The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-08-25
Cleaners at Mccurdy Park.

Work to be done on the farm that
could not be postponed even one day
kept away good many who had in
tended to attend the Cleaners picnic at
McCurdy Park, Friday. But there
were members and their families from
all parts of the county, representing ten
of the fifteen arbors, and they enjoyed
their dinner and the park until two
o'clock, when the president called those
gathered in the casino to order, and
after short prayer and word of well
come, Grant A. Slocum, of Caro-, found
er, and supreme secretary of the order,
was introduced and for an hour or more
he kept the crowd in exceedingly good
humor with stories and illustrations,
while he told of the work of the Ancient
Order OF Cleaners, and of the purposes
of the order and how best to accom-
plish the many things for which the
order was instituted The start was
made ten years ago last October, and
was to undertake something never be-
fore attempted by agriculturalists, and
had succeeded in conducting greater
work than any organization made up
solely of farmers 1t had been called a
twentieth century farmers business
combination. 1t was necessary to
have something of the kind and every
member should attend the meetings and
do his duty because he was responsible
for certain part of the management,
as every citizen is partially responsible
for the government of the country
There were $500, 100000 acres of land
now being cultivated in this country
more than in England, France, Ger
many, Austria, Wales and number Of
other countries combined-and when
the products were sold this fall the pro-
ceeds would be more than four times
greater than the value of all the gold,
silver and coal in the country; more
than the gross earnings of all the rail
roads, six times greater than the capital
of all the banks. And should there not
be some understanding among those
who have such immense values under
their control Laboring men, mer-
chants, even professional men organize,
yet farmers try to get along without it.
The result is apparent The Interna-
tional Harvester Co. has driven out of
business or into combination on price
such firms as Walter A. Wood & Co.,
and Aultman, Miller & Co., and when
you buy now there is no competition.
The trust fixes the price, has fixed the
railroads so that anyone not in with it
must lose practically all the profit in
freights and has stopped all the mower
and reaper trials, and simply tells the
farmer you can have your machine for
so much-no more, no less. Only in
Ohio have the farmers gotten together
and there they will build factory and
make their own machines. He said
the Cleaners should take such
matters up and, by legislation, make
the bold-ups impossible. The combin-
ing in secret was all right, as anything
that was successful had more or less
secret about it,
The lodge was collecting but fifty
cents year for expenses, and now had
a reserve or emergency fund of $102, 600,
and the fifty cents year paid for their
paper, which Mr. Slocum believed was
a very welcome visitor, paid clerk hire,
and all expenses. They had
paid hundreds Of mortgages, taken care
of hundreds of widows and orphans
and doing more and more of this work
all the time. He urged the members to
make the arbors educational and to
broaden out in literary way, then
take up legislative matters, supporting
Cleaners for all positions and then see
that they did what was right and pro-
per at all times, but not allow waste of
tax money, either county or state, and
prevent legislation that made possible
the defeat of the farmers best interests
to help other classes.
The election of officers of the county
association was postponed until the
annual convention to be held at the
National hotel in Owosso in January.
Mrs. n. 3. Sturtevant Dead.