Gloucester County Democrat., 1894-07-26
THE FARMERS PICNIC.

Il nc nrst gathering OF the farmers OF this
county was held at Alcyon Park, that
beautiful resort West of Pitman Grove
yesterday, the 25th, inst. The DEMOCRATS
representative arrived on the grounds
about noon, and even then the great space
provided for horses was filed with hun
dreds of teams and throughout the grove
long tables were tastefully spread. At
this hour it was estim ated that between
three and four Thousand people were
present.
The Alcyon band, in the pavilion, pro-
vided music, and the boats and merry-go-
round were well patronized.
| This was pre-eminently farmers gath
ering, made up almost exclusively of
farmers, their wives and sons and daugh-
ters; intelligence was written on all the
faces, and the tables around which they
gathered gave no evidence of short crops or
scanty larders.
This meeting was refreshing social
feast for every body present. At two o'clock
the larger portion of the audience was
gathered around the speakers stand and for
their comfort the courteous aud thoughtful
proprietor, VIM. Carr. had arranged benches
in semi-circle, sufficient to seat every one
| of the audience.
Walter Chew, vigorous young farnaers
Of the Hurffville Grange. and President of
TIE United Granges of the county, called
the meeting to order, and after welcoming
the people and congratulating them on the
pleasant auspices under which this, their
first county meeting was held, introduced
Hon. J. T. Cox, of Hunterdon co Dty.
Worthy Master of the New Jersey State
Grange, P. of H. Mr.. Cox confined his
address to the subject of the Grange and its
advantages to farmers. In this county, he
said, the Grange is not recognized by the
farmers as it ought to be. Farmers have
not assumed all the rights they ought to
assume, but had chosen to follow leaders
outside their own ranks 1t was now time
for them to take their rightful place. 1t
is not now necessary, he asserted, to go TO
the lawyer and professional speaker TO find
men competent to take the platform and
instruct audiences; we haye such in our
ranks who have been nurtured and in
structed in the Grange. 1t is the place
not only for the husband but also for the
wife, not only for the son, but for the
daughter-it is a place for the whole
family.
State Secretary Franklin Dye, in his ad-
dress, spoke of the rapid progress that was
being made by the farmers who were united
by the Grange. He strongly denounced
immigration TO this country and said
q The foreigners arrive here and immedi-
ately look upon the Government as their
bitter enemy. Do not place the ballot in
the hands of foreigner until he has been
here sufficient length of time to know
and learn the doings of this civilized nation.
They are ignorant recruits, and are taught
how to beat the law by the political leader.
Education is also a needed requisition to
citizenship under a republican form of
government. These Anarachists, generally,
haYe no education, but am glad to know
that the Grange stands up for and defends
the education of our young. 1t is one of
the fundamental necessities to train the
children up to patriotism, and the Grang-
ers of to-day, like our fore-fathers, are
doing great work towards the welfare of
the Government
"The farmers as kickersn was the subject
of rather numerous address by Mortimer
Whitehead, ex-lecturer of the National
Grange. Kickers, he said, made the world
moYe. Farmers who were not satisfied
with the old ruts, he said, Joined the
Grange to further their own interest, and
the interests of the country. That organi-
zation, he added, had been ridiculed and
prosecuted, but its principles were right
and it was rapidly growing. The cry that
farmers could not and would not organize
had been exploded. The Grange had been
in,existence 25 years, and was one of the
strongest organizations in the country.
The Grange, he said, was an educator
and taught the farmer not only how to
raise crops, but how to market them. 1t
had placed check on the sale OF iraudu-
lent fertilizers by having law passed
which compelled manufacturers to furnish
analysis of the goods they sold to the
farmer.
Many of the farmers left for home late
in the afternoon, but large proportion re-
mained for an evening in the woods, and \
when they finally "hitched up" all voted
the first farmers picnic big success.