Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-01-18

tne fundamental
principles on which our Order is founded,
Is violated.
was strikingly impressed with the
"rohslulness OF the present method of
voting in the national grange when the
direct legislation resolutions were defeat
co. although the votes cast for It repre-
scented large majority of the member
ship of the Order. The voting delegates of
the national grange are composed Of the
state masters and their wives, or hus-
Dands, thus giving two votes to each
state. Any state having fifteen subordi-
nate oranges Of an average membership
OF twenty members Is entitled to repre-
sentation in the national grange and to
nave the expenses of It's delegates paid
out of the national treasury.
inc expenses OF the national grange are
borne. of course, by the different states in
direct proportion to their membership.
Thus 1t is that the states of large mem
bership not only pay the expenses of their
own delegates, but the major portion of
the expenses of the delegates of the weak
err states.
Yet the representatives Of the states of
numerous membership, whose influence is
all powerful in securing legislation have
no more influence in determining what the
legislation shall be than those of the
weakest states. That is to say, under the
present system the will of the great ma
jority of our Order can be, and often is,
defeated by the votes of delegates who
often are Indifferent to the real interests
of the Order and who seem to take no in
terest in building up the Order in their
states and who represent states in which
the grange is in a stagnant condition. /
believe this evil could be remedied by
giving to each state master. in addition to
his state vote, a popular vote based on one
vote for each 1000 of membership. This,
for example. would give New York state,
with its 10000 membership. elghty-two
votes as against two votes for any state
having a membership of only few hun
dred. The power of a state i'm the ma
tional grange would thus be made directly
proportional to the strength of the Order
in each, and this Is simply justice and
it should be. | am convinced also that this
method of voting would act as a stimulus
on every state master to extra effort In
building up the Order in his own state as
that would be an absolutely necessary
preliminary to increasing his influence in
the national grange.
l intend at the next annual session of
the national grange to try to secure this
important amendment and hope that my
proposed action will receive your unan-
imous Endorsement and support.
The proposition has its advantages
and disadvantages. Mr.. Kegley does
not say whether voting in accordance
with membership should be the vote
on all questions and propositions that
come before the grange or whether
certain questions should be adjudicat
ed by the state vote and others by
the popular vote. as we may term it.
1t is difficult to understand how there
can be two systems of representation
in force in the same body, for Mr..
Kegley says that the popular vote is
to be in addition TO the state vote.
There does seem to be justice in the
proposition that the vote of the dele
gate should be representative of the
members of the Order rather than of
the state Surely New York. with al
most 10000 members, should have
greater voting power in the national
grange than Minnesota. with only 1000
or 5000. Grange legislation affect
ing subordinate oranges might be
enacted or defeated by the two votes
of the smaller grange state, which
legislation would affect one way or the
other thousands of members in the
larger grange states. The question
which the national grange will have
TO determine is simply this, Does the
highest interest of the Order require
state representation or popular repre-
sentation in the national grange?