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ATLANTA, GEORGIA, NOVEMBER 1, 1873.
To the Patrons of Husbandry in Georgia
This paper is devoted to the interests
of the Patrons of Husbandry. It will
do yeoman’s service in building up and
strengthening the cause here, ami else
where. ft will discuss all questions
that may arise, relative to the interests
of the Order, in a frank, fearless and
candid manner. Justice and fair play
is what the farmers, and their friends
want, and this rule of conduct shall
guide us in every discussion. We
shall uphold the Kight with all our
strength, and denounce the Wrong
with equal vim; we will countenance
no half-way measures in this respect.
We want the Granges of Georgia, and
of the entire South, to sustain us, and
lend us a helping hand in our struggle
for the advancement of the welfare and
best interests of all. Hearty co-opera
tion will insure success, and feeling
that we will receive it, we launch our
enterprize with hope and confidence.
To Patrons.
Desiring to encourage the formation
of clubs in Granges, and, at the same
time, enlarge the circle of usefulness
of The Georgia Grange, we place the
subscription price as follows: To clubs
of 10 and upwards, forwarded at one
time by the Secretary of the Grange?
$2 (each) a year.
Patrons coming together frequently
can easily make up the necessary clubs,
reaping the advantage of their as .ocia
tion, and benefiting themselves.
Notice This.
The Georgia Grange will be the
exponent, the advocate, and the cham
pion of the order of Patrons of Hus
bandry in this State. It will deserve
the support of the Granges, and their
friends, by meriting it. We propose to
give full value for all the patronage be
stowed upon us. We have perfected
our plans in such a manner that success
must come. We have not undertaken
this work with even the remotest inten
tion of allowing it to fall short of the
mark. The Georgia Grange shall be
the Granger’s paper, his mouth-piece,
his familiar friend—the companion of
his fireside. We shall make it to the
interest of every member of the Order
to take it. Mutual benefit is our
motto, as it is the motto and aim of
the Patrons of Husbandry in Georgia.
A Warn ini; Note.
The only jar in the harmony of the new
movement is tin 1 appearance of veteran politi
cians as spokesmen, if not directors. Both of
the old parties sendintheir best men to take
the lead, and it is amusing to note how adroitly
they adapt themselves to the feelings <>l the in
censed farmers. It is impossible to exclude
wholly these ingenious, unscrupulous persons,
but the Patrons of Husbandry must b • careful
how they trust them, or the new party will be
wrecked.— N. K. Journal of Commerce.
If that is a “jar in the harm-my of
the new movement.” we have not seen
or felt it. It is certain that there is no
jar in the harmony of the Georgia
Grange. Veteran politicians in this
State have not yet become spokesmen
and directors of Georgia farmers, and,
by the help of Providence and common
sense, they never will.
The political parties of Georgia will
be somewhat surprised at the universal
action of the Granges in this State to
avert the very evil the Journal of Com
in iv comments upon. Those who may
have alrea ly crawled inside, through
h des and crevices, for malign and par
tisan purposes, will find the majority
of true, honest and determined men so
overwhelming, that tlfey will not dare
to show the cloven foot and forked tail
which they adroitly hide beneath the
spotless broadcloth. The Patrons of
Husbandry in Georgia will never be
“wrecked” through these causes.
“To be forewarned is to be forearmed.”
and an ounce of prevention is worth
a pound of cure.”
In order to make this journal as in
teresting and valuable as possible to
the members of the Granges through
out the State, we solicit correspondence
from every part of Georgia,and any items
of news which can be of interest or in
any way benefit the cause. Communi
cations must be brief in order to insure
insertion, as we desire to give attention
and place to a great varietv of subjects.
<—~a— .
I'nr (u’pbrnui Gnm-*?, a weekly journal,
has lu-en started at Sin Jose, by G. \V. llen
ning. k will advocate the interests of the
farmers, and the putting d >wn of monopolies.
\\ e bid the r God sp 'od. From
Cami la to the Gulf, from the Atlantic
. t > the golden shores of the Pa- ifie. the
) u-x'-l cans? is prospering. So mot •
v it be.
wns ns o "o; j 'o. sjk wp ns 'awc-,
To the Georgia State Grange.
