The Bainbridge weekly democrat. (Bainbridge, Ga.) 1872-18??, September 03, 1874, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextVolume 3. BAINBRIDGE GA. SEPTEMBER 3. 1874. Number 47 Afi Afldfff** Delivered by ColCh&lTes miieiutiua and kindnesses dractictid j in results growing out of the inquiry J. lluiuiepj«, to the Patrons of should result i in prove men t. It is also. 1 we hare been as largely benefited as the HusbandjJ^n, at Att&pax 8 -£, Ga-, the concurrent testimony of intelligent ! Western nun ; and that too in a man August 81a: J874- ^»lf die ‘Vksi.qndenck. r '- Ml’NNERLYN, Dmr Sir: Ordinary, the Patrous of Husbandry iln/^ P'Ut Southwestern Georgia and Florida, we respectfully request fir publication a copy of your address to thc<i > atrons of Husbandry, delivered at ACtapulgus Georgia. Aug. 8. 1874 Jesse Wood, «4 A. Moseley. Messers. Wood & Moseley, Gents: Herewith i send you the address deliv er( .,] mi the 8th inst. before the Atta- pul^u.s Grangeand neighboringPatno> of Georgia and Florida, as requested by you. 1 regret not huviug beeu able to re-write the address, as it was gotten up hurriedly, and not intended lor pub lication 1 trust, however, the same couaiderati ms, whieh induced its favor able reception when delivered, will ■cause my readers to overlook inaccura cy of composition, &c., &c. Very Respectfully, U, J. Munnerlyx. THE ADDRESS. Ladies arid Gentlemen :—A speak er is fortunate, who can approach the discussion of his subject with congr.it- ui.ithm to his audience. Such is the pufition of your speaker to-day. We belong to an institution which is a success, yea more than a success, a triumph. Originating in 1807,’with but. feeble beginning, it has attaiued a mwer which overspreads the country ud before which exacting .Middle ikii. c rrupt politicians, and even Rail- ad kings havt been compelled to bow hii i tremble. J be great underlying fact in this success. i< that farmers can combine, thus demonstrating an advanced intel ligence. Those who, in times past, thought aud lab oed for agricultural uipr.r cuiL-ut, have mourned over our pparent incapacity to unite upon any led plans and sentiments. This made the subject of ridicule, aud left us he prey ol the gre it mass of uou-pro- uccrs. who hoeced and fattened up.ui iw labor. Rut this, thank Heaveu. pissed away; farmers Cau combiue i ith cumui'iu purposes, wit h dcliued mis aud principles, they can think \nd; tet to as to advance theuisi Ives ad protect the results of their labor. Our organization is uuder the name f Patrons of llusbeudry. As such, we uveiie in Lodges, conduct our meet ’s secretly, and with a regular Rit- 1. defending our secrets aud know bg each other by a system of words ml signs. This is the machinery of oik.~ Our objects are the “mental. Doral, social and material advancement the members.” As specifically set rth by the Order, they are: • To develop better aud higher man- Ktd and wuiuauhood among ourselves. To enhance the comforts aud attrac- ns of our homes, and strengthen our taehiuents to our pursuits. To foster mutual understanding aud ■operation. to muiuiniu inviolate our laws, and emulate each other in labor to has- u the good time coming. To reduce our expenses, both iudivid- 1 and corporate To buy less aud produce more, in or r to make our farms self-sustaining To diversify our crops, and crop uo °re than we can cultivate. To systematize our work and calcu- lte intelligently on probabilities. To discountenance the credit system. ie mortgage system, the fashion sys- 1U| - and every "ther system tending > prodigality and bankruptcy. I ^ « propose meeting together, talk- I? together, aud in general, acting t ■ ^her tor our mutual protection and ivanceuient, as occasion may require "C shall avoid litigation as much as ^ible by arbitration in the grange s hnll constantly strive to se6ure 1 ^ rv harmony, good will, vital brotlt- h'K'd among ourselves, aud to make llr order perpetual.” J-aeh one of these items might be eb' rated to the appropriate limits of ® address, but I forbear, wishing t •>cuss some more general objects 'R’h I think have not received sut- cllQ t attention on our part. I remark Offerer: it is the concurrent testi l . 