Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-12-19
Saturday, December 10, 1908.
State Grange Resolutions.

It was certainly most unusual pro
ceeding, but probably 1t was the part o
wisdom after all. when the Maine Stat
Grange in the closing hours Of its re
cent session at Waterville dumped int,
the waste basket all the many resolu
tions on various subjects which hae
been introduced during the session
This was the effect of its action II
sending them all back to the commit
tee on resolutions with request tina
1t act upon them and report at thu
session in 1863. The single exception
was made of the resolution expressing
the thanks of the State Grange t.
Waterville for it's hospitality and the
appreciation of the visitors of the ef.
forts of the citizens of Waterville te
make their stay there pleasant one.
At every session of the state Grange
there are all kinds of resolutions pre-
scented touching upon all kinds of sub
jects, some of them demanding that
the Legislature to do this thing and
that. some urging similar or dis
similar action by Congress, some pledg-
Ing the members of the organization to
schemes and projects inconceivable and
impossible, some aiming to reform the
whole world at a single move and
some having no less an object than
the regulation of the solar system it.
self. Any person among the 10000
members of the Grange in Maine who
has fad or hobby or grievance feels
entitled to bring it before the State
meeting of this great organization and
secure recognition and endorsement, If
such a thing is possible.
OF course the great majority of these
resolutions are smothered by the COM
mittee on resolutions and never see the
light but in some years the committee
on resolutions has been altogether too
lcnient. and in consequence the State
Grange has gone on record before the
State and the country as endorsing
measures. asking legislation. and ex-
pressing opinions regarding matters
far outside its province and in which
far the larger portion of it's members
had not the slightest interest. In the
nature of things the report Of this
committee on resolutions always comes
In near the close of the annual session
when relatively few members are in
attendance and at such time that the
lateness of the hour and the small at
tendance render 1t relatively easy to
slip through resolutions of which the
Grange as a whole Is surprised and Of
ten ashamed a little later to be
termed the sponsor.
At one State Grange few years ago
which was honored by the presence Of
Father Kelley. the beloved founder of
this great order, there was an ava
lanche of these resolutions upon all
kinds of subjects being presented dur
Ing the closing hours. Most of them
were being voted down, but too many
Of them were receiving support and
to please conservative
Father Kelley who had quite different
ideas regarding the field in which the
Grange should conflne its energies.
he sent to the secretary s
desk slip of paper reading something
as follows: Resolved. that the Maine
State Grange demand of Congress an
of $1o.0OO.OOo to be used
In bleaching the negroes of South
Carolina" The absolute absurdity of
this thing convulsed the crowd and
put an end to the flood of resolutions.
Father Kelley's bit of satire had ac-
what an hours speech
might have failed to do.
The Grange is a great and powerful
here in Maine. doing a
noble work in rural communities which
can hardly be overestimated. and its
leaders recognize that the greatest dan
ger which 1t faces is in trying to ex
tend Its activities beyond its legitimate
sphere of usefulness and influence. 1t
Is the danger of spreading out too thin.
Of scattering instead of concentrating
its force. No doubt some of the reso-
lutions which were thrown on the
dump at Waterville Thursday evening
were of worth and merit and clearly
matters within the province
Of the Grange. but many others among
them were of very different nature
and it is we'll for the dignity and infiu-
ence of the Grange that they were
buried out of sight.
When the Commoner takes up the
South in its investigation of the "mys-
terry of the recent election it will.