We present ourselves to the Patrons
of Husbandry, and the friends of their
cause, with a full consciousness of the
responsibility and magnitude of the
duties we assume. It will require a
stout heart, a clear head and a steady
hand to speed the good work of our
Order, to guide its councils, and, in some
degree, to give direction to the vast
power which the organization controls.
We are aware of the great difficul
ties to be mastered, and the obstacles
yet to be overcome, before the goal of
our desires can be reached.
All great reformatory movements,
every disenthralinent of the people, or
any class of them, from the shackles of
despotism, or the no less grievous op
pression of prejudice and class legisla
tion, must, in the nature of things, ex
pect to meet opposition from those
whose peculiar theories or selfish inter
ests are threatened with destruction.
In the great reformatory movement
of the people against the serious evil
of class legislation in favor of moneyed
rings, and for the purpose of estab
lishing a fair basis of dealing between
the producer, the consumer, and those
classes who control the avenues of trade
and the means of transportation, direct
opposition from the evil itself, and its
supporters, must not only be encoun
tered, but prejudices based upon de
generated usage, and ignorance of the
principles involved, must be removed
from the public mind.
To do this most effectually and speed
ily, we know of no power more potent
than the power of the press.
Aware of this fact, wo propose to
make this publication a strong, candid,
clear and fearless advocate of the legi
timate principles underlying the organi
zation known as the Grange, or Pat
rons of Husbandry, and to champion
their cause against ail opposition and
combinations of any kind or name,
whatsoever, whose object is to under
mine the stability and impair the use
fulness of the Order.
We determine to do this chiefly upon
the ground, that our efforts to sustain
and promote the common cause will
meet with the earnest support and hearty
approval of every member of the Gran
ges of Georgia, and of every honest
friend of the movement.
In addition to the departments de
voted exclusively to matters affecting
the interests of the Order, and the dis
cussion of subjects within the scope
of its peculiar purposes, The Georgia
Grange will give its readers the pleas
ure ami profit of a wide range in the
co-related fields of agriculture, litera
ture, art, science and current news;
thus making it a journal full of the
best, features of modern journalism, and
a welcome visitor to every home in
Georgia, and the South.
Should Tile Georgia Grange be ac
cepted and recognized as the official rep
resentative of the (leorgia State (1 range,
it will,of course, become indispensable to
every member of the subordinate lodges
throughout the State, who desires to be
kept posted in regard to the acts and
legislation of the Order, and the pro
gress and results of the movement
throughout the country.
With abiding confidence in the glo
rious results t> be achieved by the
Order we have the pleasure to represent,
and with expressions of good-will and
brotherhood, we remain,
Very respectfully,
Till! GEORGII riBLI.'IIIG CO.
Tile Grund i‘iKiiii'll.
Much int erest is felt in the approach
ing meeting of the Grand Council of
the Georgia State Grange, which takes
place in Ma ron on the 29th of 0 tober.
The Masters of all th" Granges in the
Cotton States have been invited,. It
will be a gathering of the leading re
presentatives of a mighty power —one
whose results will hoof immeasurable
importance.
Many questionsof practical benefit t
the firming int *rests of th? country
will be discuss ••!. We lo »k forth?
proceedings of the C Hindi with deep
interest, and shall lay them before our
readers without delay.
The Trenton (Tenn.) Coz ltrs tys : “A
son of Robeit Overall, eleven • ears old.
near Yorkville, recently picked in one
dav 305 pounds of cotton, and another,
nine years old.pick 1 th? same day 2! >
pounds, and stopped 1 mg enough during
the dav to have a hard chill. These
bovs are worthy of praise and encour
agement, and we have mitered th-ir
names upon our subs ript on b >nks.
and will s md them the G one year
free of charge.”
Anti-Monopoly Con volitions,
October 22d, an important Convcn-
I ion met in Chicago, called by the State
Central Committee of the Illinois State
Farmers’ Association, who requested
delegates to bo sent from farmers’
clubs, granges, farmers’ associations,
agricultural societies, hoards of agri
culture, and other organizations of the
industrial classes of the United States.
