170 THE GRANGER MOVEMENT 



Republican party, reading the signs of the times, inserted a 

 railway regulation plank in its platform, 1 and by renominating 

 Governor Carpenter, who had advocated laws to control rail- 

 roads in his messages, it succeeded in electing the state ticket, 

 but the Anti-Monopolists secured fifty of the one hundred 

 members of the lower house, while seventy of the members 

 were Patrons of Husbandry. Everything seemed to point to 

 the enactment of a radical railroad law in the session of 1874.2 



That the order of Patrons of Husbandry meant to take advan- 

 tage of its strength in the legislature was evident when the state 

 grange held it fourth annual session in December, 1873. By 

 this time the order numbered nearly two thousand local granges 

 in the state and probably about one hundred thousand members, 

 so it was in a position to speak with authority for the agricultural 

 part of the population. Early in the session the grange adopted 

 a resolution declaring the right of the state to establish passenger 

 fares and freight rates and later provision was made for the 

 appointment of a committee of twelve to memorialize the general 

 assembly on the subject. This committee was instructed to 

 indicate the kind of a railroad tariff bill that would meet the 

 approval of the grange. 3 



Eight different bills aiming at the regulation of rates were 

 introduced into the Senate at this session and referred to the 

 railroad committee, 4 by which on February 13, a substitute 

 bill was reported providing for the classification of railroads 

 and containing a schedule of rates. During the consideration 

 of this measure, which appears to have been more radical than 

 many of the Grangers desired, numerous substitutes and amend- 



American Annual Cyclopedia, 1873, p. 381; Chicago Tribune, August 14, 1873, p. i. 

 See also Nation, xvii. 122 (August 21, 1873). 



1 American Annual Cyclopedia, 1873, P- 3 Sl '> Chicago Tribune, June 26, 1873, P- * 



2 Ibid., and Industrial Age, 1873, October 18, p. 4, November 8, p. 6. 



8 Iowa State Grange, Proceedings, iv (December, 1873); Periam, The Ground- 

 swell, 263-270. 



4 Senate Journal, 1874, pp. 39, 53, 65, 95. For resolutions and petitions relative 

 to railroads, see Senate Journal, 1874, pp. 20, 64, 69, 96; House Journal, 1874, 

 pp. 115, 127, 128, 131, 160, 199, 336, 395, 451. For parts of the governor's address 

 relative to railroads, see Iowa, Legislative Documents, 1874, i. no. i, pp. 38-42. 

 See also ibid., ii. nos. 30, 35, 36, and Chicago Tribune, January 17, 1874, p. 2. 



