Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.djvu/60

COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES vania for forty-two years and nearly every township in these two counties has an organization in thriving condition, the members in many cases owning their hall and conducting a cooperative insurance association. Columbia county has fifteen granges, and Montour county, six. Every county in the State has a number, the total being 820, with a membership of 75.000. Columbia county has the most prosperous insurance association, the Briar Creek Mutual Fire Insurance Company, carrying $4,000,000 of insurance.

The Master of the State Grange and editor- in-chief of the "Pennsylvania Grange News," Hon. William T. Creasy, is a resident of Catawissa township, directly opposite Bloomsburg, where he has one of the finest farms in the county.

The platform of the Grange calls for equalization of taxation, the initiative, referendum and recall in State matters, and on national issues the organization has favored a graduated income tax, the parcel post, election of senators by direct vote, conservation of natural resources and waterpower, and opposed a ship subsidy, a centralized bank, and the sale of American goods at lower prices abroad than at home. All of these but the last have been accomplished, partly through the efforts of the Grange.

In matters of legislation the Grange counts many victories. Through its efforts the agricultural colleges of the country now teach agriculture. Before the Grange turned its attention to them they were agricultural only in name. It was a Grange demand that defeated the bill to reissue the patents on sewing machines and almost immediately machines that could not be bought for less than $100 sold for less than $25. The Grange secured the important and far-reaching decision from the courts that the creature is not greater than the, creator, and that as railroads must come to the people for their charters or rights to be, they are amenable to the will of the people. The Grange made possible the Hatch act for the establishment of experiment stations. The agricultural departments at Washington and Harrisburg owe their existence to the Grange. The Inter-State Commerce Commission came into being as a result of the interest taken by the Grange in the transportation question. It was a persistent Grange demand that started the rural free mail carrier on his daily rounds over country roads. National and State oleo¬ margarine and pure food laws have saved the dairy business and have done much to preserve the public health. They are on our statute books only because of the persistent demands of the Grange. Recently the Grange took a leading part in securing from Congress the denatured alcohol bill.

COUNTY PAIRS

The first steps for the exhibition to the public of the products of the ground in Columbia county were made by Dr. John Ramsay, B. F. Hartman, Caleb Barton, William Neal and I. W. Hartman, under the suggestion of Dr. John Taggart, who had visited a successful county fair in the northern part of the State in 1855. The exhibition was held in Mr. Bar¬ ton's field, at (he foot of Second street, Bloomsburg, the grounds being inclosed by a rail fence and almost the entire gate receipts at ten cents a person being expended in police protection. There was enough left to pay two dollars to B. F. Hartman as premium on a driving horse, the only one entered. A few specimens of grain and vegetables and a second-hand grain drill completed the "exhibits.”

The following year a fair was held in the Sloan field, on the south side of Sixth and west side of Market streets, which was characterized by a marked improvement in the number and character of the exhibits. The third fair was held in grounds situated on Fifth, between Market and East streets, and the fourth on the grounds now in use by the present organization.

During the first three years of this movement each person worked upon his own plan. Lumber dealers in the town loaned the material for the sheds, etc., which were torn down after each exhibition, but after the organization in 1858 some discipline was introduced into the methods. In that year a charter was granted to the “Columbia County Agricultural Horticultural and Mechanical Association” on the application of B. F. Hartman, James Masters, William G. Shoemaker, Caleb Barton. Matthias Hartman. Jacob Harris, J. II. Ikeler, A. J. Sloan, Palemon John, E. R. Ikeler, C. G. Barkley, Joshua Fetterman, Thomas Creveling, Joseph P. Conner and John Taggart. After a number of annual meetings the charter was amended tn 1885 to provide for perpetual membership and remove restrictions against the holding of real estate.

Before completing the history of this association we will refer briefly to other societies which were at one time or other in existence in the county. The "Northern Columbia and Southern Luzerne Agricultural Association”