The Convention discusses the overchar
ges in transportation, and the neces
sity for a perfect organization of the
agricultural and other industrial classes,
who are the chief sufferers from these
overcharges. A solid phalanx of these
classes of our citizens, thoroughly or
ganized, in every State, territory and
district of the country, will overcome
this enormous fraud, and throw an
overwhelming influence against future
exactions, and will also secure such
prompt and efficient legislation as shall
terminate in the complete extinction of
all monopolies, railroad or otherwise,
now preying like leaches upon the life,
blood of the land—our productive in
tciCsts•
A Splendid Fact.
It is considered certain that two hun
dred and thirty-six Granges, and per
haps more, will be represented in the
State Grange Convention, which meets
on the 28th instant, in Macon, during
the Georgia State Fair.
These Granges represent a member
ship of about fifteen thousand, com
posed of intelligent, capable and influ
ential persons, second to none in the
country in any of the ingredients ne
cessary to constitute that excellent
combination “a good citizen.” Think
of the power for good this mass of
sound brain and active muscle can
exercise in any direction! The respon
sibility is great —but we are not afraid
of any flinching on their part.
Brief as their organization in Geor
gia, has been, it has already accomplished
much that is beneficial to the produc
ing interests of our Commonwealth, and
we look for an augmentation of the gen
eral weal, through the deliberations of
the State Grange Convention.
Specimen Typograp!>y.
The reader’s attention is directed to
the beautiful appearance of The Geor
gia Grange. In all respects
splendid specimen of newspaper print
ing—something novel to this country—
and we take an especial pride in naming
the house at which it was designed and
executed: The Franklin Steam Printing
House, Atlanta—a Southern and a
Georgia institution. The gentleman! v
proprietors, Messrs. Jas. P. Harrison
A Co., have announced their purpose
to conduct the publishing business on
the most extended scale, and thev will.
Supplied amply with the indispensable
requisite capital, constantly adding
every modern improvement in machin
ery, types, etc., and calling around
them the finest artists obtainable, their
order busin ‘ss, already, surpasses that
of any other establishment in this sec
tion. It will continue to grow until
the highest merited success is reached.
The House is cordially commended to
the printing public.
We place this number of The Grange
before the Committee on Typography,
at the Georgia State Fair, fully assured
it will call forth the Committee’s hearty
commendation.
Equal Lights.—Equal rights and
common honesty are essential ingre
dients in good government, but, unfor
tunately they, are too rare at present in
our national polity to give us much
practical benefit. No power has suc
ceeded, in the course of time, so well in
depriving us of the fruits of these
excellent principles, as the clique
which controls the monev-power of the
count ry.
Monopolists, middle-men and factors,
have been busy in the work of chang
ing the spirit of our republican insti
tutions to a system of autocracy. We
cannot afford to allow this dangerous
cancer, upon the body politic, to spread
its ravages further. The Granges are
organized to perform this work of cure
and redemption. Farmers send the
majority of men to State Legisla
tures ami to Congress. L-t these men
be controlled by the prim iple of equal
rights ami common honesty.and all will
yet be well. They muet be so controll
ed. Let the Grangers see t > it, that no
man shall receive the benefit es the
power they v\er-i>? unless he realL de
serves it.
New Granges are rapidly organizing
throughout Georgia, and the South
generally.
Wbnt Is It?
