The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1909-08-26
Patrons at Lakewood
Continued from First Page,
T.rr A uvrrpgooN SEsaIox

session together at nan past one and
Mr.. Z. s. Stetson, the
Master of the Maine State Grange.
Mr.. Stetson congratulated the order
on the fact that both men and won ell
participated in its work on equal
terms and stated his belief that, but
for the women of the Grange, it
would hardly have been preserved to
the present day. He called attention
to the important part the Grange had
PLAYED In establishing and extending
the Rural Free Delivery system and
the other important things which it
had accomplished for the agricultural
classes. Mr.. Stetson said the Grange
asked every worthy agriculturalist to
unite with it. All such, he said,
would be welcomed on any terms.
Even "eating members" those who
never attend unless there is some
thing to eat, or INSURANCE members"
those who Join to get their buildings
insured in the Grange companies,
were welcome, but those who joined
because they felt they could cooper
ate with the order for the common
good we've by far more desired. He
urged the members to have some of
the great farm problems before them
for solution all the time and told
them that in such work they would
find by all means the greatest profit.
He asked them not TO forget the
great economic problems, such as are
to be solved through the Grange in
fluence upon legislation, and advised
them to discuss them in their meet
ings. All these things, the speaker
said, were essentials to the founding
of ideal farm homes, the final goal of
all Grange activity.
Way on the outskirts of the crowd,
as is always the case at such meet
ings, were some who occasionally
ceased to listen and carried on con-
versation among themselves. In
closing, Mr.. Stetson put these indi-
viduals and the rest of his audience
in good humor by saying he was glad
to note the stories going the rounds
of the outer circle, while be was talk
ing, as he thereby judged they would
have all been told during his address
and would leave every body in the
grounds free to listen to the next
speaker. Thus pleasantly paving the
way for Mortimer Whitehead of New
Jersey, he called that gentlemen for
ward and presented him to the audi
ence.
Mr.. Whitehead is seventy years OF
age. He was prominent in the early
days of the Grange, forty three years
ago, and has done his share of the
work that has brought the Order to
its present era of great growth and
prosperity. He has spoken in Maine
on many previous occasions and at
tended many OF the annual meetings
of the State order. At Augusta,
fifteen or more years ago, when the
late Governor Robbie was State Mas
ter, the Grange presented Mr..
Whitehead with silver tea service.
This is still treasured by Mr.. White
head at his New Jersey home in
memory of his Maine brethren. Mr..
Whitehead spoke of the fact that his
own county in the State of his resi-
dence was Somerset" and his home
Grange was Somerset No. Z, the CO.
incidence giving him special warrant
for feeling at home in Somerset
county, Maine. He centralized his
address about the great proposition
attend to their own business. "Be-
cause you have not" said he, "you
raised four thousand million dollars
worth of agricultural products in
1904 and these we're taken in hand by
those who added nothing to value
and marketed for three times that
sum. He urged farmers to study the
means of bringing the producer and
consumer nearer together, by coop
erative effort and told an incident of
the work of a New Jersey Grange to
Illustrate. The Grange in question,
the past season, bought Is carloads of
seed potatoes direct from Aroostook,
(Maine) producers, for the use in
seeding their own New Jersey fields.
The farmers of his state saved money
by the direct transaction and the
Granger brethren received more for
their crop because the middleman
was eliminated Mr.. Whitehead told
of other instances where fertilizer,
binding Irvine, ETC., had been handled
by cooperative buying in the same
manner, greatly to the advantage of
those participating in the transaction.
He stated that the amount eaved the
Changers of the United States by
their cooperative insurance COM
panies had been sum large enough
to pay the cost of organizing and
maintaining all the Oranges of the
country from the foundation of the
order to the present time. "There is
to be no yielding or wavering In the
just demands of the Grange" said
the "spe aker, we shall keep up the
fight until the parcels post brings
packages to your door, and Postal
Savings Banks are established" He
urged his hearers to study and lend
their aid to these and other great re-
forms for which the Grange was
striving. "The Grange has been
urged" said Mr.. Whitehead, "to
form a new political party, but we
can do better, we can learn to con-
troll both the old parties and properly
should do So" He urged voters to
wear party allegiance lightly and to
get over the idea that there was any
obligation to vote any ticket
"straight." The speakers last ap
peal, and perhaps his strongest, was
for independence in political action.
There are Is Pomona Oranges in
the State, and they are intended to
facilitate the coming together of the
grangers in each county once each
month. Field days, like that at Lake
wood last Monday, are held in each
OF the Is counties of the State each
summer, under the auspices of some
one of the Pomona Oranges. This
year the meetings are on 16 successive
secular days and it is very busy
time for State Master Stetson and his