The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-12-09
GRANGEits IN SESSION.
Twonty-ninth ANIMAL sss,ion Hold af
Dover Yesterday.

Twcnty-ninth ANIMAL sss,ion Hold nj
Dover Yesterday.
The twenty ninth session of the Della
ware State Grange, was held Mt Dover,
yesterday. $. H. Merrick of Bridgeville,
presided, and in speaking said tho farms
of Delaware have yielded their usual
abundant hsrvests, and benign Provi-
dence has given many evidences OF good
ness and mercy. Farmers havo been
actiVein Investigations and ignorance
and prejudice are being superseded by in
telligepco and Judgment. The grange Is
training men and women to perform
better work and to command that social
respect that measure Of justice, that i'm
perialism Of equal rights, that arc duo
those engaged in tho first and most indis-
pensable of human industries.
The appointment of committees follow.
ed Tho grand master in his address
spoke of tne order In the state Of the cor
poratien with othoc oranges and the edu-
cational advantages Of Delaware College,
Regarding legislation the speaker said it
would seem to be the part CT ordinary pru.
denCe for state to protect by suitable
legislation its interests from speedy de-
structlon by contagious diseases. Increased
legislation for the protection Of domestic
animals from deadly diseases and our
fruit interests from such dangerous foes
as the peach yellows and the Snn Jose
scale seem imperatively to be needed.
Under tho head of prison reform the
speaker favored a reduction of the salaries
and fees on many Of our officials to CON
form more nearly to tho profits Of those
engaged in the ordinary pursuits, the puri-
flcation of our elections seems to be some
of tho other subjects that should receive
the most serious attention of our people
and the coming Legislature.
Tho people Of our state In their growth
and expansion beyond their former limit
of material wealth and intelligence arc
seeking higher conditions of development
and have declared themselves in favor Of
changes in their organic law. Delegates
to tho convention are elected and the work
Of new organic law is begun.
Without consuming your time in a dis
cussion of the many and varied questions
that must come before the convention, al
low me to express my conviction that the
new constitution should. as a matter of
just and right, explicitly provide that the
Legislature may submit the question Of
licensing the sale Of intoxicating liquors
as beverage to the vote Of the people
believe the new constitution should be
submitted to the people at special election
for their ratification, and that q denial to
the people Of that right would be danger
Gus in precedent and revolutionary in in
fuence and I am impressed that it should
be 50 submitted that part might be ratified
and the other parts rejected. The grange
has for many years been working for the
cause of constitutional reform. Our grange
halls should be filed with farmers during
the session of the convention for the dis
cussion of the different questions that
shall come before it and our conclusions
should be made known to that body.
Perhaps there Is no agency in the state
that can be more potent in creating public
sentiment aud in tho volcing OF that senti-
ment to the convention. 1t would seem,
therefore. to be our duty. as well as our |
to lead In this agitation. This
is a matter of intense and vital concern to \
farmers, and It should not be ours to pine |
over a neglected opportunity, or to censure |
others for mistakes which we might have
With such opportunity for use
with such mOmentous questions /
to be settled for the future prosperity of |
the state. the grange should not come to
for something practical to do. ] /
would therefore urge the membership /
throughout the state to take an active in 4
terest in tho question to the end that the |
new constitution may be the exponent Of |
the ola constitution.