GRANGER MOVEMENT
The Granger Movement was begun in the late 1860s by farmers who called for government regulation of railroads and other industries whose prices and practices, they claimed, were monopolistic and unfair. Their efforts contributed to a growing public sentiment against monopolies, which culminated in the passage of the Sherman Act (or SHERMAN ANTI-TRUST ACT) of 1890, 15 U.S.C.A. §§ 1–7.
In 1867, the American farmer was in desperate
straits. Needing better educational opportunities
and protection from exorbitant prices charged
by middlemen, the farmers decided to form an
independent group to achieve their goals.
Oliver Hudson Kelley, a former employee of
the AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT, organized a
group called the Patrons of Husbandry. Mem-
bership was open to both men and women, and
each local group was known as a Grange. Each
Grange chose officers, and the goal of each
meeting was to present news of educational
value to the farmer.
Kelley traveled across the country establishing Granges; he found his greatest support in
Minnesota. The Granges soon evolved into the national Granger Movement. By 1873, all but four states had Granges.
The main problems confronting the Granger
Movement concerned corporate ownership of
grain elevators (used for the storage of crops)
and railroads. These corporations charged high
prices for the distribution and marketing of agri-
cultural goods, and the farmer had no recourse
but to pay. By 1873, the movement was becoming
political, and the farmers formed an alliance,
promising to support only political candidates
who shared the interests of farmers; if that failed,
they vowed to form their own parties.
Granger-supported candidates won political
victories, and, as a result, much legislation pro-
tective of their interests was passed. Their
biggest gain occurred in 1876, when the U.S.
Supreme Court decreed in MUNN V. ILLINOIS, 94
U.S. (4 Otto.) 113, 24 L. Ed. 77, that states had
the right to intervene in the regulation of public
businesses. The law affected the prices of eleva-
tor charges, grain storage, and other services
vital to the livelihood of the farmers.
In addition to political involvement, the
Grangers established stores and cooperative ele-
vators and employed the services of agents who
secured special prices for the Grangers. These
endeavors were not as successful as their previ-
ous undertakings, and the attempt to manufac-
ture farm machinery depleted the finances of
the movement. As a result, the Granger Move-
ment began to wane in 1876.
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