Alma record., 1914-02-12
WHY THE GRANGE EXISTS
National Master Oliver Wilson's Re-
cent Address Makes Clear the
Purpose of Organization.

grange exists, nor what IL seeks TO do
has ever been given than III recent ad
dress by National Master Oliver vii
son OF Peoria, Ill. Mr.. Wilson is no
only a strong speaker, but has rare
getting quickly to the heart of the
subject, which he is discussing or
this occasion. Mr.. Wilson said:
The great fundamental and under
lying principle of this organization is
education. We believe the farmer to
day needs education more than any
things else. When | say this / want
to be understood that he does not
need an education any more than
the other fellow, because, In my ex
perience with farmers and others,
say today, without fear Of contradic'
tion, that there is no class Of men that
Is better informed on the great topics
of the day than the farmers of the
United States. This has been brought
about by an organization that he him
self has made.
There are other farm organizations
In existence. The grange believes In
working hand in hand for the better
ing of agriculture, and working with
all organizations that have for their
aim this object
1T proposes bringing about better
system of education We believe that
the country child has the same rights
and should have the same advantage
to a practical education as has the
boy or girl who was unfortunate
enough to have been born In the town
or city. We believe 1t is possible to
do this. IL the grange does what 1t
is intending to accomplish, 1t will
show to the farm boys and girls that
they have the same advantages for an
education as if they had learned a
in the top loft of some city structure.
They may read long articles; they
may exhaust all energy in solving this
question, but there is only one thing
to my mind that will do it. That
is to show to the boy or girl, the
young man or the young woman, that
the sagifa9-Ich sag,ifa9 chance fof--sstrceess is open
on the farm along the various lines
as If they were in the city, and the
conditions on the farm so prosperous
that all the boys and girls who are
born there should want to remain
there. If they did, God pity the cities.
You go to the great centers of trade,
go to the great business houses Of
that city, and you will find that about
90 per cent, by actual count, Of the
business men you will find, spent the
first 16, Is or 21 years of their life
on the farm, and so we have an inter
est in these institutions, and we must
keep them up, but / do maintain that
we must make agriculture 80 pro-
porous and advantageous that we g..
keep the best boys and girls on the
farm. There Is where they are
needed.
There is one fact | want to i'm
and that is that in the AZ years of
the existence of this organization, 1t
has never gone before the people with
a public policy, unless that public
policy has been enacted into law, or
we are still working to attain that
end 1t has never had to retract one
single policy or act, and 1t is for this
reason that 1t stands today an organ
ization that is both safe and sane.
This is why it is exerting influence
as it does in every principle in which
it takes part. The grange organiza-
tion is working in the interest of all
classes.
IF l understand grange doctrine, it
is not to increase the cost of farm
productions to the consumer. When
we take up the reports of the agri-
cultural department today, and find
that the producer is receiving from 80
per cent to 40 per cent, and it takes
60 to 20 per cent to distribute the
product, we know there is something
wrong. So this grange comes for
ward to try and find the reason for
this, and they have discovered that
great corporations are charging
freight rates, based not only on the
actual value of their stock, but on
double, treble and in some cases quad
| iupiO bhC ohiOuhty tudl VIC
are led to believe there is something
yet for the grange to do along that
line.
1t is probable that there are too
many people handling these products.
A system should be brought about to
remove as far as possible, the dis
tance from the producer to the con-
sumer. | am firmly Of the opinion
that there never was such a thing as
Ioverproduction, but In underconsump-
tion, and the grange should rise to
meet these great questions, and bring
about system of social and econo-
mic conditions so that the people may
be brought closer together, and be
enabled to consume more of what the
producer produces.