450 
American Agriculturist, May 26,1923 
The American Farmer and the Grange 
A Radio Message From the New York State Master 
N TEW YORK State Grange on this its 
Fiftieth Anniversary year, extends 
through the medium of American 
Agriculturist’s farm radio program 
its greetings to all people interested in the 
development of agriculture and in the wel¬ 
fare and prosperity of the people living on 
the farms. 
Following the Civil War, the President of 
the United States, realizing the chaotic con¬ 
ditions of agriculture, particularly in the 
South, appointed 0. H. Kelley, a Minnesota 
farmer, who had been in the Department of 
Agriculture at Washington, to make a study 
of the agricultural conditions and report 
with recommendations as to what could or 
should be done to revive, develop and pro¬ 
tect the agriculture of the country. In mak¬ 
ing this study Mr. Kelley found no fraternal 
organization among farmers, developing a 
brotherly fraternal spirit. He be- 
came convinced, therefore, that - 
first of all agriculture needed 
such an organization of the people 
living on the farms that they 
might, not only through coopera¬ 
tion, receive a greater share of 
the returns from the sale of the 
products of their labor, but also 
to give them , greater educational 
and social opportunities. This 
acquaintance and friendship was 
necessary to develop a fraternal spirit, 
without which no cooperative efforts will 
long succeed. 
Organized in 1868 
With this vision Mr. Kelley, and a few 
others whom he had interested along these 
lines, organized the Grange on December 4, 
1868, in Washington, D. C. In 1873 the 
Grange in New York State had grown suffi¬ 
ciently strong to organize the New York 
State Grange, which functions through dele¬ 
gates from the local subordinate Granges in 
this State. The Grange, therefore, is the 
oldest active large organization of farmers 
in New York State, now having a member¬ 
ship of over 140,000 farm men, women and 
children over 14 years of age. Juvenile 
Granges are organized for those between the 
ages of 5 and 14 years. 
A Membership of One Million 
The Grange is organized in 36 States in 
the Union with a total membership of nearly 
one million. The State Granges pyramid 
their efforts through the National Grange, 
which functions through delegates from the 
State Granges. 
The Grange, true to the characteristics of 
the farm people, has been conservative in its 
policies. It recognizes no North, no South, 
no East, no West. It is non-sectarian and 
non-partisan, the fundamental principles be¬ 
ing to promote the good of the Order, our 
country and mankind, our motto being “In 
essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; 
in all things, charity.” From the fact that 
it has been true to these principles it has 
lived, grown, and prospered. 
The Grange points with pride to the secur- 
By ALBERT MANNING 
ing of the enactment of such laws as .the 
rural mail delivery; the parcel post; the or¬ 
ganization of the United States Department 
of Agriculture; State departments of agricul¬ 
ture; the recognition of agriculture by the 
establishment of a Secretary of Agriculture 
in the President’s Cabinet; the development 
of agricultural colleges and experiment sta¬ 
tions; the protection of the great dairy in¬ 
terests of our country from utnfair competi¬ 
tion and the consumer from being deceived 
in purchasing adulterated substitute dairy 
products, such as oleomargarine and filled 
milk. 
Active in Legislation 
The Grange helped secure the passage of 
Federal and State laws permitting the farm¬ 
ers to collectively bargain and sell their prod¬ 
Mr. Manning’s Grange Message 
ALBERT MANNING, whose talk on this page was broadcast from 
£'±, WEAF on May 23, at 6.30 standard time, needs no introduction 
to eastern farmers. Whether he talks of the Dairymen’s League Co¬ 
operative Association, of which he is secretary, or of the Grange, of 
which he is New York State master, he knows whereof he speaks. We 
are sure, therefore, that whether or not you are a Granger, you will 
like Mr. Manning’s message on the Grange, which is one of the 
largest and finest of farm organizations.—The Editors. 
ucts, thus bringing them nearer to the con¬ 
sumer, to the financial advantage of both 
producer and consumer. 
In years past it was frequently said that 
the farmers could not stick together. Dur¬ 
ing the past few years this statement has 
been proven false. This ability to stick to¬ 
gether and collectively market their products 
is undoubtedly due in a large measure to the 
discipline, fraternal spirit, and confidence 
which has been developed among our farm 
people in meeting together week after week, 
month after month, year after year, in such 
an organization as the Grange. 
Aided in Organizing the League 
The Grange is proud of the part it has 
played in assisting in the organization of 
such cooperative associations as the Dairy¬ 
men’s League with its 70,000 milk producers, 
advertising and selling its milk, butter, 
cheese, ice cream, evaporated milk, etc., in 
the world-wide markets, under its own brand 
name, “Dairylea.” In addition to the Dairy¬ 
men’s League there are the fruit growers, 
the potato growers, the wool growers, and 
several other groups organized around their ' 
particular products. 
Back of the G. L. F. in New York 
The Grange also was one of the leading 
organizations which organized the purchas¬ 
ing agency called the Cooperative Grange 
League Federation Exchange, Inc., through 
which the farmers can collectively pcol their 
purchases of necessary supplies. In this 
effort the Dairymen’s League and the Farm 
Bureaus also particularly assisted. 
One of the outstanding constructive pieces 
of work around which the Grange is center¬ 
ing its activities this year is the rural school. 
As a culmination of a three years’ study by 
the Committee of 21 of rural school condi¬ 
tions in New York State, a bill was intro¬ 
duced in the last State Legislature, which 
provided the details for carrying out the 
recommendations made by the investigating 
committee. 
In Support of Rural School Bill 
Legislation on this bill has been deferred 
until the next session, for the purpose of giv¬ 
ing the rural people more time to carefully 
consider this rural school bill. The great aim 
in preparing these amendments to our rural 
school law has been to give the greatest de¬ 
gree of local control possible to a compre¬ 
hensive, State-wdde system and to make it 
possible to extend to every boy and girl not 
only the opportunities of our common schools, 
but also making possible that high 
school opportunities might be pro¬ 
vided near at hand and avoid the 
necessities of sending boys and 
girls away from home for their 
high school education. At the 
same time by equalizing the tax 
rate and readjusting the State 
aid, avoid increasing school taxes 
upon the farms. 
■ This briefly in part is a story of 
the Grange and its efforts to pro¬ 
mote a better agriculture, to develop a bet¬ 
ter manhood and womanhood among our¬ 
selves, and to make a happier, more cultured, 
and prosperous agricultural people. 
The Unreliable Promoter 
R eferring to your editorial on Page 
136 entitled “Take Time to be Sure,” I 
would suggest that this is the strong point 
of the promoter of questionable propositions. 
He plans to get his victim secured before he 
has time to think. ’ 
A number of years ago a smooth tongued 
promoter of a cooperative creamery visited 
this part of West Virginia. He was in a 
great hurry, did not have time to talk long 
with the people, but just explained his prop¬ 
osition to his intended victim and if there 
was any hesitancy on the part of the other 
party he put up the proposition that it 
is now or never. He had the farmers in a 
community boun^ up for $6,000 to have a 
creamery built and equipped before they 
hardly had time to think. Of course, the 
work was- done, but it was a business mis¬ 
placed as the people knew nothing of the 
creameiy business. Their cattle were of the 
beef type rather than dairy. 'They did not 
have one fourth enough cows to warrant the 
building of a creamery and, of course, the 
investment was a load as the creamery was a 
complete failure. Another community got off 
better. They gave the promoter 10% cash on 
the stock, to quit and not build the creamery. 
It seems to be the nature of people to full 
easy victims to strangers and to turn down 
good business propositions offered by people 
whom they know to be honest.—A. J. Legg, 
W. Va. 
