542 HISTORY OF THE GRANGE MOVEMENT; OR, 



action is mutually advantageous. Keeping in view the 

 first sentence in our declaration of principles of action, 

 that " individual happiness depends upon general pros- 

 perity," we shall therefore advocate for every State the 

 increase in every practicable way of all facilities for 

 transporting cheaply to the seaboard, or between home 

 producers and consumers, all the productions of our 

 country. We adopt it as our fixed purpose to open out 

 the channels in Nature's great arteries, that the life- 

 blood of commerce may flow freely. We are not ene- 

 mies of railroads, navigation, and irrigating canals, nor 

 of any corporation that will advance our industrial in- 

 terests, nor of any laboring classes. In our noble order 

 there is no communism, no agrarianism. We are op- 

 posed to such spirit and management of any corporation 

 or enterprise as tends to oppress the people and rob 

 them of their just profits. We are not enemies of capital, 

 but we oppose the tyranny of monopolies. We long to 

 see the antagonism between capital and labor removed 

 by common consent and by enlightened statesmanship 

 worthy of the nineteenth century. We are opposed to 

 excessive salaries, high rates of interest, and exorbitant 

 profits in trade. They greatly increase our burdens, 

 and do not bear a proper proportion to the profits of 

 producers. We desire only self-protection and the pro- 

 tection of every interest of our land by legitimate trans- 

 actions, legitimate trade, and legitimate profits. 



4. We shall advance the cause of education among 

 ourselves and for our children by all just means within 

 our power. We especially advocate for our agricultural 

 and industrial colleges that practical agriculture, do- 

 mestic science, and all the arts which adorn the home 

 be taught in their courses of study. 



