404 HISTORY OF THE GRANGE MOVEMENT; OR, 



The people, and especially the farmers, demand a free 

 market, into which they can go and obtain what they 

 need for a fair price without paying a tax to any one. 



This demand they have the power to enforce, for are 

 they not the source of power, and can they not enforce 

 their demand, and assert their power by their ballots at 

 the polls ? 



The farmers of the United States hold in their grasp 

 a vast power, and they are beginning to see that they 

 must use it for their own protection. We have seen 

 that out of a total population of 38,558,371 in the 

 United States in 1870, 5,922,471 persons, or more than 

 one-seventh of the entire population of the Union, were 

 engaged in agricultural pursuits. In the same year, the 

 total male population of the Republic was 19,493,565. 

 Of the number of persons given as engaged in agricul- 

 tural pursuits, 5,525,503 were males, so that the males 

 of the farming classes number more than one-fourth of 

 the entire male population of the country. Of the 19,- 

 493,565 males given above, 8,425,941 were twenty-one 

 years of age and over ; or almost one-half of the male 

 population constitute the voting class. Assuming the 

 same proportion for the agricultural class, we shall 

 find that about 2,000,000 of this class are voters. The 

 truth is, however, that the proportion is greater. Of 

 the 5,525,503 agriculturalists, 426,381 were between 

 the ages often and sixteen years ; 4,650,191 were from 

 sixteen to fifty-nine; and 448,931 were sixty and over. 

 By the census from which these figures are taken, the 

 number of farmers and planters is placed at 2,955,030 

 males, none of whom are under sixteen years of age, 

 very few can be minors, and it seems clear that the 

 great majority of them must be voters. We think, then, 



