The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-08-25

anu tulS KIM OF SCHOOL ndu spread all
over the country. Discussion, exchange
of ideas, learning what the other knew
and giving his knowledg in return.
Farmers had worked as the bees do
all summer, hard, collecting the honey,
and in the fall someone comes and takes
all but enough for bare living, until
the work could begin over again in the
spring; and if the bees objected the per-
son removing the honey would puff a
little smoke in their faces. Some
fellow in Pullman car was riding
through the country noticing the farm
ers work, saying "our bees are doing
we'll" Then making report as to crop
and conditions and fixing the prices, and
by legislation making it possible to take
little more of the honey. The remedy
was in organization. In New York
there was club which it costs $50. 900
to join and the dues are $4,000 year,
and you can't get in even as spectator
unless you have special card. Their
building cost several million dollars and
the club is called New York Produce
Exchange" What do they produce?
Nothing. They never dug an ounce of
coal, never grew bushel of wheat.
never manufactured an article of any
kind. Yet in their club they fix the
price of your wheat and butter, of the
rice, wool and everything you grow.
They get the cream and leave you the
skim milk. In the building are hun
dreds of telegraph instruments that
click, click, fixing the prices they will
pay you and me. They do produce
corners-in wheat pork or corn and if
necessary make panic. All this will
be stopped some day by organization.
In New Jersey these fellows would pay
but $6 ton for tomatoes. The Grange
members got together and refused to
raise tomatoes unless guaranteed So
ton and they got it and have been
getting it for eight years.
The Grange secured the passage of
the law creating the interstate COM
merce commission and the railroads for
the first time were told that they could
go so far and no farther
The Grange started fourteen years
ago to demand some benefits from the
free delivery of mail and the rural mail
box of today is testimony in almost
every county in the country of the
success of the efforts along this line.
There is farmer in the Presidents
cabinet, his appointment secured by
the Oranges. AS the appropriation for
rural mail delivery has increased
5000 first, then S75, 900, then $780,
600, then $780,, 900, the membership
has increased until now there are
million brother Changers. And they
were going to continue to work until
they have two deliveries a day on the
rural routes. And at the same time
demand the parcel post. In Germany
II lbs is carried for small sum; here
but lbs can be sent. The reason is
the four big express companies prevent
legislation by having their representa-
tives in congress Platt, of
New York, president of an express COM
pany, being one of them But the time
was coming when the farmer of Cali
fornia would be able to send his prunes
to the farmers of Michigan by mail and
at price which would make it profit
able to send them and possible for the
Michigan man to buy them. And in
return the Michigander would send
the things not raised in California, send
it by mail Then the Grange was
going to secure national aid for good
roads and was asking for $24 600, QUO for
it. Surely if the Ohio river boat men
were entitled to fifty millions of aid for
that short stretch of waterway, all the
Of miles of roads should have
twenty-four millions of aid.
Mr.. Whitehead urged the scratching
from tickets at election time of the
boodler or the man who thought he
owned voter because, he furnished him
with beer or whiskey. He urged also
the cutting loose from party when the
man nominated was not honest, fearless
and one in whom at all times the voter
had confidence
Willie Patterson and Ruby Cole
amused everyone very much with their
duet Romeo and Juliet"
Mayor S. E. Parkill was introduced
for talk on municipal affairs. His ap-
pearance was proof of his statement
that he had been i'll and because of his
illness unprepared to do justice to the
subject. But he felt honored to address
the gathering because the clubs were
discussing the subject of reform and if
any good was to be accomplished the
clubs would in great measure be re-
sponsible for it. The question is asked,
'Is not Shiawassee county we'll gov
erned2" Yes, as counties go. Better
than some, worse than others, no better
than it should be; not as well as it
might be. There is scarcely ever a
murder, thefts are few and it is safe
81 r,o alraoI NJ onxy f,,,,a Dad .xxox-