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.pdf/60

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

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vania fo r forty-two years and nearly every books only because of the persistent demands township in these two counties has an organ­ of the Grange. Recently the Grange took a ization m thriving condition, the members in leading part in securing from Congress the many cases owning their hall and conducting denatured alcohol bill. a cooperative insurance association. Colum­ COUNTY PAIRS bia count}' lias fifteen granges, and Montour county, S I X. E v ery county in the State has a number, the total bcin^ 820, with a member­ T he first steps fo r the exhibition to the pub­ ship o f 75.000. Columbia county has the most lic of the products of the ground in Columbia pros|>crous insurance association, the Driar county were made by Dr. John Ram say, B. F. Creek Mutual F ire Insurance C om jany, car­ Hartman, Caleb Barton, William Neal and rying $(4,000,000 o f insurance. I. W. Hartman, under the suggestion o f Dr. T he M aster of the State Grange and editor- John T aggart, who had visited a successful in-chief of the "Pennsylvania Grange N ew s," county fair in the northern part of the State Hon. William T . Creasy, is a resident o f Cata­ in 1855. T he exhibition was held in M r. B ar­ w issa township, directly opposite Bloomsburg, ton's field, at (he foot of Second street, where he has one of the finest farm s in the Bloomsburg, the grounds being inclosed by a county. rail fence and almost the entire gate receipts The platform of the Grange calls for equal­ at ten cents a person being expended in police ization o f taxation, the initiative, referendum protection. There w as enough left to pay and recall in State matters, and on national two dollars to B. F. Hartman a s premium on issues the organization has favored a grad­ a driving horse, the only one entered. A few uated income tax, the parcel post, election of specimens o f grain and vegetables and a senators by direct vote, conservation of second-hand grain drill completed the " e x ­ natural resources and waterpower, and opposed hibits.” T he following year a fair w as held in the a ship subsidy, a centralized bank, and the sale o f /Vmcrican goods at lower prices abroad Sloan field, on the south side o f Sixth and than at home. A I of these but the last have west side o f Market streets, which w as char­ been accomplished, partly through the efforts acterized by a marked improvement in the of the Grange. number and character o f t te exhibits. The In matters o f legislation the Grange counts third fa ir w as held in grounds situated on many victories. Through its efforts the agri­ F ifth, between M arket and East streets, and cultural c o lle t s of the country now teach (he fourth on the grounds now in use by the agriculture. Before the Grange turned its present organization. attention to them they were agricultural only During the first three years of this move­ in name. It w as a Grange demand that de­ ment each person worked upon his own pbn. feated the bill to reissue the patents on sewing Lumber dealers in the town loaned the ma­ machines and almost immediately machines terial for the sheds, etc., which were torn down that could not be bought for less than $ 10 0 sold after each exhibition, but after the organiza­ fo r less than $2 5. The Grange secured the tion in 1858 some discipline w as introduced important and far-reaching decision from the into the methods. In that year a charter was courts that the creature is not greater than th e, granted to the “ Columbia County Agricultural. creator, and that as railroads must come lo (he Horticultural and Mechanical Associatkni” on people fo r their charters or rights to be, they the application o f B . F . Hartman, Jam es are amenable to the will of the people. The M asters, William G . Shoemaker, Caleb B ar­ G range made possible (he Hatch act for the ton. Matthias Hartman. Jacob H arris, J. II. establishment o f experiment stations. The Ikeler, A. J. Sloan, Falcmon John, E. R. agricultural departments at Washington and Ikeler, C. G. Barkley, Jo slu u Fetterman, H arrisburg owe their existence to the Grange. Thomas Creveling, Joseph P. Conner and John T he Inter-State Gim m crcc Commission came Taggart. A fte r a number o f annual meet­ into being as a result of the interest taken by ings (he charter was amende*! tn 1885 to pro­ the G range in the transportation question. It vide for perpetual membership and remove was a persistent Grange demand that started restrictions against the holiling o f real estate. the rural free mail carrier on his daily rounds B efore completing the history o f this asso­ over country roads. National and State oleo­ ciation wc w ill refe r briefly to other societies margarine and pure food laws have saved the which were at one time or other in existence dairy business and have done much to preserve in the county. T he "N orthern Columbia and the public health. They are on our statute Southern Luzerne .■gricullural Association”