11 - °* the Grangers themselves, that meeting together has done them "’J in the several particulars men- Hdw else could if be. but that J^ms taught in the ceremonials, lectures delivered, the mass of iu- fQt.itinn monthly presented by the '-C'et.iry. th e various subjects discus- the courtisies demanded by the t*euee ol the ladies, and the general lookers on. th it whenever a Grange has been instituted and flourished in a com munity, that, that community has beeu elevated in its general t iue, bath so cial and business; that the thrift of each one's Husbandry and the comfort of his home life his imposed. As f r then as the objects enumerated arecon- cerueil. we may declare the Patrons ap proved and u success. In the beginning, the Grange seems to have been a mere Farmer's Ciub. with no designs beyond the purposes I have named Hat as it grew in power, its vision amplified and its duties widen ed. It was natural to piss from Agri culture itself, to a consideration of the profits of Agriculture. Hence tr.itis- p >rtatioii freights aud the exacti m of Middle Men became subjects of inves tigation Why should the corn raised iu Wisconsin, the sugar of Louisiana, the cotton of Georgia, the tobacco of Virginia, the manufactured implements of New Euglaud yield to the producer thereof a base sauctiuess of life, costing to the Consumer amounts so iuimens ly larger? How to bring producer and consumer together, how to control freights, how to e.-cape the unjust ex action of Middle-uien ? These wore ^.^untie questions presented for.thought and action. Some of'them have been succ, sstuliy met. All of them, through the co-operative intelligence of the Grat.ge will be conclusively answered The first effort of the Patrons in this movement of freedom, hr eight up-.n them an apparently overwhelming storm of opposition. Railroad Com pan ies had so multiplied and combin' d, so bough 1 and eontroled Legislators , these h th ir hordes of employees and at- taehees, swelled in number and rancor by tlie hosts of diddle-mtu made truly a formidable array. They held all the magaziues of law and money, and were intrenched behind habits ol business rid customs of trade, grown solidi fied by use. 'i here could not intrinsically and properly be auy antagonism between the agricultural aud transportation in terest of tie. count l , So iue Grangers thuught, »ud a.cuie,, i heir views slid purposes as early presented are embed ted aud thus expressed. “We wage no aggressive warfare against any other interest what ever Ou the contrary, all our acts aud all our efforts, so far as basine-s is con corned, are not only for the benefit ot the produ -er aud consumer, but also lor all other interests that tend to bring these two parties into speedy and economical contract. lienee we hold that transportation companies of every kind are uecessary to our success, that their mterests are intimately connected with our interests, and harmonious ac- -tiou is mutually advantageous. Keep ing in view the first sentence in our de claration of principles of action, that “Individual happiness depends upon generally prosperity ” We shall, tbere- lore, advocate for every State the in crease, in ev, ry practicable tpy, of all facilities of transporting cheaply to the seaboard, aud between home producers and consumers, all of the productions of "ur cot ntry. \\ e ad. pt it as our fixed purpose to "open out the channels in nature's great arteries, that the life blood of coniuieice may flow freely” We are not enemies of railroads, nav- gable and irrigating canals. n«>r of any coporatimis that will advance our in dll-trial interests, nor of any laboring classes We are opposed to such spirit and management of any corporation, or en terprise. that tends to oppress the peo ple aud rob them of their ju.-t profits. We are 0"t enemies to c-tpitai, but we oppose the tyranny of monopolies.” Having thus declared themselves, they followed the declaration, by placing themselves in correspondence with rail road direc ors and presidents made personal visits to many—encountered tairly their prejudices and wrong irn pressi ms. and brought about harmoni- us and satisfactory busiues6 arrange ments. The corrupt politicians, so far. have been more summarily disposed of. \\ ith ihve. there never has been, and never will be any compromise. The Grang ers cumbiued in the Western Suites, with whatever parties, would give them honest men for candidates. 4 he result you read in the elections held during the last year Rogues were driven from See. and the credit and character of the Western State governments re deemed. Excessive Freights and the corrupt combinations between Rail Road men and politicians have not been sucb special evils- connected with Agriculture in the South aud demanding action But in the investigation ot the subject why so little profit to the Fanner and r to come nearer the heart aud there fore build up the institution of Grangers wore strongly in our affections. Our primary difficulties were the excessive cultiviti m of cottou and its cultivation / to the exclusion of other products These were long felt to be evils, but how to correct; aud when to begin to correct, this was the great trouble and here, the Grange gave us, its all effec tive aid. Scarcely any subordinate Grange, certainly no-State or National Grange; held a setting, but sought by persuasion and argument to bring tbe Southern Farmer up to the resolve, Jo curtail his acreage in cotton and extend his acreage in Bread-stuffs. The Na- ti mul Grange in February last embod ied the entire argument iu a memorial addressed to the Southern States. This document replete with facts and figures with historical aud philosofical deduc tions—all going to sh >w in must rnaster- lj’ view, h iw imp i.