198 HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL. 



and practice of agriculture, and the dissemination of knowledge relative 

 to rural and farming affairs. 



3. The members shall consist of such persons as will sign the consti- 

 tution and by-laws, and who are engaged in farming. 



4. Its officers shall consist of a President, two Vice-Presidents, Secre- 

 tary, Chaplain, and Treasurer, who shall jointly constitute the Executive 

 Committee, also the Sentinels, and shall be elected annually. 



5. Its meetings shall be held on the first and third Saturday nights in 

 each month, at McBee's School-house. 



The secret work was adopted in part at this meeting, and 

 perfected soon afterwards. A ritual was soon added, and the 

 usual secret work of such orders, changed or amended as cir- 

 cumstances and experience demanded. 



The following preamble to the constitution of the Wheel was 

 adopted by Wheel No. I, sometime during the spring or summer 

 of 1882:- 



Whereas, The general condition of our country imperatively demands 

 unity of action on the part of the laboring classes, reformation in econ- 

 omy, and the dissemination of principles best calculated to encourage 

 and foster agricultural and mechanical pursuits, encouraging the toiling 

 masses, leading them in the road to prosperity, and providing a just and 

 fair remuneration for labor, a just exchange of our commodities, and 

 best mode and means of securing to the laboring classes the greatest 

 amount of good ; 



We hold to the principle, That all farmers should save their own meat 

 and bread, raise more corn, wheat, oats, and the grasses, and less cotton, 

 so as to increase the demand far beyond the actual supply, securing bet- 

 ter prices, and holding the stock of provisions from the greedy paws of 

 merciless speculators. 



We hold to the principle. That all monopolies are dangerous to the 

 best interests of our country, tending to enslave a free people, and sub- 

 vert and finally overthrow the great principles purchased by Washington 

 and his glorious compatriots. e 



We hold to the principle, That the laboring classes have an inherent 

 right to sell and buy when and wherever their best interests are served, 

 and patronize none who dare, by word or action, oppose a just, fair, and 

 equitable exchange of the products of labor. 



We denounce, As unfair and unjust any set of men who sell at large 

 profits, and gain the advantage over the laboring classes, and obtain the 



