--part1_0.704bbddd.252f0d29_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit --part1_0.704bbddd.252f0d29_boundary Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Disposition: inline Return-path: Texasdog@aol.com From: Texasdog@aol.com Full-name: Texasdog Message-ID: <0.4f5c42dc.252f0b89@aol.com> Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 04:55:37 EDT Subject: Re: [ERATH] Farmers Grange To: sheilap@etex.net MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Windows AOL sub 41 After the Civil War, there were many fraternal orders that sprang up here and there across the country. What we know as the Elks Lodge (The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks or Best People on Earth as they might have one believe) was started as an association of actors in New York City; Woodmen of the World, the Grange were some of these. The Grange was a fraternal order of farmers and the intent was providing local lodges where the members could freely associate and exchange ideas with regard to farm techniques and to serve for the betterment of farmers as a whole. Like other fraternal orders, the Grange offered its members insurance----life insurance. Later the Fraternal Order of the Grange became a very political body---endorsing candidates who stood up for farmer ideals and all. They had their own candidate for president in national elections on different occasions. In some states, I think it is even today an active political party aside from the Democratic, Republican, Socialist and other better known political parties. Many of the early ideas of the Grange were adopted by the Democratic and Republican parties as the vote of farmers was recognized as a powerful force. But the local Grange was the social and fraternal chapter for an organization of farmers. Bill McCarty --part1_0.704bbddd.252f0d29_boundary--