Rensselaer Union, Volume 6, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 September 1874 — The National Grange—How the Farmers Are Swindled. [ARTICLE]

The National Grange—How the Farmers Are Swindled.

No more specious humbug exists, nor one more unpopular among the farming classes, than what is known as the National Grange. They elected themselves for the term of five years, and cannot be removed. They are. of course, destroying the . efficacv of the organization, and will have absorbed all the money by the time their tenure of office expires. Of course these parties have fattened on the farming community, under the plea that they were working in their interest. Gradually, however, thdir motives are coming to light.— Washington Chronicle. We have rarely met with a more bra-zen-faced misrepresentation and slander than the above delectable morceau, which the Washington Chronicle publishes to the world as truth! . It is really astonislr ». ing to see how little discretion—how little common-sense policy—is used by those who seem to think it a religious duty to deceive and hoodwink the toiling masses of this great and glorious Republic! We can account for this utter disregard of the principles Of ordinary caution only on the hypothesis that to the eyes of

many of those in high places, like the Washington Chronicle, for instance, the bone and sinew of our land, the sturdy farmers upon whose shoulders rests evety department of our grand nationality, appear so ignorant and debased as 'to be totally unable to distinguish truth from falsehood, honesty and candor from the most reckless attempts at perversiori' and deceit 1 But to the fooliih and wholly untenable position of our Washington contemporary. It says that the Grange movement is the most unpopular of all humbugs among the fanning .classes. The Lord help any one who is so deeply steeped in ignorance and folly as to publish such a statement to an intelligent community for truth! If our Mend of the CArontfife does not know it he should just step over to the office

of Bro. Kelley and learn the fact that never before in the history of confederate organizations was the growth so rapid and permanent, or so universally popular among that class for whose benefit it was specially designed. Our Order is really only about four or five years old and yet we have Granges established in forty-three States, Territories and Provinces, numbering in the aggregate nearly 25,000 Granges with a membership of over one and a half millions. The membership has nearly doubled within the past six months. This does not look much like unpopularity among the farmers. And why should it be when, according to a late report of the Agricultural Department, it has saved to the members during the past year ovgr. $6,000,000? — Hural Southland.