STATE GRANGE 483 



live. The work of education, social culture and entertainment, main- 

 taining true fraternity and the spirit of charity, and compatible with her 

 nature. In reiterating what has been said before, the Granges of the 

 State are strongly urged to appoint a committee on woman's work at the 

 beginning of the new year. 



GOOD OF THE ORDER. 



To the delegates here assembled and the membership in general, the 

 things which may be suggested for tlie good of the order are of great 

 interest and paramount importance. The order of the Patrons of Hus- 

 bandry was brought into existence from a demand of the times. While 

 its promoters saw the necessity of such an organization, and had an idea 

 of what its specific lines of work should be, they knew not of its future. 

 In the preamble to its constitution is laid down the general proposition 

 which was intended to form a nucleus around which to build the primitive 

 organization, and for this it was successful. 



The necessit}' of the declaration of specific objects was soon made 

 manifest, and at the seventh session of the National Grange the now 

 famous Declaration of Principles was adopted and given to the world. 

 With all this progress made, with all the crystallizing of thoughts that 

 resulted in the promulgation of that document, it was not yet clear as 

 to just how these objects so desirable and essential were to be attained. 

 All was yet experimental. Serious obstacles were in the way. Methods, 

 the results of many years' maturing, were to be changed. People with 

 sameness of interests, though differing as to methods, were asked to 

 work in harmony for their mutual good. The details for the accomplish- 

 ment of this work were still unwritten and unsaid. Experience and time 

 must demonstrate the way. 



The great importance of making stronger a true fraternal feeling 

 among our members cannot be urged too strongly. All should remember 

 their obligations and the lessons taught in all our ritualistic forms. It 

 will assist in carrying out the true principles of our order and of estab- 

 lishing that friendly, sympathetic and charitable feeling between fellow 

 farmers that is so necessary in educating them to the point of .acting 

 more generally together, and without such acting together their influence 

 can be but little. 



TAXATION. 



This becomes more and more an important question. It cannot be 

 truthfully said that our State institutions exceed in number or pur])oses 

 the wish of the people, nor that our State government is aiming too high, 

 but under the present depressed conditions of productive industries the 

 farmers, who are inclined to believe, and ^ith just cause, that they ])ay 

 more than a just pro])ortion of the public expense, are uncommonly 

 critical and are inquiring into these matters more than ever before. In 

 doing this they are but exercising good business sagacity. Their investi- 

 gations should go far enough to arrive at the true conditions, and then 

 to the extent justice is done, insist that corrections be made. 



OFFICIAL SALARIES. 



Although injustice in tax levies as between people and interests add 

 much to the burdens complained of by farmers, and their correction 



