Gloucester County Democrat., 1909-06-17
THE GRANGE LEADERS
Farmers of the Country Must
Come to the Front.
Organization Necessary For Their Ma
teriaI Welfare - They Must Take
Their Rishtful Places In the Govern

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ment.
[From the Lewiston (AIe.) Journal
The grange today is the most power
full organization in the country. Its
influence extends into every section,
and as factor in the education Of the
masses it has never had an equal In
this respect it stands by the side of the
public school, only with broader out
look and wider sweep of horizon ~ Its
membership includes the best blood
among the farming classes, and this
has more significant meaning when
we consider that the rural telephone,
trolley car and free postal delivery
have practically wiped out the distinc-
tion between country and city life. 1t
means that today the average farmer
is fully the peer in intelligence and
scope of capacity Of the business or
professional man. 1t means that he is
man Of education and general cul-
ture as well as tiller of the soil. It
means in fact that he is man in all
that name implies and therefore fully
capable of being leader among men.
This great change has all been
brought about during the past few
years A generation ago and only the
weakest mentality in the farmers fam
lily was selected to follow in the foot
steps of the father. The brighter boys
were allowed to go into other sections
of the country, there to carve out their
fortune as opportunity might offer.
The weakling remained at home and
succeeded in the ownership of the old
farm
All this is now changed. The agri-
cultural college with its experiment
station has raised farming to the dig
nifty of profession. To now succeed
as a tiller of the soil the man must not
only be well educated, but he must
also have fine executive capacity. In
tensive farming is the order Of the
day. No laggard has any place on the
modern farm, and slowly but surely all
such are being eliminated from the
business.
agricultural industry the grange has
borne a prominent part. It's leaders
have been the men of most pronounced
influence in their respective commune
ties and contributed their full share in
the uplifting of society. They have
been the men of keen intelligence, high
morals and most excellent judgment.
Such men are always natural leaders,
and on all moral questions their in1u-
ence has been undisputed.
On the other hand, it is equally un-
disputed that in all matters pertaining
to governmental, state or municipal
leadership their influence has been
practically nothing. They have stood
back and allowed the village and city
lawyers to take control of their affairs
and make all the laws. Organized
through the grange for action on moral
questions, they have remained unor-
sanized in all that pertains to their
material welfare. This is the one weak
spot in the grange today, and it is
here that the order needs the greatest
strengthening. There is no good rea-
son why the farmer should be com
PEELED to pay the merchant and the
professional man whatever price they
choose to place upon their goods and
their services, while he is compelled to
take whatever they may choose to give
for the products of his farm. There is
no equity in such a system, but for
this condition no one is more to blame
than the farmer himself.