STATE GRANGE OF ILLINOIS. 95 



the sight draft with the bill of lading as security and then forwards it to an 

 Eastern bank to be collected from your Eastern agent. When the draft 

 is presented to your Eastern agent lie pays it (out of the fund you Jmve 

 already provided for him), and fakins^ the bill of lading, he makes a draft 

 upon the parties he has sold to and this replenishes the farm, with the 

 addition of the profit on his sale. The ninth census states that in 1870 

 there were 25,882,861 acres of farm land in Illinois, of which 19,329,952 

 acres were improved and that the average size of the farms were 128 acres. 

 This would give us, on the total amount, the sura of 202,209 farm pro- 

 prietors. If this number should contribute the $150 each, it would 

 give a fund of |30,:}31,350, by the single State of Illinois. This is 

 an enormous sum and yet, if our hypothesis is true, you are throwing 

 about this amount away j-early, or it is costing you this sum, and you are 

 not receiving anything for it If you were to contribute the above sum 

 into a fund and have a certificate of the amount issued to you, you would 

 furnish the fund that was to benefit yourselves; and get paid for doing it 

 in the saving in handling and marketing your own productions every year 

 afterwards. But, if you would each pay in but the one-tenth part of this 

 sum, yon would have over $3,000,000 as a fund. This would only require 

 $15 dollars each. But, say a majority of the farmers and planters, " we 

 haven't the fifteen dollars to spare." This may seem so to you but the 

 hundred and fifty dollars comes out of you in your present condition every 

 year. Granting, however, that you feel too poor to invest the fifteen 

 dollars each. There is yet one other wa^', which although slow in its 

 accomplishment, will prove successful if honestly carried out. That is 

 this: Let each farmer (or proprietor of a farm or plantation), this com- 

 ing year, plant one more acre of corn, wheat, or cotton than he otherwise 

 intended to do, and promise himself and the club that he belongs to, that 

 he will give tlie entire proceeds of that acre of com, or wlieat, or cotton, 

 toward the raising of the means for carrying on this co-operative system 

 of shipping and selling, and if you will carry this out, you will have 

 abundant funds for carr3-ing on your co-operative shipments. 



This fund could also be used as a banking capital and save you im- 

 mensely in interest. In this way you could take one million dollars of 

 it and invest it in government bon'ls at six per cent, gold interest, payable 

 semi-annually, this would be $00,000. Deposit these bonds with the 

 government, and receive therefor $900,000 in the "Patrons of Husbandry 

 National Bank Bills" (or in Greenbacks). (I hope you will not think I 

 favor National Banks because of this recommendation, for I do not, but as 

 they biped the people to the tune of 12 to 18 per cent, annually, I favor 

 your adopting this system to protect yourselves, as it would act as a counter 

 irritant.) Now instead of going to other National Banks to get your drafts 

 on your grain and productions discounted, gel it done at your own in- 

 stitution, and you will save l^ "^ ^^^ P*-'*" cent, in collections alone. 

 Then &x\y patron tiiat has a good note to discount, discount it for him at 

 the lowest possible rate. In that operation you can save yourselves three 



