Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1911-10-06
THE GRANGE
Conducted by
J. W. DARROw. Chatham, N. Y,
Editor Of the NeU York State Grange
ReristD
GRANGE FOR FARMERS.
A Protest Against Admitting to Mem
bership Others Than Those Engaged
In Agricultural Pursuits"

by MORTIMER WHITEHEAD.
''For the good of the Order" let the
true Patrons of Husbandry, the real
farmers for whom 1t was established
and for whom 1t has done so much.
those who love the Order for its past
achievements and who still have faith
in its even greater possibilities for the
future, rally once again." and let 1t
be heard in every real farmers grange
hall In the land, "Back to the farm"
We must get and keep our Order In
the hands of the real farmers. OF the
farmers, by the farmers, for the farm
erS.
The constitution of the Patrons of
Husbandry, article 6; Membership"
reads: ANY person engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits and having no in
terest in conflict with our purposes. of
the age of fourteen years duly pro-
posed elected and complying with the
rules and regulations Of the Order, Is
entitled to membership and the bene-
fit of the degrees taken"
The declaration of purposes of the
grange reads: ours being peculiarly
farmers organization. we cannot ad-
nit all to our ranks.
MANY are excluded by nature of
our organization, not because they are
professional men, or artisans. or labor
ers, but because they have not suffi-
aianf int ir, ~
or may have some interest in conflict
with our purposes"
Yes, the grange was "made up
right" And it was not made unlike
other class organizations, professional,
trade, or labor. The doctors say:
Farmers not admitted into our medi-
cal society,"" The lawyers say, Farm
ers cannot become members of our
legal society" The merchants say,
Farmers cannot belong to our union"
The BARRIERS cannot join the locomo-
tive engineers union. The bakers or
walters cannot join the street sweep
ers' union, the shop girls cannot join
the shirtwaist makers union, and so
1t goes all along the line. And yet
we find there are grangers a great
majority of whose members are pro-
fesslonal men or artisans, merchants,
manufacturers, professional politi-
clans. Yes. it was "made upright"
but it "hath sought many inventions"
The retail merchants will not permit
farmers to join their local and nation
al organizations that are fighting the
parcels post, and yet one grange in
Massachusetts has enough merchant
members to vote against the parcels
post when it was up for Endorsement
by the grange. The merchant is in the
grange for the merchant, the professor
and the politician for influence" and
votes. Factory hands and artisans are
in it for the dance and the supper The
grange is a sideshow, an episode, an
incident, pull" The farmer is in it
for the farm and the farmer, with a
square deal for both, first, last and
nll the time. 1t is reported that one
state master ruled that any one who
can sign his or her name to a grange
application is eligible to membership.
Another state master is reported as
saying that 'the grange has grown big
enough and broad enough to admit any
one to membership" No wonder a
movement was started in Massachu-
sets to form an organization Of "sure
enough farmers. ."-Grange News.