Charlevoix county herald., 1912-01-13
The gggs
NATIONAL
~ ORANCE
Conducted by Charles NJ Gardner. Editor
OF the National Grange. Westfield. Mass
NATIONAL GRANGE SESSION
Recent Meeting at Columbus Was the
Most Successful in Forty
five Years.

The session OF the National Grange
recently held at Columbus. o.. was the
most successful in the As years his
tory of the order and marks new era
In it's work. The attendance was large
and the business was carried through
to completion without hitch or delay.
Every voting member Of the National
Grange was present. while the at
tendance of outside members, particu-
larly from Ohio. was large.
This was tho biennial election year
of the order and choice was made of
the following officers: Master, Oliver
Wilson of Illinois; overseer, l.. III.
Healey of Connecticut; lecturer. n. p.
Hull of Michigan: steward. d. c. Null
len of Idaho: assistant steward,
George r. Schaefer of wisconsin; !;
chaplain, &. F. Smith Of Vermont:
treasurer, Mrs. Eva S. Mcdowell OF
Massachusetts: secretary. c. M. Free
man of Ohio; gatekeeper. A. Is. Jud-
son Of Iowa; ceres, Mrs. Richard Pat
tee of New Hampshire; pomona. Mrs.
T. G.. Atkeson Of West Virginia; fora,
Mrs. a. b. Judson OF Iowa; lazy as
sistant steward, Mrs. C.. F. Smith of
Vermont: member of executive com
mittee for three years, c. o. Raihe OF
Missouri.
The National Grange strongly cx-
pressed its support for: Federal aid
for road improvement; a general par.
cells post system; conservation Of nat
ural resources; a national income lax;
direct election of United States sen.
ators; non-partisan tariff commits
sion: agricultural education and ex.
tension; enlargement of the powers
and duties Of the interstate commerce
commission. The body also placed it.
self on record as opposed to ship sub.
sides, centralized United States
bank, and any amendment to the
; imitation butter.
The grange position on the regula,
tion of railways was thus concisely
and emphatically expressed:
The farmers are the largest shippers
OF freight over our railways, and any
increase in freight rates is in the last
analysis chiefly paid by them: hence
The National Grange favors the
strict regulation by the federal gov
eminent of all railroads engaged in in
terstate commerce, and urges that the
interstate commerce commission for
bid any increase in freight or passen
ger rates unless it can be shown that
such Increase is necessary in order tC
pay fair dividends on the capital actu
ally invested in the road.
We favor the enactment of legisla
tion to provide for ascertaining the
true value of the railroads of the
country, SO that it can readily be seen
whether the proposed increase in
charges is justifiable.
The Canadian reciprocity episode ul
the year was extensively reviewed and
by unanimous vote the National
Grange endorsed the fight against
reciprocity made by the national Of
ficers; while the position was force
fully taken that the Canadian pact now
standing upon the statute books of the
country should be speedily repealed.
On tariff legislation the Nat!ona
Grange thus declared itself:
The National Grange urges that ir
any revision OF our tariff laws the du
ties upon any article should never ex
ceed the difference between the labor
cost of producing such article in this
country and in foreign countries; and
We favor the immediate amend
ment OF the present tariff act so a.
TO reduce the excessive protection now
given TO many staple manufactured
articles, the production OF which IL
ontrolled by trusts and monopoly com
binations; and
We urge material reduction of the
duties on all articles which are solo
by our manufacturers In foreign mar
kets at lower prices than thos,
charged to the people OF this country,
and
We favor the negotiation Of com
merclal treaties.