92 HOW THE CLUBS BECAME GRANGES. 



tion through a State organization, and that feeling found expression 

 in the formation of this California Farmers Union in September 

 last, during the State Fair at Sacramento. J[n..t]iat^moyement there 

 was some thing. iery_Anierican in its character a directness, an abil- 

 ity-feo-inrpfovise, to meet emergency: In a word, there was some 

 thing to be done, and they met and did it. 



One of the grievances of the past year complained of by farm 

 ers is the enormous price imposed for sacks in which to market 

 or store their wheat. Instead of eleven to thirteen cents, which 

 would have been a fair price, they have had to pay fifteen to 

 nineteen cents, or an aggregate overcharge in the State of half a 

 million of dollars. Instead of $12 50 per ton freight on wheat from 

 San Francisco to Liverpool, which would have been a fair rate, ocean 

 tonnage became monopolized and demoralized, and farmers were 

 made to suffer to the tune of probably $2,500,000 more. That interior 

 freights are too high, all agree, and the overcharge on w r heat alone 

 may be within the actual limits if placed at half a million more. In 

 how many other ways farmers are and have been unjustly taxed I 

 will not undertake to enumerate. The aggregate totals, at a mod 

 erate estimate, cannot be stated at a lower figure than three to five 

 millions; and the universal complaint of the farmers is that they are 

 burdened beyond their ability to bear. [How many frugal and in 

 dustrious farmers during the past year which was one of overflow 

 ing abundance, and coincided with high prices and large demand in 

 Liverpool and elsewhere were obliged to borrow money to pay their 

 State and County taxes ?j 



At a meeting of your Board of Directors, convened January 3d 

 last, in this city, the question of grain sacks for the coming harvest 

 was considered. There was still time to order from Dundee, and a 

 committee of the Board made every possible effort to arrange with 

 a reliable house for a promise to furnish sacks at the lowest definite 

 rate, and on such terms as to time and responsibility as the com 

 mittee could recommend and the farmers afford to accept, with the 

 view of communicating the information to the several clubs for their 

 acceptance. For some time we were hopeful of success. But I must 

 say, as one of the committee, we utterly failed to accomplish our 

 mission in that respect. The parties could not do as we wished. 

 After repeated delays, the manufacturers or the holders would not 

 agree to a stipulated price, which would make it an object for farm 

 ers to accept. 



This subject is submitted to your consideration, with the sug 

 gestion that the manufacture of sacks in this State should, by every 

 means in our power, be encouraged as the only adequate remedy for 

 existing wants in that respect. 



In order to bring about efficiency on the part of your Board of 

 Directors, and enable them to meet your reasonable expectations, I 

 beg leave to suggest that at least the President, Treasurer and Sec 

 retary, if not a quorum of the Board, should reside in San Francisco 

 or Sacramento (San Francisco, everything considered, would be 

 preferable, I think), and have some certain place of business. The 

 officers named must necessarily be on the Executive Committee, and 

 it is indispensable, in my judgment, that they be where they can 