-8tble it was for a peo ple to attain prosperous development, who were not self sustaining was e rly laid before Subordinate Granges and considered by them. The result of this discussion has been to briug the co-op- I erative principle fully into action and we have had the diversion necessity demanded Work in the right direc tion. has resulted, as such work ever will, sooner or later, in bringing upon us the blessing of God. Our fields'are now weighted with the promised har vest, and ail our hearts gladdened with the prospect of pk-uty. Fortunate lor us—thrice fortuuate the change came Fivery year, we were growing poorer and poorer—so that we had reached the very verge of uumversal bankrupt cy and ruiu May not the religious thinker find here, the solution of the problem, why have floods and droughts, storms aud caterpillars, been so multi plied upon the Southern people since the war. They were kiudiy checks upon excessive devotion to cotton plant ing. Had we gone ou as we were go ing. wo could never have reached a healthy development aud perhaps some day the late of India aud tier starving millions might have be, u ours. But tile evils we h vc discussed and the -providential tacts alluded to, do not au swer tuiiy tue question. \\ liy has the Agriculture ui tile South paid the far mer so poorly ? File cultivation we comiemir; aud rejoice to see changed, resulted iu millions ol bags of cotton and they au mtiuous of money and yet the -'rode.ooi tnmscli was uot benefited indulge me in a retrospect. F.aeu cot tou planter will remember witu wfiut feelings be sat ciowu, in ’6u, among the reumauts of crop and cattle, uot sLoieu. to tiuuit over the prospect oi the future The first great dific-uity was the practi cability ol dealing with tue labor in its uew reiaUoustnps. This you settled manfully, impelled by two motives. F irst you were iu debt and wanted to pay; hud you felt if a duty to re-estab lish, il possible, tue producing resour ces oi the Country. \\ uh these stimuli I think, y. u wouid have started Jairly. if you had uot Commut'd so. But first came the local merchant oflering credit tor yourselves aud hands; next the drummers ot commission houses beseig- cd you, urging unlimited advances ol supplies, iiow learnedly aud well, they talked of the high price of cotton— showing with iacts and figures appar antly Certain the piles of money which would be made. Gan you wouder that your head was turned, that you forgot due Caution aud rushed luto speculative cottou plauting In all fairness I propound the ques tion. Were not local aud commission merchants, partuers with the farmers in these now known to be imprudeut speculations and ought they uot have sustained equally with them the losses acruing ; Not so however. But at the end of the year you were kindly dis- ms-ed with the compliment, that men of your enterprise and energy must suc ceed auother time. Finch year was the c unlerpart oi the other, except that you were poorer at home, the balances larger against you upon the merchants bo ks and for all new indulgences, pr f f- its and i.iter ’sts were magnified, so that with the grotli of your po’ erty, your inability ever to extricate yourselves increased iu progressive ratio. Now in all these years when the farming com munity failed to meet the demands against them, their merchant friends grew in wealth and in the arrogance of wealth, Aud that arrogance was mani fested in a way too often to wound the feelings of the unfortunate farmer. It has so happene i, that after suffering from the harassments of demoralized for home and family ; no Comforts or educational dauiunds answered; poor in p<>cket aud broken in spirit you felt at least entitled to the sympathy and re spect which belongs of right to the hon est *y uuf -ruuate. How often it has happened that you would be charg ed with iifcouipetenoy—lectured(God save the mark) for extravagance— told perhaps how you ought to have farmed ar.d that spurious Guanos owed thuir spuriousuess to iguor inco of ap plication. How many that hear me. but have r< al zed in some modification this experience! I d not rehearse this to keep alive memories of bitterness or create feelings of resentment towards any class. We have even forgive the infamous inteut of some commission merchants to blackball your honesty, by their proposition to make a Black Book to be placed in their Chambers of coui- meice with the name of each non pay ing farmer inscribed, to perpetuate the memory of his