Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-12-19

i. results can we pass Judgment. ] am OF
The opinion that fewer deputies. con
SANITY employed. would result to the adj
Vintage and efficiency of the order.
NATIONAL GRANGE.
The National Grange convened IN 4oti
annual session in the great cfty Oh zen
YER Colorado, and although inc inel''r c
shin of the State is small. the loyal 1e"
| hid all in their power to make inc SeS,
sion pleasant for the National body. ana
! a source. of profit to themselves ana nc
| doubt the holding Of the SESSION IN 'olp'
rofo will RESULT i'll a large increase OF
| members as the intention is to follow M
he interest aroused III the work OF the
| National Grange by a canvass among me
| FARMERS of tho state that are nor YET
identified with tn" order in its work.
| rh.. session was a very busy one, ana
| National Master Bacheide" made trends
! nv the ability ami absolute importantly
! with winch he presided over the delibera
lions of the Grange.
| H.. Grangc rcafirmed its position on
all the questions of Tubllc pohcy to'
| which it has been cOntendInS ior Neal :.
| The questions that were emphasized as
dema ndinr immediate ac! ON. wri" the m
| yeStigaiion Of the operation Of tho pos
| tai laws. HE eStaAlishmen: OF Il pare Is
, post delivery. and I. national arrropiia
tor OF money for the improvement OF
the highways, for all of which IN" ma
iipnal master took strong ground in ad-
, yoc.ltinG in his annual address.
| ON" Of the important TRANSACTIONS o,
! the session was the decision OF the
| Grange L" EMBARK in the publication OF 4
| National Grange paper. owned and con-
! trollcd by the National Grange. TIL" de
/ tails of establishing the plant We're lel;
| III the han.iS Of the executive committee
| of tine National Grange.
| The good work accomplished at that
session has gore forth in the press to
| the world. and all of the important as
; well as Impending legislation that the
/ National Grange has stood for iii former
| fyt,..,,r Nov nsi-
] lions of great moment to the producer
as well as the consumer were before the
| National order, all OF which were unani-
! mously enforced. including the following
proposed legislation:
L. Election of United States sena tors
by direct vote of the people.
I :. To provide for postal savings banks.
). To coltiliu" tn existence of rural
free delivery.
, j. To submit an amendment to rha
! Constitution. granting tn" power to Con-
| ercSs to regulate and control all corpora
| tons and combinations, preventing mo-
nopoly and the use of their corporate
| power t" restrain trade. or arbitrarily es-
tabliSh prices.
Il. Regulate the use of shOddy.
:. Enact pure food laws.
s. Provide for the extension of the
| markets for farm products equally with
F, manufactured products
! {? The speedy construction OF Il ship
canal con nccting the Mississippi rivc~
,, with the great lakes and the great lakes
with the Atllntlc ocean.
TO- Revising the fees and salaries of all
federal officers and placing them on Il
basis of similar service as private bust
rcSS.
il. Provide for parcels post. telephone
! and Telegram phi in the mail scrvica.
T. Provide for rational and Stat" aid
to improve the public highways.
All this legislation is imperative ana
has been fully endorsed by tn" National
Grange. Legislation protecting the in
tercsts of agriculture should be- on the
same bi,.'S "a: that granted the CONNER
cial and industrial interests.
Two Of the great principles the Natlonal
Grange has contended for have been en-
acted into laws the past year, and
demonstrate the great power of the order
in moulding public opinion. One to en-
/ large the powers of the Interstate Com
merce Commission. and the other to re
move she tax from alcohol for Industrial
purposes.
DENATI'RIZED ALCOHOL
In my last annual address to this body
7 devoted {, large space to the c"nsidera-
ton OF d'liaturized alcohol. which the
Bangor COMMERCIAL and the Main"
Farmer beWailcd in the following terms:
To devote two columns TO me sup?ect
of denaturiZed alcohol is to give an i'm
practicable matter a degree OF attention
all out of proportion to its importance.
And vet since that time this subject has
attracted the attention OF the entire
country and through the efforts of the
Grange, chamriened by President Roose-
welt, Congress has passed law renoV-
ing the internal revenue tax of $2oN per
gallon on grain alcohol when rendered
unfit for drinking purposes. | regard this
action as one of The most important, ana
of more general interest industriallv. and
one that directly affects more people than
any thing OF like nature that has come
before Congress for the past twenty
years.
Without reference to the great impe tliS
given to tn. industrial arts and manl
for bn hnnntifs
come to the people everywhere by reason
of this form Of alcohol becoming availa bl'.'
for heating. lighting. and as motive
power. and the fact that it is entirely
practicable for Il farmer or q community
of farmers to associate in the dStilatlon
of alcohol at, as | have been informed
by exports cost not cXceeding tive
monopoly of the supply of the very best
agency yet found for lighting houses
with lamps. etc.
of this question. as it was Il new on" to
our people not having been discussed be
fore. and We went into details because
We felt the necessity Of it at that time
ami firmly believe the time spent IN this
discussion WIS as prOfitably used as it
has been in the past in the consideration
of any matter that the Grange has had
before it for years and after the firS1
day Of January 1907 when the law goes
into effect the people all over the coun-
try will begin to receive the benefits Of
TINS law, because OF the prompt ana
powerful Influence of the Grange: and
The Grange did it,
RAILROAD LEGISLATION.
From the same source of criticism
it was asserted that there was no need
Of or demand for, governmental inter-
fererce, and yet since the last session
led by the President Of the United States.
Congress has enacted laws increasing the
powers of the interstate commerce COM
mission. to fix transportation rates along
liGes advocated by the Grange for the
past l. years. and without gOnf. into de-
tails. it again demonstrates the power
and influence Of the Grange. and the
Grange did this,
PURE FOOD.
For Years tn" Grange has stood FOR and
advocated pure food law and it is
very pleasing to know that the pure food
law passed by Congress is almost identi-
cal with tho 0ricinal pure food law en-
acted by the lroIslatrrc of Ohio. advo-
Gated and chamnorcd nv the Grange
and then transferred Ia Congress. and is
now a national law; and the Grange did
this
PARCELS POST
As this is Il government of the people
wh' never any considerable portion of the
ncori" ask for anything in the nature of
public service. there should not he any
good reason why they should not have it.
TIL" only opposition to the parcels post
comes from private interests. and is the
best argument in favor of TIL" adOption