Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 February 1917 — You Need this Committee [ARTICLE]

You Need this Committee

One of the great works that the grange has done all through its history has been the work that it has done along legislative lines. It is hard to measure the work that-it does along social and educational lines but its legislative results show Up, as the laws that it has secured and the bad ones that it Eas prevented are a criterion by which its legislative work can be measured. McKinley once said that there was but one way for the farmers to secure their just share of legislation and that was through the medium of a compact organization ot the agricultural classes, and Governor Nash once said that the ten per cent of farmers that are organized secure more legislation than the ninety per-cent-that are not organized The farmer studies legislative matters that are of interest to him probably as much as the followers of other. occupations. And speaking of studying legislation there is no better place that we know of that the farmer can reach than the grange hall. Therehe can meet-*and Iliscuss such matters with his neighbors, exchanging ideas with them. Then by taking these mat ters up In the way of regular lecture hour work some one will make a special preparation and the others will get the benefit of his study. We remember one grange that always has a legislative committee and it is the duty of this committee to make a special study of legislation that is of interest t o agriculture and to make a report of Their Stiffly at each meeting; You might think that this method would encourage all the others to depend entirely upon this committee to do their studying for the who’e grange along this line; this is not the case, however. We have seen this tried and in a short time a lot of the members knew more about pending legislation than the committee. The result was that the members of that grange were pretty well versed in legislative matters. Then by having a committee to see after the work the local grange is able to keep in closer topch with the legislative work of the rtate and national granges. But mere study without action would avail but little. Resolutions, petitions, personal letters, telegrams and the attention of the committees of the state and national grangejtarenecessary to bring results. We have to l_et our lawmakers know our wants and needs. The national grange is fortuntae this year in having a committee so located that it can get Into personal touch with situations at the national capital within a short time. Your grange and every grange needs a committee to look after*the local influence of the community.