The La Jara chronicle., 1906-11-16
FAR M ERS NJ EET
NATIONAL GRANGE IN SESSION
AT DENVER.
FROM TWENTY-FIVE STATES

irons OF HuSbandry, assembled at the
Chamber of Commerce Wednesday
morning and were called to order by
Worthy Master Nahum ]. Bachelor.
former governor of New Hampshire.
Standing committees We're appointed
and an adjournment taken until 2:30
O'Clock.
At the afternoon session the mes
sage of the worthy master, containing
many important recommendations,
was read. and the grange went into Sc
cret session.
An open meeting was held at night,
when the farmers were welcomed to
the city and 10 Colorado by Gov Jesse
f. Mcdonald, A. ]. Spengel, president
of the Chamber of Commerce, Gov
ernor-Elect Buchtel and others.
In his address Master Bachelor
made special reference to legislation
in favor of good roads. He suggested
that a bill be drawn for presentation
to the next Congress, asking an appro-
priation of $4,000. 900, to be paid at
the rate of s10,000.00O a year, and to
be expended in building roads through
out the country and improving the
condition of old highways.
In speaking of the ship subsidy bill
he referred to it as an iniquitous meas
ure and said that the grange had
helped to defeat it, and must be pre-
pared to renew the fight during the
next session Of Congress.
He spoke in enthusiastic terms of
the proposed parcels post, and rec
commended that the grange take action
at this meeting to give such a meas
ure strong support. He ascribed the
failure to enact the law to the opposi-
tion of the express companies, which
he said were monopolstic, and 10 that
of few rural merchants, The opposi-
ton of the latter, he said, was due
more to ignorance than anything else.
The parcels post, he said. would be to
the smallest of rural merchants an op-
portunity equal to that of his largest
catalogue competitor. as far as mail
order business is concerned "The
rural merchant" he said. has the mo-
nopoly which has caused The decay of
our villages to be feared, and not the
parcels most, which is n step toward
the abolishment of monopolies."
As a result OF Master Bachelors
recommendation, it is stated that the
grange will at once take up the sub
ject of parcels post, and will appoint
committee to carry on campaign in
favor of 1t.
OF the railroads, Master Bachelor
had the same to say as of the express
companies. That in the spirit of mo-
nopoly they prevent competition by
preventing the building of new roads,
ALTHOUGH the increase in tonnage is
such that they can no longer handle
the business with the lines and equip
ment now in operation. AS a remedy
he suggested the construction of a
ship canal connecting the Mississippi
with the great lakes and with the At
lantic.
Legislators who treat the farmers
of the country with contempt should
be punished accordingly, he said. He
cited as examples of those whom the
grange has punished, James W. Wads-
worth of New York, chairman of the
house committee on agriculture and
Charles II. Burton of Ohio. Both had
been denied a reelection. he asserted,
because the first had paid no attention
to a communication from an organiza-
tion with nearly 100000 members,
and the second had written a con-
tcmDtuouS answer.
"The farmers of New York and Ohio
who are members of the grange de-
feated these two men," he said. "and
it should be lesson TO others
In his welcoming address at the
night meeting Governor Mcdonald
told the delegates that he hoped they
would visit other sections of the state
which has 100000 acres of land un-
der irrigation and much other land
under cultivation without irrigation.
He called their attention to the mines
of Cripple Creek and other camps,
which produced gold and silver valued
at s55,000,0OO. and to the coal mines,
which produced II 100000 tons of coal
last year. Agriculture in this state, he
declared, was just as important, and
produced last year more than the
mines in money value.
The response to Governor Mcdonald
was made by former Governor Bachel-
der of New Hampshire, who is the
worthy master of the National Grange
He said that although in the forty
years since the organization of the
grange, this was the first meeting held
in Colorado. yet there had long been
a special reason for holding a conven-
ton here This. he said, was the fact
that the grange admits women to
membership with equal privileges, and
that the grange is favoring universal
suffrage for men and women
I'VE appreciate the greeting you
have given us" he said. "and we will
assure you that while we are here you
VIII need no extra policemen or bar
tenders, but when we leave you might
do well to watch us in order that we
do not make of with some of your
grand scenery and invigorating air"
Governor-Elect Buchtel made
happy speech and recited chapter
from Mr.. Dooley relative to Roose-
velt's visit to Colorado while vice
president.
Former Governor Charles ]. Bell of
Vermont proved to be the wit of the
assembly. While defending the noun
tains of Vermont stoutly against the
appellation of hills, he said that he
didn't know whether he could see