Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-09-13


Grange. Said Founder Kelly In
1868 When About to Organize the
First Oranges.
Especial Correspondence
From the Incorporation of the Order
lof Patrons of Husbandry to the pres
Ient day the newspaper has been the
powerful ally of the grange. It's as
sistance has been sought after by lead
ers of the movement and its influence
has always been appreciated. In 1868.
when there was but one subordinate
grange in the United States, O. n.
Kelly, the originator of the Order, saw
the necessity of getting on the right
side" of the editors. and wrote these
words to F. NJ. Mcdowell, also one Of
the founders of the Order:
/ send a Philadelphia paper today in
which you will see letter by DR.. Trim
BILE. Have a portion of 1t published in
one Of your papers Interest an editor In
the grange that is to be established In
Take editors in "deadheads and let's see
IL 1t will fail. Let us get an editor in
every grange!
The above shows Brother Kelly's
faith in the success of the Order and
likewise the estimate which he frankly
placed on the editors value to the
grange, because of the publicity which
he was in a position to give it. When
Brother Kelly started out on his first
hn in lie
history that the influence of the vii
lage press was what he most desired
to secure.
In making his monthly report to the
national grange among other things
he wrote:
/ can now report to you the friendly aid
of five agricultural papers whose columns
are open to our cause-viz, the Prairie
Farmer, Chicago; Farmers Chronicle,
Columbus, o.; Ohio Farmer, Cleveland,
o.. Rural World, ST. Louis; Farmers I'm
ion, Minneapolis Besides these, the va
rious daily and weekly papers in this
state (Nfinnesota) will publish any mat
ter to advance our interests.
We have given sufficient testimony to
the fact that the press was deemed al
the grange in its early days. And we
wish to emphasize the statement that
the Order would not have been the sue
cess that it is without the substantial
aid given it by the press of the country.
In this opinion all who are familiar
with the progress Of the Order will
agree.
And what is the explanation? 1t lies
in the fact that country editors. as well
Jas the editors of smaller dailies, who
lare in close touch with their constitu-
ents, believe it to be their high priyi-
flege and their duty to help along every
worthy cause, and they do 1t unselfish-
" and for the public good. It is unfair
and unkind to attribute to them any
lulterior motives. Figured in dollars
and cents, the returns they receive for
the publicity they give the grange are
as nothing to the cost of it. The aver
age editor does more for the community
in which he lives than any ten mil
ilionaires who may be his neighbors.
1t becomes, then, the plain duty of the
grange to manifest, as occasion may
permit, a due appreciation of the as
sistance rendered the organization by
the public press. We are glad to note
in the annual addresses of our various
state masters their appreciative words
of the press We make a single ex-
tract from one of them, which says:
Again have we cause to express our
hearty appreciation of the valuable serv-
lice rendered our Order the past year by
the press, both the strictly agricultural
papers and the daily and weekly news
papers as well To such publicity, wisely
directed, much of our success may be at
tributed, and if we are wise we shall con-
tinue to avail ourselves of the opportuni-
ties for extension of grange principles af-
forded through the kindness of the news
papers.
1t wasn't so bad an idea of Founder
Kelly, after all, that impelled him to
say, Lets get an editor in every
grange The only exception we take
to the suggestion is that there are not
editors enough to go round. But the
the editor may be invited to your pub
lie meetings and your picnics, and his
report of them will be more to the
punt anu A1lUiC 4CAp1ui " tAC OAdC-
than anything less tactful or less ia
lcile writer might contribute. As you
meet him thank him for any good
word spoken for the Order or any
writeup he may have given your meet
lings or for the grange column which
he may publish every week. He will
appreciate your appreciation of his eff
forts-believe that!
Just so long as the Order of Patrons
of Husbandry behaves itself Ito use
an expressive term SO long will it find
In the press an earnest advocate and
friend. Just so soon as it does things
unworthy of itself, its avowed princi-
piles and declared purposes, SO soon
will it be likely to find in the press a
severe but just critic and opponent.
And why should it not? ]. W. D.
Farmers VIII Test Act.
Brighton grange, Monroe county, n.
Y, is preparing to test the constitution