dishonesty. In 1867, the time of your greatest defeat and when the system that ruined us. became the rule in business a bene ficient instinct prompted-the institution Of the Patrons of Husbandry. In all the years of our losses and miseries, their power has been widening and strength mg. They have instituted aud conducted the investigation as to the causes of non profit to the Farmer in his work. Through* their agency, the unrighteous profits of local nerchants, tlie usurious charges of commission merchants, swindles in Guano and what ever else came iu to make the failure of Southern AgricultureNps beeu ascer tained aud exposed. How immensely the former has been despoiled! See liapali inter ests connected with the handling of cotton after it is made, has pros perpered. How rail roads have leng h- ened and multiplied—how your villages have grown and your cities widened out. clothing themselves in beauty aud mag nificence. When we know the two great iustumentalities of our depletion and the trausferauce of vitality from us to all other conditions and interests of society to be the local aud commission merchants how necessary we think, and bow cordially we endorse this declara tion oi the Grange: “IKuce we n»ust dispense with a sarplusjif middle men. not that we are unfriendly to them, but we do not need them, their ex .ctiou de- aiinish our profits.” To demonstrate and oiiake this practi cal, the Granges are buying aud selling for themsevvs iu the wholesale and pur chasing markets and seeking t> effect a a regular co-operative system ofexchang between producers That they will succeed. I have no doubt. The intelli gence and energy which has so far char acterized every effort of the Pa’trons in ward agricultural indapeudouce war rants confidence iu their success. Be who are cotton planters can well be -hopeful. With our honest name vindi cated, with our wrong policy changed, with the blessing of jod smiling upon our cornfields, we cat* with trusting cour age look the future in the face. I might go on to show, that the Patrons of Husbandry with magnifying power, are disposed to amplify their vision and take in other subjects, all however look- mg to the emancipation of the farmer. They are grappling with the knotty problems of finance, and with comm-nd- able zeal making practical the doctrines of Direct Trade. These subjects invite discussion and lie in the immediate line of uiy exposition. Butenoug has been said to explain tbe character of the Grange—its designs and the scope of its work. Besides our Geographical position—remoteness from the great Ceuters where banking and direct trade are to be arranged, separates us from any special responsibilities iu the prern ises. I prefer, in such fai ther time as your patience will allow me to cousider matter which bear upon the duties of the hour to us individually As good Grangers we must not be content to garland ourselves with gratulations however pleasant. Rather jet us see wh it in the compass of our power tan be done "to hasten the good time com- I find this declaration in the genera’ platform of principle. “VVe shall ad vance the cause o, Education among ourselves and for our children by all just means within nur power. * * * This is emphatically an age of edu cational inter-sf States and cities, churches, individuals, throughout civ ilized countries, are making education the subject of their fostering care. To such an extent is its importance in ele vating. combining and sustaining a peo ple. that some g<ivernments. in imita tion of Prussia, are inaugurating coui- labor, after bearing the heat and burden puls>ry attendance upon schools. It is of the day. its wet and drought—after believed by them, that the union of Btandiug bravely against storms—after, the German States and their trinmph having the caterpillar to eat your crops * over the first military power of the and iuto your very vitals—after turn-; world, establishes conclusively, that ing over your last bag. no reservation | education obtained, even per force is a great national good. With this, how ever, we have nothing to do, except as it illustrates fhe importance of education iu the opinion of men. ' Some have urged,and with plausibil ity that the more general education of tbe Northern people gave them great advantage iu the late struggle between the States. While we had all the supe riority of dash aud courage individual heroism and generalship, their soldiers by their discipline and instruction of schools, could be more readily drilled and moulded iuto compact masses, which to a great extent, were unbroken by de feat. Unity thus preserved, their pow er was maintained and their efficiency as an army remained nearly as well af ter reverses as victory. Be this as it may, t can and will take from the oth er side, an illustration, which