ANNUAL REPORT—MISCELLANEOUS. 
49 
and, by the exercise of the franchises conferred upon you, demonstrate to 
mankind that you are something more than servitors of others and the laugh¬ 
ing stocks of men who use you! ” 
For some years this order was looked upon as insignificant, 
and its enemies even ridiculed it and said that it could never be¬ 
come instrumental of special good to the farmers of the country. 
Soon, however, it began to grow, and when the cultivators of the 
soil began to ask “ what they should do to be saved” from other 
co-operative schemes and combined efforts which were taking the 
lion’s share of the profits of their labor, this organization was 
ready at their hand, with practical machinery to bring farmers to¬ 
gether that they might express their views and wishes in a man¬ 
ner best calculated for their protection, and to promote their inter¬ 
est and welfare. The order now numbers more than a million 
members, with representatives in every state of the Union. 
The ‘‘declaration of purposes” by the National Grange, which 
convened in St. Louis in February last, is a document of which 
the farmers should be proud. It is a broad platform, with clear 
and well defined purposes and objects, and should commend it¬ 
self to all thinking, unprejudiced minds. Believing it worthy a 
place in this volume, I give it in full, as follows: 
“ PLATFORM AND PRINCIPLES. 
“ Profoundly impressed with the truth that the National Grange of the 
United States should definitely proclaim to the world its general objects, we 
hereby unanimously make this declaration of the purposes of the Patrons of 
Husbandry: 
“ 1. United by the strong and faithful tie of agriculture, we mutually re¬ 
solve to labor for the good of our order, our country and mankind. 
“ 2. We heartily indorse the motto: ‘ In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, 
liberty; in all things, charity. 
“3. We shall endeavor to advance our cause by laboring to accomplish the 
following objects: To develop a better and higher manhood and womanhood 
among ourselves; to enhance the comforts and attractions of our homes and 
strengthen our attachments to our pursuits; to foster mutual understandings 
and co-operation; to maintain inviolate our laws, and to emulate each other 
to hasten the good time coming; to reduce our expenses both individually 
and corporate; to buy less and produce more, in order to make our farms 
self-supporting; to diversify our crops,and crop no more than we can culti¬ 
vate ; to condense the weight of our exports, selling less in the bushel and 
more on the hoof and in fleece; to systematize our work and calculate intel- 
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