tariff on binding
wine and put jute butts on the free list,
md they were not going to stop there.
lhe grange was going To see that Mr..
3laine's reciprocity scheme did not let in
rec wool to ruin the sheep raiser of this
He said the National Grange had for
many years advocated an increase in the
circulating medium. The farmers wanted
heap money, the bankers wanted ii dear.
tjfty millions of people wanted it cheap,
en- millions wanted fl dear. The speaker
hen made fervid and eloquent appeal in
,ehalf of free silver and an increase in the
currency.