exhibits the efficiency of education in giving power and influence to a people. Take New Flngiand, in area but little larger than Georgia, her soil sterile, her ideas wrong, her character ingrained with mean selfishness, her history one record of intermeddiiug with other people’s business; so as to antagonize all sections y**t she has managed to subordinate every interest and make th am tributary. Bhe it was, who begot, reared aud armed the auti-slavery seutimeut, whieh con quered the opinions of the North and West, and ultimately precipitated their fanatic hordes upon our devoted sec tion, prostrating State rights and iudi vidual fortunes in ruin. Wheuce this power? There is but one explanation. New England was the first to educate her people. All were educated, aud mind aud character intensified to one ide t, it followed as inevitable as any effect,.its cause, that she should influ ence the fortunes and stamp the destin ies. f the Republic. Let us profit by the lesson ; such facts are well recog nized. The world is therefore moving for the education of its people and will move. W.th this tendency, is it not presumable that the condition and standing of each m in aud woman will be materially effected, according as he and slut are cultivated. The time has been, when wealth and family connect ion could sustain one in good position and iuiluence, witnout edu cation. This will no longer be so ; our ctiildren must be educated or sink into inferior places. As a yen- era! thing, this subject is securing great attention iu the Southern States, some districts iu in each ex cepted. Oetdde of Soulhewestern Georgia, our own State is verily alive with energy aud zeal for this interest. Old schools have improved new schools have multiplied- Their cataogues show them to be mire largely fuil than before the war. Yet strange to say, with all this quickening impulse, this upward. >nward motion to the lile of educa tion, in our section and in the imme diate cotton belts of the other States, schools have languished aud some have died. I know teachers of su perior merit, who have been com pelled to abandon work and seek support elsewhere. How has it been in Decatur? F’or the first five months, not a single • school of re spectable patronage ; in Bainbridge, no school at all ; every effort to es tablish one a failure. Why is this ? We who live in the Southern States, and especialy in tlie cotton belts, have a reason above all other people to look to this in terest. Here are 4,000,000 ot ne groes pressing upward to find your level. We should see to it, that as the negro rises one step, our race rises two. I am tor letting anti helping the negro to rise in the scale ot being ; the more he is elevated and improved, the better citizen he will make. But he must rise byusing such canaeities as God has planted i’i b m, and not by Civil Rights abom iatio s wh ch tools and knaves nuvc instiluiod fur our humiliation and his ultimate ruin. But while fools and knaves are meddling and the negro may be pressing up by his owu capacities ; let us demonstrate the eternal fitness ot God's work, when he made the white man supe rior' and dominant by improving ourselves; by educating every white child, at least to that print where mind and character fairly started, can find development by such means as bi>siness and social contact w ill afterwards carry them. Why I ask again should there have been this difference iu the sections of o ir and o f her Southern States- It almost appears as though there was some iufernality attached to the cotton staple, which converts it into a rope wherewith the hearts and minds ot the people ar- fettered. None, I ‘rust., with the staple itself: the dif ficulty has been made by excessive crops. You, know how this operates. Excobsive crops necessitate the ab sorption of every thought and energy from the beginning to the-end of th* year. This error of planting correc ted as we have seen, other interest* can and will be considered. Educa tion, 1 trust will be a leading one. Already signs of improvement are visible : favorable reports reach us from other counties in Southwest Georgia, aud other States. Bain bridge has recently secured a corps ot accomplished teachers, who have gone to work in earnest.