In this stirring age of novelties, when the
most wonderful events are constantly occurring,
and changing as rapidly as the bewildering
splendors of the kaleidoscope, public curiosity
is forever upon tip-toe, and every event in the
various phrases of every day life is scrutinized,
criticised, adopted or condemned,with a celeri
ty of thought and action entirely unknown in
the slower and more deliberate times of our
forefathers,and this in itself is an eloquent index
of the cumulative energy and developed power
of modern civilization. Not least among the
numerous events and startling social, political
and scientific phenomena of the limes, is the
sudden rise and pre-eminent importance of an
order or organized union of the agriculturists
of this country, known as the Patrons of Hus
bandry, or Grangers. The rapid andpmexam
pled popularity of the movement —its almost
phenomenal extension over nearly every State
and territory of the Union, the vast natural
wealth and influence represented by its mem
bership, and the sound material of which the
latter is composed, has given rise to innumera
ble comments and speculations, both wise and
unwise. As everything in this country is sup
posed to influence politics, or to be influenced
by it, the professional politician, and the parti
zan press of every shade of political opinion,
are considerably exercised as to the immediate
or, probable future bearing of this “Farmers’
Movement” upon their special party interests.
The organization, therefore, has been either
cajoled and flattered, or denounced and ridi
culed by its opponents just as the whim of the
moment, or the exigencies of partizanship may
dictate.
On the other side, a tremendous monied and
corporated power, representing the culminated
evil of years of monopoly in the public traffic,
and in the channels of demand and supply,
opposes this uprising of classes heretofore con
sidered as the serfs 'of p >wer, looking upon
this demanded reform and cry of “ fair play”
as a sort of simoon, whose hot breath shall
shrivel their “bonds and perquisites,” and bury
their future gains as well as their power for
mischief beyond the quickening influence of’
resurrection. Corrupt politicians, a subsidized
pres.--, and all the vultures that usually gather
around the golden calf of Mammon, are in
voked to assist the monied Philistines in this
their hour of need, and help to strangle the
infant Hercules even in his cradle.
All the charges that well-fed malignity and
unscrupulous demagoguism can ring, are
sounded in the public car, and even the tocsin
cry of “communism” is howled by the jackals
who do scavenger duty for the factious and
corrupted money-autocrats of the land. All
of this is to be expected, and however violent
the storm may be which these paper magnates
can invoke, its destructiveness can be only
temporary, the business and political atmos
phere of the country will only be purified there
by, and remain healthier forever after. Ih
question upon which the new movement turns
is more clearly understood by intelligent, con
servative and unselfish men, from day today,
and the accession to the ranks of this “ Order
ot the People ” of the best elements of society,
East, West, North and South, proves it.
As the people are sovereign in this country,
and the foundation of the true wealth and
prosperity ofthis Republic rests upon the agri
cultural and producing interests, there need be
no fears as to the success of the movement, and
the consequent result of great good to the coun
try at large.
Nothing iconoclastic, or destructive of the
true and mutual interests of every class of our
citizens, is contemplated by the action of the
vast majority of people known as “ Grangers,”
their steady purpose being simply to work a
salutary change in the conduct of our legisla
tive aflairs, and that the channels of commerce
between the States, and the marts of the world
lie so regulated, as that they sh ill not become
sources of wealth to individuals and corporate
bodies at a ruinous expense to the general pub
lic, but contribute “the greatest good to the
greatest number. ’ This is the spirit of the
Grange movement. The question so frequently
asked, “What is a Grange?” is well an
swered by one of our contemporaries, who
says:
“ The Grange is an organization of farmers’,
with their wives, daughters and sons, it is
intended to enlighten and elevate, and better
qualify him for his God-giving avocation. It
aims to bl ing this to p iss by association.
It unites those of the same calling into one
grand brotherhood, for the protection of all.
It establishes in every neighborhood a lec
ture room,which is the Grange itself, in which
the most important truths are unfolded and dis
cussed—it disseminates valuable information,
that all may be benclittcd. It receives knowl
edge as well as dispenses it
The Grange is an intellectual institution, for
it calls for an exercise of mind, it draws out
talent, and makes active and tangible what has
before been dormant and unseen.
The Grange is a social institution. It will
make one gran J brotherhood and sisterhood
of the farming community ; it unites by strong
ties those that Lave before l»een strangers; it
heals tiie wounds of the unfortunate; it ad
ministers to the comfort of the sick, and allev
iates the suffering of the distressed; it ought
to be a father to the fatherless and a husband
to the widow, and make every neighborhood
one kind and affectionate family.
The Grange should Is -a financial institution.
