114 THE GRANGER MOVEMENT 



adopted resolutions condemning the action of the National 

 Grange in this particular. 



The interest of the farmers in problems of currency and bank- 

 ing was early reflected in resolutions of a number of state granges 

 calling for increase in the amount of currency, the substitution 

 of legal tender notes for national bank notes, the repeal of the 

 tax on state bank notes, or the payment of customs dues in 

 currency. 1 The National Grange at first took the stand that 

 these were questions of a political nature, and twice refused 

 to consider resolutions relating to the currency problem. 2 In 

 the latter part of the decade, however, when the state granges 

 began to pass resolutions for " the issue of money directly by the 

 government for the benefit of the whole people," and when the 

 Illinois State Farmers' Association and similar bodies in other 

 states made the expansion of the currency one of their cardinal 

 issues, 3 the National Grange reconsidered its position. At its 

 eleventh session in November, 1877, it adopted a resolution for 

 the repeal of the law demonetizing silver and the law fixing a 

 date for the resumption of specie payments. 4 There seems, 

 however, to have been some difference of opinion in the order 

 upon the merits of the question, as well as upon the advisability 

 of considering it, 5 for the New Hampshire State Grange in Decem- 

 ber, 1877, resolved: " That a dollar should be a full dollar, and 

 all debts honestly paid according to the contract." 6 This 

 might be considered as a mild expression of disapproval of the 

 stand taken by the National Grange. In committing itself on 

 this subject, which had been made the principal issue of the 

 National Greenback party, the Grange undoubtedly laid itself 

 open to the charge of partisanship, and this probably helped to 



1 State grange proceedings: Indiana, iv (1874); Wisconsin, ii (1874), iv (1876); 

 North Carolina, ii (1875); Michigan, iii (December, 1875). 



2 National Grange, Proceedings, vii. 41 (1874), ix. 175-177 (November, 1875). 



3 Wisconsin State Grange, Proceedings, v. 27 (1877); Illinois State Farmers' 

 Association, Proceedings, v (1877). 



4 National Grange, Proceedings, xi. 69, 82-85 (1877). 



6 The Grange divided 1 8 to 30 on the question of the indefinite postponement 

 of the resolution; 34 to 9 on the repeal of the demonetization law; and 30 to 14 on 

 the repeal of the resumption law. 



6 New Hampshire State Grange, Proceedings, iv (1877). 



