STATE GRANGE OF ILLINOIS. 29 



I returned them to the parties ordering, quoting prices, and 

 directed them to send uiy accompanying order with the cash 

 directly to the factory, that tliey might receive their goods in 

 time for Spring work. I might also add -i<4,(M)() worth of orders 

 1 held for harvesters I could not supply on account of the parties 

 oti'ering the Marsh Harvester, recalling their proposition. I also 

 had a call for 3,0(»0 bushels of clover seed, wanted by tlu- Vnt- 

 rons of Michigan, that I could not supply. This would, in all, 

 have amounted to nearly '^30,000 more trade had I been so situ- 

 ated as to be able to handle their business. 



it will be remembered that at the last meeting of the State 

 Grange I had a matter of claim for services rendered, which 

 claim was referred back to the E.Kecutive Committee for settle- 

 ment. They allowed me 'S2.(KI per day instead of '^^2.50, as was first 

 promised, leaving it $65.62} short of the amount of bill. In 

 addition to this, they claimed that the salar}' voted the State 

 Agent at the htst meeting of the State Grange (see page 41 of 

 the Proceedings) was to cover all expenses for work done, travel- 

 ing, printing, postage and stationery. Knowing full well that 

 it could not be done for that amount, and knowing full well, too, 

 that such was not the intention of the Grange, I refused to 

 undertake the work. They then said they would pay $2.50 per 

 day for the time employed, and expenses. Rather than desert 

 the position to which you called me, I determined to do the best 

 I could under the circumstances. I worked as faithfully a.s I 

 knew how. Up to May I had not traveled any excejjt to 

 Bloomington to meet the committee, where this business was 

 transacted. I. on the -ith of M;iy, met the committee at Cham- 

 paign and asked the privilege of going to St. Louis and taking 

 into the line of other manufacturing towns between that and 

 Chicago, for the purpose (jf making the personal acquaintance of 

 some with whom we were dealing, and endeavor to inHuence 

 them to furnisii our count}- stores with samples. They would 

 not acquiesce in this proposition, but, on the contrary, directed 

 me to incur no exi)ense beyond that of correspondence. Thus 

 cut off from the possibility of working up your interests fis I 

 thought best to succeed, and being directed to issue but one cir- 

 cular during the year, there was no alternative other than to do 

 the best I could at home. 



I was also told at the same time that the suggestions I made 

 in regard to us getting into frequent and constant communi- 

 cation with you, were not wanted — that all my monthly reports 

 were to contain was ic/uif I ii<(s doing. I then applied to the 

 editors of the Prairie Fanner and Western Farm Journal for 

 the free use of their columns to communicate such information 

 in regard to new terms offered us. together with such other 

 instruction a.s might be needed from time to time. Both these 