It should seek to obtain for its members the
best markets for i h ir products ; it looks to the
good all. It uld luy the ntct --?;ics of
lite where they can be had the cheapest. It
should throw its protecting arms over and
around all its memlx-rs, and strive to make
them more independent.’
N otice.
O tr tal le of sub rdtnate Granges in
the State contains about thirty Granges
more than the tables published by any
other journal in Georgia.
The blank space in Gordon Grange
N >. lot?, sh uid have b.-en filled with
the name of Mr. W. M. Whitehurst,
who is the Worthy Master of that
Grange.
Shun tlic Breakers.
The great Farmers’ Movement in be
half of the common interests of our
people, as opposed to the iniquitous sys
tem of monopolies, and the plans of
partizan demagogues, is one of the
notable events of this progressive age.
It is the crystallization of the wisdom,
justice, and patriotism of a great peo
ple; it is a power whose object is the
destruction of venality, corruption, and
demagoguism; it is the crowning, at
the hands of the sovereign people, of
King Kight, and the downfall of Ty
rant Wrong, with all of his satraps
and minions. In this general uprising
of the honest yeomanry of our country,
we see the working of the grand spirit
of the age; the onward march of a
higher civilization; the dawn of an era
of brotherhood, whose annals will fill
the pages of history with achievements
whose luminous beauty shall far ex
ceed the meretricious brilliancy of the
past.
But while the gallant ship, so deeply
freighted with the welfare of the labor
ing and producing classes of this re
public, is riding proudly upon the crest
of success, and steering for the haven
of common weal, her crew must not
forget the hidden dangers over which
they glide, nor shut their eyes to the
breakers ahead and on either side. If
ever the heavenly virtues of wisdom,
justice and moderation, are worthy of
application in the affairs of men, that
time is surely now; nor could a broader
and nobler field be found for the exer
cise of these principles than the move
ment now under consideration. The
object of this movement is to disen
thrall the farmers, the middle classes
of our country, from the chains which
the spirit of monopoly has been quietly
forging. The centralized power of
money is immense; if left alone, it will
override every obstacle which justice
may place in the path of its mad career,
and every consideration based upon the
rights of individuals or of communi
ties.
This centralized power shows itself
in the form of vast railway corporations,
and organizations or “rings” of mon
eyed persons, organized for the purpose
of making the many tributary to the
few —an aristocracy of Money distinct
from the plebianisni of Labor.
Irresponsible power soon perverts its
purposes, and perverted power is ty
ranny —the very tyranny against which
the people have risen; at least, that
overwhelming majority of our people
who have most to suffer and to lose
from the oppression of moneyed “rings,”
and soulless corporations. The great
danger to this popular movement lies
in its very vastness, and the almost
unlimited power it is capable of exer
cising. To keep this power within its
original bounds, and to employ it for
legitimate purposes only, is a subject
wort hy of the' greatest consideration—a
point never to be neglected under any
circumstances.
If we become bloated with unlimited
power, indulge in class legislation to
ju'omote our special interests to the
detriment of those of others, and be
come oblivious to justice when dealing
with the rights ami privileges of oth
ers, we turn blessings into curses, re
solve ourselves into a tyranny worse
than the one whose scepter we are
breaking, and ourselves deserve the
condemnation of every upright and
honest man.
Politics Ins nothing to do with the
organization of the Patrons of Hus
bandry; nor should it have. Its ranks
embrace many of the most distinguished
men of the nation —men whose purity
of motives, and devotion to wise and
practical measures, cannot be doubted;
these are backed by large masses
of our most intelligent, industrious
and influential citizens. How vast,
therefore, the moral influence this or
ganization can bring to bear upon the
government of the country ! How
useful its sphere! How great its re
sponsibilities! Once let the serpent
politics trail its slimy folds over the
fair prospect, and the garden will be
come a wilderness; harmony will change
t > discord, and the fruits of our labor
the harvest of desires for ourselves
and our children—will, like the fabled
apples on the shores of the Dea 1 Sea,
turn to ashes in our hands.
