The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-01
FIRST ANNUAL MEETING.

Inc 'nrSt annual meeting OF the State
Grange was held at San Jose, October IA
1873. J. NJ. Hamilton was chosen master,
o. L. Abbott overseer, w. II. Baxter
secretary. AT this meeting seventy-three
oranges were represented. In this connec.
ton it may be said that the organization
of new oranges. proceeded with great rap
idity throughout the State, resulting in
the establishment of between two and
three hundred oranges, the mum Der in ex-
istence at one time being uncertain, as
some stayed together hardly long enough
to be counted. There have been in all 300
oranges organized in California, of which
the greater part were organized and died
out during this period of excitement.
There are in existence in the State at
present forty-eight, of which some are
still so near dead that one must punch
them hard to make them kick. But there
are signs of the resurrection even of these
and of the speedy birth of others.
The State Grange at its first meeting set
hopefully and vigorously about the work
which i: was organized to do. This was
very properly placed in the hands of the
executive committee of five, who pro-
ceeded, after the adjournment of the
grange, to the immediate transaction OF
the business roughly blocked out for them
by the grange.
The i've gentlemen who composed the
executive committee of the grange were
scattered from Lake County to Los Ange-
les. They had had no previous acquaint-
ance with each other or any intimate rela-
tons with men in large business or with
existing business methods. They were not
incorporated and had not a dollar to work
with, but thew were expected to effectively
combat existing monopolies and abuses
and to revolutioniZe the course of trade in
CaIIfnrnIS They oUjHnnfiU CanSihIa
capable men who, with sufficient training,
sufficient capital and proper backing, could
have accomplished great things. But they
were set to do the impossible.
To change the channels of trade means
the opening of new channels, which takes
money-and a great deal of it. To make
an outlet for wheat the committee did all
that it could in arranging with a firm al
ready in the trade to ship direct on farmers
account. They also induced the agent.
'for the relief of farmers needing all their
money at once" to engagein buying-thus
turning their own agent into speculator
and competitor. Wheat went up under
the new competition, but the new agent
could not compete with the old heads and
soon failed, with what loss to growers is
unknown.
1t broke up that part of the plan. The
committee chartered simpson whose &C
count and at whose risk does not appear
notified all oranges to send wheat to load
them, which they did not do. Result,
again loss to somebody. They established
a dairy produce department in charge of a
competent person, which appears to have
started out with fair business, but a year
later was merged in a general business
agency which continued for some years,
and indeed still exists although in no way
connected with the grange. In fact there
was no legal way for the grange as such to
IL l,t.af E.
that purpose as grange under California
law.
1t was therefore necessary to create sep
arate corporations for each enterprise
whose stockholders might or might not be
or continue Changers, or to arrange with
some private firm or Individual to do
business for them on its or his own ac-
count at such reduced rates as they might
be able to contract for in consideration OF
a large volume OF business furnished
This plan would have in the end been
profta bic If the promised business could
have certainly been delivered. All the
committee could do, however, was to rec
ommend Changers and farmers to deal
through the appointed agents, but compe t.
itors Immediately reduced their rates or
terms and got the business as usual.
The grange started wrong; it undertook
to do from the first on great
scale what it could only hope to effect
ually accomplish after years of education !;
it neglected the first principle of the
order-just as most Eastern oranges did
and suffered accordingly.