Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-06-18
Of Henry County Meet at Ma.
poleon and Combined Give
One of the Largest Basket
Picnics That was Ever
Held in the County.
THE VAST ASSEMBLY ADDRESS.
ED BY LEADING MEN OF
THE ORDERS.
A Veritable Deluge Failed to Mar
ANY Portion of the Well Plan
ned Programme.
Their Motto: "In Union There Il
Strength; United We Stand.
Divided we Fall"


Thu. sday the 11th. inst. was truly a gal
day long to remain fixed in the m emory o
the Knights of Labor and Patrons of Indus
try of this county. For some time it hat
been the desire of these two orders of labo
to combine and give a basket picnic a
which an elaborate program of speeches ant
music could be carried out. The Interests
of both and the reform they advocate have
long been recognized as identical; hence {
project of this nature could be executed wi th
the utmost consistency.
Early in the day the highways leadin 6
down to the county seat thronged with every
form of vehicular conveyance filled with tht
sons of toll and their families, while occ a,
sionally a hay-wagon extemporized as 6
large omnibus and gaily bedecked with flow.
ers and the insignia of the order floating on
high rolled in containing whole lodges.
At o'clock the parade formed on Wash.
ington st. headed by the Napoleon band, and
never was a grander or larger procession
witnessed here. Fully 300 teams were in
line, extending as far as the eye could reach
and taking half hour to pass given point.
tits fact worthy of comment and remark
ed by many. that there was not single ill
looking horse in the mammoth gatheaing;
they were all plump and slick, bespeaking in
not little degree the class of the farming
element that participated in the exercises of
this day.
Knipps Grove was the scene of the picnic
where the people arrived at 10 O'Clock and
after establishing themselves, the order of
exercises was entered upon.
Owing to the threatening rain it was deem
ed advisable to have but one address be-
fore dinner. Music by the band and Glee
Club, was followed by the orator, F. D..
Dunikan, of Cecil, an advocate of the Pa
| tron's cause.
| He said that, although called to this county
| once before on an occasion of this kind, he
| did not feel quite capable of opening the
| subject, but probably it was the intention of
the chair to reserve the best for the last,
something that in this case should be heart
| lily endorsed.
The movement he was,about to speak up
|
us all but it seems that during the latter part
of this century the farmers have been very
dilitory in furthering it; but now reform
is at hand, he maintained. In the past there
was an age of ignorance. followed by an age
of bloodshed, and the age now upon US is
the age of reason, where people are realizing
their condition and uniting for it's better
ment; that our condition at present has be-
come so glaring that it is visible to the most
opaque vision and cannot be ignored longer.
| In the workings of nature can be seen
the unity of forces and by this must we take
example, Everyone has SO much influence
for good or for evil therefore when we
come to enter fraternal society our actions
become doubly influential with brother
members. Only under such conditions can
aught be ACCOMPLISHED.
Going back 70 years he pointed out the
great change that has taken place in this
country and gave illustrations of how GER
tain classes have planned and succeeded in
reaping the benefit of this change. These
changes should have resulted in the develop,
| ment of all classes but instead, the many
have been crowded to one side to make
way for the few-not through illegal, but
decidedly dishonest means. He argued
| that the farmers are one of the classes that
| is down -trodden, often being designated
"The Mudsills of Society" There has been
| line of demarkation between the laborers
and capitalists-the one standing still-the
other advan cling rapidly to omnipotence; one
| the positive, the other, negative. Hitherto
| these two poles have kept apart but the
! time is coming and not far distant when
| they must act together: and it is through the
powerful medium. '.The Ballot Box", that
| such natural conditions will be restored,
Many wise acts of legislative bodies have
originated from the debating society in the
csuntry scnool house, which fact in itself
designates the path to reform.
"The laborers of this country are it's ru
lers, but in order to secure such just right,
they must not cater to the dictation of dem
agogues; neither must they antagonize all
other movements; if right can be secured by
endorsing the tenets of other orders, such
course is advisable. And spirit of this
kind can be detected. The old Grange SOW
ed the seed and it is left for the Patrons of
Industry of North America to reap the har-
vest.
The speaker dwelled on the evils of mo-
nopoly, but did not wish to be understood as
placing our merchants in this class. 1t was
monopoly of the Standard Oil Company and
the Railroads stripe that should be con-
demned; they are powers before which even
our government must bow it's head in sub.
lection. He drew quite an interesting
picture of John d. Rockefeller and his rap
Id transit from poverty to wealth by the con-
veyance monopoly"
They call our movement .'Class Legisla-
tion." Let them go call. Tits class legisla-
tion but this ''class" is the preponderance
of this world people.
"But above all, harmony is essential; our en-
emies are now sowing the seed of discord
among us. If it has taken root, eradicate,
and ever be on your guard with respect to
hasty words, for in the language of Carleton,
Thoughts. unexpressed, may fall back
dead; but God himself cannot kill them
when once uttered"
He closed with peroration of much elo-
quence in which he compared the Civil war
the existence of Mason & Dixon's line-to
the great Social Strife now in progress, and
predicted at some future time the restoration
of harmony and obliteration of all lines of
contention among social classes; "New
North and New South will mlngle their
forces together in peace on the Social
Plane.
After song by the Glee Club. "Gather up
the Sunbeams," baskets were uncovered and
an hour devoted in disposing of the i'm
mense quantity of eatables on the grounds,
;ob Hra b,,v,