Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-12-18

and through whose influence Maine stands
- proudly in her strength and occupies
the advanced Position accorded her, we
recommend that the salary of the master
snail he $50 and 800 per diem, ana ex
, pcrscs while employed in promoting the
interests Of the order
At the session OF 1870 the cOmrlittee
recommended the masters salary be con-
r!nucd the sane rs the previous year. A.
the 1901 session the salary Of master
was SEQ and 500 pei diem. ana
actual expenses when il: official CAPACITY
In 1903 the salary. was fixed at 500 rer
year. also for 1894 session. The Salaiv
$3.50 per diem and actual expenses wnen
in official capacity. The salary. Ior 1871;
was fixed a five hundred collars and
the same diem AMI expenses IS the IRE
rions Years. A the l:T,' session ne
the average salary I have received for
the ten years | have been master, SIC
r"r year, and SIS, per day.
Tive master. as with an other officers,
paws Lis own bills between tie quarterly
has to render an itemiZcd account of per
diem and expenses and they are not paid
until approved BY the committee.
TO charge that any accounts Gre not
pl oper and correct is 10 impeach the in
tecrity of the executive committee.
During these years the number of sub
TO 49,: a gain Of 176, and The member
ship from .l.313 10 55,-l2: a gain of
32697, and the increase of receipts to
the State Grange for dues alone annually
amounts to $J,3gl.5-.
These are all matters thai the public is
not interested in, ana no ore outside Of
the order has mace them public; AND if
il can be shown that ! have taken
single dollar from the grange treasury
Wror sfully. | will refund the rooney. You
may draw your own conclusions
as to the purpose of the publicity. II
any one has lnisappropriated any of the
funds of the order, they are accountable
to the order for their acts and not to the
public IN all these years | have never
conferred with the committee On officers
salaries, lr in any way tried 10 in1utnc"
| their action. and l believe the same is
tr.Ie in regard to those with Wncn |
have been officially associated.
With tins session nay official term OF
master closes, Had ! 4 sufficient command
Of language, possibly might b. able in a
small degree 70 convey 70 you my deep
and lasting appreciation Of tne MANY
honorS and what is Of ever greater rdlu :
to ire. the confidence you have reposed
in me. and the thousands Of friends that
have stood so LOCALLY by my side during
these ten years that YOU have ty your
own voluntary act placed upon Ie the
high and responsible duties OF master
OF tile Maine State Grange; responsible
III which | regard to re .5 great, and
an honor second to no office within the
| gift Of the State. Your friendship and
confidence / hope to retam as long as
| remain on earth. In the attempted dis
! charge of the duties imposed upon me
! to nerfoTIn. nv mistakes | fully realize.
| would make by far the larger volume.
| While AT times il may be that we nave
been unnecessarily harsh. il has been
| done with the single purpose Of MAINTAIN
| inc tile integrity Of what l believe 70 o
! the grandest organization OF modern
| times.
II was my lot to be called upon to per-
| form the duties of master when there
| seemed to be lack OF respect Tor many
| of our organic laws which involved many
! intricate questions that had to be met IN
| some instances with 4 firm hand but al
| ways without EEliCe to any. Win tine
! good of the order" rs our text we nave
| done what we could along constructive
| lines to build up the order of Patrons Of
| Husbandry doing what We could 10 avoid
| destructive agencies. mat our EFFORTS
| evidenced by the increased membership
| above 5i,o9. by the we'll established SUB
ordinate oranges al over our state, Dy
| the improved social conditions Wherever
| the grange exists. by the better under
standing Of many public questions, a
knowledge OF which has been brousht
| and further through the high standing
/ of the order, and its Srcat lnii2ehce IN
| leading and shaping pubic opinion. Az
these things pay eloquent tribute 10 the
| grange of Maine.
In doing these things the grange con.
! tributes much to the future greatness or
| the Stote
AS the silent, invisible strength of cleo
| tricity from the heart Of the dynamo
moves the great wheels of industry, turns
the wheels of factories, lights. warns ana
moves the railways OF our time. SO does
an intelligent, conservative, wei consld-
cred public opinion always reflect itself
in good government ana POSITIVE leels-
lation. And methinks | can with pro-
phet's eye lift the veil of the future and
see the cause of the grange continue
onward and upward until it shall have be-
come a fixed quantity in the governmental
fabric through which we shall nave at
tained an eminence not even dreamed of
III present To do these things the grange
must be kept under the cont oil Of those
who have 4 practical interest ia its fun
damental purposes. believe i'll the
grange. I believe in its ability 10 COM
pletely revolutionize the rural life of our
State; but to do its mission il must never
be allowed to be used as an instrument
to advance the schemes or serve the puf-
pose of the demagoguc
The opportunity for as rapid ana SUD-
stantial growth in the future as IN the
past is equally good. If aggressiv"iE car
ried ont and if it is kept in the coufs
set forth so clearly in our Declaration OF
10 do these things the grange must
necessarily have to dc with public q,les-
ton: not in a partisan way. but along
the line of politics as deilned ny "epSt'f
ar 1.-THE science of government.
No one is equipped to pass upon punlic
questions until he first understands them;
and as we understand this Is Il part Oh
the work of the great order in edtlcatlnS
and elevating its members. The true
greatness of the grange is ana must con,
tinue to be measured by the individual
greatness of its members GRANGE Ideals
are the noblest in the world. In loyalty
to them we shall achieve a greatness
which is denied to those working for less
exalted ends. And in committing the
business OF this session into your hands
/ would impress 1t upon your minds mat
AL To-