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

cial lines that he may be able to advanc,
the standard of agriculture to an equal!
| important poSuiOn which the social ant
business world demands.
The past generation has developed be
cause the advantages offered by tn,
| Grange have advanced the conditions o'
| rural life until agriculture is now classeC
as profession. In view of this fact il
| should have greater cOnSidera ton in fix
| ing the policies and having enacted into
| laws. such measures as shall enable the
| uccupa dor of the farmer to I've on I'll
| equality with that Of other prof asSOnS
| We are living in a strenuous age. The
| industrial and commercial interests have
| been advanced 70 a more intense aggTeS-
! siveness because Of their thorough Orgari-
| cation. while agriculture, which is the
| basic wealth of the nation, has failed to
! keep pace with the advance made in other
professions. because Of the scattered and
isolated condition OF her people. there
| fore the one duty IF the Grange is to cdll-
cate and thereby elevate lis mcm b-rs that
they may better exercise the duties and
| responsibilities OF citizenship.
| CONDITION OF THE ORDER.
| Notwithstanding the advI rse criticisms
| that have been made during The year.
| / assert without fea" Of successful con
| tradiction that rhe order was never as
! strong in numbers, in influence. in III
| general character of its work, III the
| intelligent understa ndins OF its members
| on all questions of public policy ut
ways to be courted. Is it is wholesome in
| it's effects and beneficial to those to whnnl
| it is directed; but to find fault for III"
purpose of Winding fault ana Ia
endeavOr % create dissensior and dIstrust
without pointing our II better way. Is no
evidence OF superior ability or honesty oi
rurpose as il is no evidence of greatness
to simply do the growing without su"-
costing a remedy. inaSmnch some have
had IL trial and failed to bring the order
up TO ,deai conditions.
her
ship has doubled itself one and one-half
times or from 2l..l5. in 1897 to -a.:e;6 in
1906 an increase Of 52.>2l for that time
This rapid increase would make it eN-
tremely hard 20 assimiate this large
number of new members into the work
of the ORDER perfectly. in such a short
time. Again. II has always been. and al
WAYS will be that naI" of the ~ '"f y
ship of any order fails to live mp 20 the
tene.s and precepts OF the or.,tr. 1t is
so in the Grange. ard again a@'.-Ht thai
the order is stronger in .V@Ir d -I'tItment
| of Grange work. than Il; =. tlH' in ITS
history in Maine. and is doing b>trer
work upon a higher plane.
We have o6 Pomona Oranges holding
regular meetings., and most of them doing
good wcrk. Not perfec- york ''lt G"n'l aud
few are doing most excellent work and
are gradually working M to " stu n = ,''i'
standard and Il better appreo atiOn OF the
mighty power of orgarZcd effort. and the
imperative necessity .. rooD'i ~ '"n IN the
protection of the interests OF I'll" iarmer.
STRORDINATE ORANGES.
We have organized l6 new oranges ana
reorgariZed six making AN mere aS'' hl
% subordinate Oranges. The ! are s'f0il%
have 40, subordinate Grang =. represented
by an average membership "i - We
have added 4,3O1 nov M ii'" - th' l'aSe
year. making our total mr en- 80, 800
erected and dedicated Eve new 'sri.nee
halls the past year, which cost 81 "";
an average of Si299 each. Three Eundrth
and fifty-five of our a" suDordlnate
FRANCES own and OCCUPY their own halls.
The aggregate value OF our Grange
homes, with their furnishings. IS :Ns..oo,;
which serves to Indicate the Sta2il.s ,
the order in our State. Our Pomona
oranges have held 226 regular meetings;
ard our subordinate Oranges looE', ana
700 special meetings during the year. Oui
Patrons Cooperative corporal coi
trollcd by the Sta,e Grange. Will iran
sact n business of $500. Houlton gfanS"
No 16 reports a business OF $l~''t" tniS
wear. and the cooperative iinafriai WORK
among cur Oranges besides that men
t;ored will amount to at least sio''""
Wc have three patrons, fire insurance
companies. representing business Oh
risk from fires at a cost OF one-fSurth oi
one per cent Our membership represents
onc-twelfth OF the population OF the
Tho Grange has become powerful
rac.or in legislation in the State. ard
at lis demands. both of the Leading Po
lticaI parties in the last campaign aoop..
Oh q platform calling for the REVISION Oh
Our tax laws. in order to secure IL Just
and eulitabl tax levy. -
We lave in our State what IS known
as tho Good Will Farm. and the stat
Grange several years ago erected What
is known as the State Grange cottaS"
which is owned, furnished. ana cared LOT
nv the State Grange In that coelds'
there arc % little orphans for whom We
are furnishing home. ana .t sltIne ny ~ ~
thing and ask in all candor II you i'.r"
discover any alarming cvldenc" ~ alslii-
tcgration ana decay in the orler o. the
Patrons of Husbandry in Maine at the
present time. That We have reached
IDEAL conditions We do not claim Those
conditions exist only in the vivid mag.
nations of the futile theCriSt- hut that
are making real supstah',ai'
wholesome progress for the I'm
provement of the members: we q" clam
and some think as rapidly as Is conSiS-
tort with sound. healthy. lasting
growth in an order like ours. theorists to
the contratry Notwithstanding. From,
tho same sources We have been criticised
because We have not piled UP a fund OF
at least $4,000 more money in the state
Grange treasury. and | wish here To- eau
your attention to a few facts, AT oar
last session the resources of the State
Grange, according to the rcror: Of tr.
treasurer, was given at S1l.03i which If
kent intact would appear to be as large a
fund To keep on hand as Is necessary r.
meet the dema ndS OF the order but rel
ercnce has been made t. the funds
Of other states. and by the way. tho
National Master Brother Bachelder.
told me at Denver that he was in doubt
of the wisdOr, of some states carrying
such a large fund in their trea sury. Put
the point | wish to call attention TO. is
that Maine cXactS eight cents Il wear less
dues per member from the subordinate
Oranges than and state in tn"
Union Our rate Of dues to the State
Grange is 16 cents a year. and no Other
state takes less than ~ cents. some %.
some 81 some AZ. and some 60 cents. TAX
ing the reXt lowest rate to our own and
I have figured the difference for til"
nine years that 7 have been master and
at n cents instead of H. cents We would
have added almost s27.' 600 to the funds of
the State Grange treasury: bat if this
had been done we would have taken just
50 much more from the funds of the sub
ordinate Oranges of our State. and as a
result they would not have had the
hundreds Of splendid Grange homes tina {
adorn the State everywhere The subOr-
dinate Grange is the bulwark Of the o.
der: the basic stone uDOn which III"
whole s',rcrStructure rests. and in this
rcsrect Maine stands alono in tn" num-
her Of Grange homes owned by the subor
dinatn Oranges of the State Again. dur
ing this time the 1881 new members in
nv judgment. are worth far more TO the
order than few thousand dollars in our