- Many country neighborhoods a:e doing duty in the premises. These efforts are under the three month! system of public schools, instituted by the State. Let us cherish these schools and use them to the uttermost. But we can and must do more. There is not a community which can sustain a Grange, but which can sustain a full and remunerative school all the year. Scarcity of money, need not hin der. intelligent and competent teachera can be had who will commute tui.ion for supplies. Build up your schools then and let them be schools of high grade, so that your children who are to become collegians, even can remain in the academy until the college Junior Year. Local schools until that time are the better schools. They com. prehend better what is “mental, moral, so cial and material’ ’ training under an expe rienced teacher, who understands the scope of education, that it looks beyond mere Text Books and refers ufnanner, deportment and whatever makes character, there is great advantage and for two reasons, first, the pupil is under the eye of the teacher not only in recitation hours, but at times of stu dy and recreation: secondly and mainly the sexes are thrown together, each acting upon the other favorably. The girl refining and -making more manly the boj, he developing the pride of womanhood in the girl, with the amiabilities and graces nature prompt* to win. Be sure also, to remember the poor, to help them. Sometimes a deficiency of cloth- ng keeps their children from school. In dies of the Grange, this is your work; see to it. with the delicacy and tact necessary to the case. A little outlay of time and means vill be followed by immense results Let then the grand co-operative principle of the Grange take hold of the educational in terests and energize them io the full, so that with strong arms, our entire race shall be uplifted and maintained. I find again in the platform of prin ciple set forth by the National Grange as worthy of '-omnient, what is said of political affairs; they declare. POLITICAL PRINCIPLES. 5. We emphatically and sincerely assert the oft-repeated truth taught in our organic law. that the Grange, Na- toin. State or Subordinate, is nut a po litical or party organization. No Grange if true to its obligations, can disc ss political questions nor nominate candi dates nor ev n discuss their merits in its meetings. This is correct; the Grange room shouh^be kept free from political dis cussion. Jt is our s notum; in it fami lies are combined socially and for the specific objects we have named Poli tics frequently involve angry discussion and the c nsi la ratio noi dirty characters, therefore, it is safest to make the role for exclusion of all political matter. They cannot call conventions for political purposes or nominate candidates: self exis tence demands this. It would be worse than vain to ordain party action and not secure success. This could not be and exclude : hose you invited to vote from participation in all the rights and privileges of the Order. ■So to be protective to itself, the Grange per se in its orgunic character must be non-po- 1 ideal. But while this is so, the Patrons rebuke indifference and inculcate watchful,and ac tive interest in political affaire. These are their utterances “Yet the principles wc teach underlie all true politics, all true statesmanship and if properly carried out, will tend to pnnfy the whole political atmosphere of our country ; for we sgek the greatest good for the great est number. But we must always bear in mind, that no one by becoming a Patron of Husbandry, gives up that inalienable right and duty which belongs to every American citizen, to take a proper interest in the poli tics of his country. It is his duty to do all he can.in his own party to put down bribery, corruption and trickery ; to see that none but competent, faithful and honest men, who will, unflinch ingly stand by our industrial interests are nominated for all positions of trust.” I look upon indifference to politics as one of tbe great sins of our people since the war. In this county there are from one to two hundred men, good men with .this excep tion, who never cast a ballot. They never read or talk politics and if a conversation is forced upon them it is at once silenced by coctemptous indifference. How they have been able to retain this indifference is a marvel to me. Our society, broken, jts drift ing fRecks ail around and the despairing cry of s nking communities filling the car. how could any man have it in his heart to shut himself up in cold dead, indifference; I have thought the man conscientiously acting in wrong is a better member of society thaa h • who simply negative from indifference, be* inuse tbe conscientious man whan convinced of wrong, will seek to retrace his steps, and by restitution and efforts the other may re trieve his wrong. But I trust, the day of in difference is over, the Grange has done much to develop a higher and more unselfish mao- hood. Bat aside from this, the political out look is so threatening to each one’s self, so ominous of evil to each one’s own household that every energy of the white man bo quickened into life and action. Consider for a moment tho Civil Sights Bill so-called. (CDSTijniXD 05 IOOKK rxox.j

Georgia Historic Newspapers

The Bainbridge weekly democrat. (Bainbridge, Ga.) 1872-18??, September 03, 1874, Image 1