CHAPTER VII. 



OBJECTS OF THE UNION. 



No one thing, perhaps, has been more detrimental to 

 the steady and rapid growth of the Order than a miscon- 

 ception of its objects. And this is not confined alone to 

 those who are not members, or to its enemies, but unfor- 

 tunately, many who sit in its councils, and partake of its 

 benefits, have but a small conception of the possibilities 

 which the Order is intended and calculated to accomplish. 

 During the earlier stages of its growth, when the toiling 

 masses were suffering from the terrible encroachments of 

 monopolistic greed, the farmers hailed the advent of the 

 Order as a harbinger of joy, and many persons seemed to 

 conceive the idea that it was an instantaneous cure-all 

 for every evil which inflicts humanity. These were 

 persons who were the goody-goody members, and made 

 more noise than anybody. Where are they now? Like 

 the Arabs, "They have folded their tents and silently 

 stole away. ' ' 



Some of them had an impression that the Order had 

 a mission to redress a specific private grievance. Some 

 thought that the paramount object was to wage hostile 

 war upon the one-horse country merchants, and hailed it 

 with delight as the means by which said merchants were 

 to be driven out of business. Others who had been 

 swindled by commission men, conceived the idea that its 

 special mission was to displace this class of tradesmen. 

 Still others, who were riding some political hobby, thought 



