Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-08-12
State and National Orange Officers
GIVE INTERESTING AND PROFITABLE
TALKS AT FIELD MEETING.

With . day or q week more needed o
some farms to finish hsying, the farmer
left their fields and came out In goo
numbers Thursday to attend the feel
meeting of the State Grange held at th
Oxford County fair grounds. This
one of the regular annual series of NEE,
ings held under the auspices Of th
State Grange, with q program OF speak
ing arranged by the State Master, o.
topics pertaining to the work OF th
organization. Like those of previou
years, this one was we'll attended b.
mem ers of the order and others from
considerable territory, something lik
400 people being present at the after
noon exercises.
Though the speakers of the day arriv
ed on the forenoon trains, there was n
set program until after dinner, but To
time was spent very socially, as is al
ways the case when Changers meet. 4
picnic dinner was eaten on the grounds
coffee being made in the Lovejoy boot
for the crowd.
At the afternoon meeting Il. E. Jillson
master of Oxford Pomona Grange, pre-
sided. Several patriotic songs were SUM
by the audience, under the lead of G. W
Q. Perham of Bryant's Pond.
The first speaker was N. P. Hull o
Dimondale, Mich, lecturer OF tn
National Grange. Mr.. Hull is a yer!
pleasing speaker, his talk being illumi
mated by story and pleasantly to al
agreeable degree, and also containing I
lot of meat. he devoted his time t
considering the purposes and work O
the Grange.
Doubtless we all think, said he, tina
this is the best county in the best state
in the Union. Now | will promise t
give any man this whole county, yes
more, this whole state-on the condition
that be will live in it alone. Man does
not live that way. He wants the society
and the help of his fellows. That is the
reason for the Grange.
The Grange is a great organization OF
men and women formed to do for them.
selves and the industry of agriculture by
working together what they could not
accomplish by working as individuals.
We could never raise barn frame II
each man was tugging at separate tim
Der that he could not lift. But when we
organize under leaders and all lift to.
gether, up goes the frame. We could
never have had even civilization without
organized cooperation.
What has the Grange done to prove
itself worth while? 1t has brought the
farmers and their families together in a
social way, and got them better acquaint.
ed. If it had done nothing more than
that, it would be worth while.
1t has been school for the farmers,
in the exchange of ideas regarding their
work. 1t has furnished some Of the best
education the farmers have. / do not
decry the work of the agricultural col
lege and the experiment station, which
are valuable, but they have simply
shown the reason for the facts which
the farmer already knew. The farmers
knew that they had better crop after g
crop of clover than after any other crop
but it remained for the scientists tc
show them why. SO also they discover
ed the value of wheat bran, and the
scientists told them why it is a valuable
feed. They learned that certain kind:
of feed produced more milk when fed II
combination, before they ever heard of 6
balanced ration.
The Grange is doing many othel
things. The speaker then gave the illus
tration of the Iowa farmer, who found In
his experience that between the rail
roads and the farmers, the farmers were
getting the short end both ways, and tb'
agitation which that Iowa farmer started
in his grange eventually led to the es
tablishment of the Interstate Commerce
Commission. In conclusion, he urgeC
that the farmers should cease trusting
that their interests are going to be care
fully looked after, and bestir themselves
to see that it is done.
State Grange Lecturer B. W. McKeer
of Fryeburg was presented by STATE
Master Stetson to give an address upor
an important topic. In introducing his
subject Mr.. McKeen said that the ques
tions confronting US to-day are not 81
much of management as they are of get.
ting a square deal. We have the science
and the art of farming, we are for the
first time ready to undertake the business
of farming.
The need of a good rural credit system
was then shown quite fully by Mr.. Nc
Keen. The rate of interest on borrowed
capital varies from the two per cent o.
government bonds up through various
lines of industry until the farmer il
reached, who pays on the average S l.:
per cent. The farmers Of France anc
Germany, and some other European
countries, borrow at 1-2 to 4 1-2 pei
cent, through cooperative credit associa
tions, which issue bonds, secured on th'
real estate of the members.
A good start has been made In thi:
country 10 cooperative banking for rura
benefit, through the Jewish Agriculture
and Industrial Aid Society of New York
which has strikingly exemplfied thu
benefits of such work by furnishing
loans at reasonable rates to Jewish ap
plicants in twenty. eight states ant
Canada.
The results accomplished by the
Jewish society we're gone into in some
detail by Mr.. McKeen, and he gave some
other illustrations, several of them In
Maine, and in this section of it, showing
how much the farmer is at the mercy oil
the money lender. In conclusion hs
said, the movement for cooperative
credit associations will not start itself
There must be leaders, and 1t is to be
hoped that this matter will be consider
ed and discussed, especially in the
oranges. The way to have cooperative
credit associations is to have them.
State Master c. S. Stetson of Greene
closed the program with very briei
reference to few of the problems which
it is we'll for the Grange to consider
Consider this credit problem in your
oranges. Then the road problem. Un-
less We keep watch and act together
the first of our state money under the
bond issue will be expended on the
pleasure and not the commercial basis
This money was to be spent equitsbly in
all the counties of the state. The road
problem begins at the farmers front
gate, and his benefit should begin there.
Then the water powers Of the state
should be conserved, and used to gener,
ate electricity for the benefit of all the
people, not for few monied corpora.
tons.
Then the transportation problem.
There is no reason why it should cos,
enty cents to ship barrel of apples
across the water, nor why the railroads
should be increasing their freight rates
and taking the increase out Of the
farmers.
These and other problems will never
be solved till you and l and all other
good citizens realize the necessity of oul
personal attention and effort and CO.
operation In their solution.
MOTHERS! HAVE YOUR CHILDREN
W0RMS9