It is, th trefore, a wise provision of
the statutes of the Order that politics,
or th? agitation of merely political
party questions, shall be forever ex
cluded. Let Grangers guard this ark
of their safety with sleepless vigilance.
Another equally important matter to
be considered by all intelligent men, is
the necessity for controlling the policy n
of the organization in its campaign '
against monopoly, or all who make the
people “hewers of wood and drawers T
of water” for their own aggrandize
ment. Here the virtue of moderation
will shine with peculiar luster. In be
ing just to ourselves, we should also be
just to others. Truth is the mightiest
weapon we can wield, and wo should
use no other. The Patrons of Hus
bandry do not represent exclusive good,
nor their opponents exclusive evil. We
must live and let live. The sturdy
blow of the Granger is not aimed at
railroad corporations per se, but at the
evils which combinations of unprinci
pled men, in these corporations, create
by unjust discriminations in their fa
vor, over the producing classes, or by
controlling or influencing legislation to
the detriment of the general welfare.
If we crush this hydra-headed monster,
strip political and corporative rings of
their power to do evil, and establish a
reform on the basis of equal rights to
all, the work which patriotic men have
undertaken to do will be done. Noth
ing short of this, nor anything beyond
this line of moderation ought to be, or
will be allowed. The golden mean is
the safest road.
The complicated machinery of hu
man existence requires a nice adjust
ment of parts; these depend one upon
another. To disarrange them, or to
lighten the labor of one by burdening
the other, is to impair the usefulness
of all, and risk disaster. By preserv
ing our integrity, we command the re
spect of the world, and rob our enemies
of all chances to circumvent us.
We must ourselves practice the vir
tues we desire to see in the political
and business conduct of the classes
against whose transgressions we have
declared war. Nor can we expect or
desire a victorious issue under any
other banner than that of “Wisdom,
Justice, Moderation.” All sorts of
wild notions are afloat concerning the
true purposes of the Order of the Pat
rons of Husbandry. Kingscraft and
communism, agrarianism, and despot
ism, is equally charged against the or
der, and with equal inconsistency. Our
actions must overcome these absurdi
ties; for we all know that actions speak
louder than words.
Many of these charges are insinu
ated by the enemies of our cause. Po
litical partizaus, like moles, are at work
to undermine the foundations of the
noble edifice which Labor —nay, a ho
lier one than he even, Liberty —is erect
ing in this broad and lovely land of
ours. We must guard against this
vermin by making the waits so strong
with truth, so deep with wisdom, so
broad with liberal opinion, that they
can never penetrate 'i't. We must never
forget the übiquitous power of gold,
by which spies of every complexion tire
enabled to penetrate our camps, to re
port our weakest points for the benefit
of their masters. We must arm our
selves against duplicity; and the coun
tenance of Satan, though it be full of
the smiles of peace and patriotic zeal,
must not be allowed to blind us to his
secret wiles, or make us hesitate in our
honest purposes. The contest that has
begun is one of vast proportions; it is
a war waged against a powerful and
unscrupulous foe. To succeed we must
be sound to the core; our strength lies
not in numbers, but in purpose. To
do greatly we must dare to be true to
ourselves, ami vindicate right by the
exercise of right, and victory upon this
field must follow as surely as effect fol
lows cause.
If we “shun the breakers” we have
endeavored to illustrate in this article,
what can prevent success ?
A faint light in the misty horizon
struggles for the mastery—an anxious
people are watching the broadening
progress of the luminous herald —let
us greet it with songs of praise and
hearts of gracious thankfulness! '
Doing Good.—The rapid establish
ment of Granges of Patrons of Hus
bandry throughout our State, is already
working wonderful changes in the feel
ings of our farmers and their friends.
Instead of being isolated, left to his
own resources, and the unwilling prey
of speculators, rings,and moneyed auto
crats, he feels that in the Grange his
interests are safe; he feels that com
mon int Tests bind all the brethren in (
bonds that can not be broken, and he
feels the force of the old adage fully,
that “ union is strength.” Let the good <
work go on !
There are 20,000,000 acres of wild
land along the Mississippi river. A!
