Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1909-01-29
THE NATIONAL GRANGE
Some Comments on the Recent
Meeting.
Suggestions as to Shorter Sessions
and the Official Paper, Future Meet
ngs and Proportional Representation
by an Observer of the Proceedings.
Especial Correspondence. ]


Looking back in review over the pro-
ceedings Of the national grange, what
features stand out most prominently?
The answers to this question would
probably vary greatly with the persons
answering them: therefore those that
the writer might select might not be
those that impressed others with their
significance. However, here are some:
Shorter Sessions.
am OF the opinion that one full
week would afford sufficient time to
transact the business which is now
thinly spread over ten days or parts
thereof. Compared as to volume IL not
as to Importance. as much real bust
ness is transacted in three days by the
New York or the Michigan state
oranges as the national grange trans
acts in eight or ten days. The ses-
sions were supposed to begin at 10
O'Clock and close at 230 for the noon
recess, and the afternoon session be-
gan at $50 and closed at 5 o'clock.
Evening sessions-well. there were
two or three of them. The comforting
of the seventh degree occupied one of
these and the deliberative assembly Of
the Priests Of Demeter another. State
masters reports could be condensed
materially and without loss. The in
PRODUCTION of resolutions for reference
to committees should be limited to the
first two or three days, which would
enable committees to report earlier
and all resolutions should be read
when presented. but not discussed.
The important reports on tariff, taxa
ton and good Of the Order should come
early in the session and the less i'm
portant ones later.
Proportional Representation.
The project to increase the number
of delegates to the national grange by
basing that representation on men,
bership' got a very black eye. Until
some one has an absolutely workable
plan to suggest the change will not be
made. and we doubt if it will be when
the practical plan comes along. The
idea that the founders of the Order
builded wisely In limiting the repre-
sentation to two from each state
the worthy master and his wife-is an
ioto PltllS hAth III tiiC
minds Of the leaders, and it will re-
quire small revolution to overcome
1t. The constitution might be amend
ed, however, so as to provide for
succession In representation in case
the master and his wife are unable to
be present.
Future Meetings.
Ancnrdipu RI "a raanlptinp adpntpI it
is to be the policy of the national
grange to meet hereafter in the weak
grange states. The resolution Is not
very serious one. but the idea of
meeting occasionally or for most Of the
time In those states where the grange
needs building up is all right Next
year the meeting will be held In the
middle western states somewhere, the
place to be selected by the executive
committee. The suggestion made by a
delegate that after the annual session
closes the state masters should go out
In groups of two or four and do mis-
sionary work for organization is an
idea worthy Of adoption. Turn loose
twenty enthusiastic state masters
with speaking campaign Of two or
three days I'm places previously select
ed for missionary work and follow up
these public meetings with successful
organizers.
], The Official Paper.
The official paper proposition Is one
1 that needs revision. 1t may not be
generally known that the executive
2 committee selects one paper in the city
where the national grange meets in
which to publish the proceedings
About $500 copies OF this official pa
per are purchased and mailed to a
list of names furnished by each state
master These papers cost from 81
to SO a hundred, according to the
arrangements made. Thus the nation
, al grange expends from $500 to $3.50
a session for the papers sent to each
state with the official report. 1t doesn't
pay unless everything can be printed
that the public should know, and only
4 an ironclad contract will hold n paper
to print all that the grange would like
to have its constituents know. This
. would mean at least page day, and
a newspaper could well afford to give
: up page for the price 1t gets. This
l year enough copy was furnished by
! the official reporter to fill several col
= umns each day. but the paper never
. carried over two. Unless a newspaper
e can be secured that will print what is
= furnished by an experienced reporter
4 then the plan would better be changed.
q But. entirely apart from all this, why
, should 100 Patrons out of 10000 in
= New York state he selected rather than
, some other 100 to receive the official
4 report? Here is an injustice.
respectfully suggest that the inter
e ests of the national grange and mem
e bers of the Order everywhere would be
, better subserved and at much less ex-
4 pense If daily bulletin reports of the
proceedings were mailed to 400 or 800
dallies and weeklies I'm grange states,
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