82 THE GRANGER MOVEMENT 



The order of Patrons of Husbandry was professedly non- 

 political in character, but that profession did not prevent it 

 from taking a decided stand on questions of public policy, and 

 especially upon the railroad question, while in some states the 

 local granges took part in the organization of new political 

 parties. 1 On the whole, however, the leaders of the order were 

 able to keep it from participating directly in partisan politics, 

 but the large number of non-secret and more or less independent 

 farmers' clubs which were growing up side by side with the 

 granges were usually avowedly political in character, 2 and the 

 union of these local clubs into state farmers' associations paved 

 the way for the establishment of the Independent parties in a 

 number of states. This was particularly the case in Illinois, 

 where the movement for a new political party, with rail- 

 road regulation as its principal plank, first came to a head. 

 There the agitation for restrictive railroad laws had been going 

 on with more or less intensity ever since 1865, and finally in 

 1870 its advocates succeeded in incorporating mandatory pro- 

 visions in the new constitution, which directed the legislature 

 to enact laws to prevent extortion and unjust discrimination 

 in railway charges. The general assembly of 1871 responded 

 with a series of so-called " Granger laws," one of which was 

 declared contrary to the constitution by the state supreme 

 court in January, 1873, because it prohibited not merely unjust 

 discrimination, but all discrimination in railway charges. 3 



In the same month in which this decision was handed down 

 by Chief- Justice Lawrence, the State Farmers' Association of 

 Illinois was organized. It immediately adopted a series of 



1 The " Declaration of Purposes " adopted by the National Grange in Febru- 

 ary, 1874, asserted " that the Grange ... is not a political or party organization. 

 No Grange, if true to its obligations, can discuss political or religious questions, 

 nor call political conventions, nor nominate candidates, nor even discuss their 

 merits in its meetings." National Grange, Proceedings, vii. 58. 



2 This is illustrated by the preamble to the constitution of the Central Farmers' 

 Association of Centralia, Illinois, which declared the object of the association to 

 be "to advance the interest of agriculture in every way possible; especially to 

 influence the Legislature and courts in behalf of the farmers' interests of the coun- 

 try." Prairie Farmer, xliv. 4 (January 4, 1873). 



3 This subject is more fully developed in the following chapter. 



