EARLY FARMER ORGANIZATIONS 19 



Had a percentage of the receipts been set 

 apart, and only the interest used, as had been 

 done in the United States, the Grange might, 

 Mr. Wilkie thought, have continued to prosper. 

 A second mistake noted by Mr. Wilkie was in 

 the action of the original promoters of the Grange, 

 who made the financial advantages a prominent 

 inducement for joining. "It was," to quote his 

 own words, "a mistake to refer to these at all." 

 By holding out extravagant promises, two 

 injurious results were incurred many joined for 

 commercial gain alone, while in the minds of 

 other classes a fear was created that a farmers' 

 combine was about to be built up which would 

 work injury to established business. Thus, 

 from the start, there was active opposition from 

 without, and when those who had been attracted 

 by the idea of commercial gain did not realize all 

 they had hoped for, they fell away and became 

 a serious handicap. 



A third mistake in Mr. Wilkie's opinion was 

 made in holding meetings in the evening. A 

 large proportion of the membership was made 

 up of elderly people, and these soon tired of 

 night meetings following a hard day in the 

 field. This suggests the observation that the 

 Grange failed to keep step with the rising 

 demand for more aggressive leadership. The 

 order does not seem to have retained the 



