Gloucester County Democrat., 1907-08-01
THE GRANGE
Conducted by
j. w. DARROW. Chatham. N. Y.
Press Correspondent Neao York State
Grange
A NATIONAL GRANGE BUREAU
OF Publicity and Information to In
tensify Grange Influence.


Especial Correspondence.l
That the Order of Patrons of Hus-
bandry possesses a mighty influence
when it is rightly exerted is beyond
question. But its potentiality may be
frittered away and be rendered ineffec
tual by lack of concentration. In or
der to centralize its power and make
its real strength available it seems
to the writer that national grange
bureau of publicity and information
should be established.
The object of this bureau should be
the procuring and dissemination of in
formation relative to all subjects of
national legislation in which the
grange may be actively interested.
In order to secure unanimity of ac-
tion on the part Of Pomona and subor
dinate oranges on subjects of national
legislation it is obviously necessary
that they be kept thoroughly posted
on all grange legislation that may be
pending in congress. That grange pc
titions and resolutions forwarded to
members of congress had much weight
with them when the denatured alcohol
bill was up for consideration there is
no doubt But such petitions and res
olutions were not as influential as they
might have been, nor were there a
tenth part in number of what there
should have been had there been a
systematic correspondence with the
oranges by some central bureau of in
formation at the very time when peti-
tions and resolutions would have had
the most weight with our national rep
resentatives.
This year there is likely to be unit
ed effort on the part of national, state
and subordinate oranges to secure the
passage of a parcels post bill. How
shall the combined strength Of all
grange forces be best brought to bear
on congress when the proper time ar
rives? Surely not by leaving the
oranges to act when and in what man.
ner they please or not at all. There
should be intelligent, united action and
at the right time A central bureau of
information would secure from all
available sources a variety of informa-
ton, statistical and argHmentatiye,
concerning the advantages of a parcels
post and, having condensed and sum
married. this information, forward it as
frequently as necessary to the subor-
| dinate oranges to be read and discuss
ed in the grange Then when united
action by petition or resolution is de-
sired the oranges will be accurately in
formed and can therefore act intelli-
gently and promptly on any date adj
vised by the managers of the bureau
of information, who should be the ma
tional legislative committee.
The distribution of the literature
among the subordinate oranges could
be accomplished by mailing the same
direct to each subordinate grange from
the national bureau of publicity and
information, or each state grange could
establish state bureau of information
and the literature enanating from the
national bureau could be sent by ex-
press to each state bureau and there
be distributed among the oranges of
the state
This systematic educational work in
the subordinate oranges would apply
to all matters Of legislation demanded
by the national grange.
A PATRON.