The Growth of Populism The Grange borrowed heavily from the Freemasons, employing complex rituals and regalia. Organization was inevitable. Like the oppressed laboring classes of the East, it was only a matter of time before Western farmers would attempt to use their numbers to effect positive change. Farmers Organize In 1867, the first such national organization was formed. Led by OLIVER KELLEY , the PATRONS OF HUSBANDRY , also known as the GRANGE , organized to address the social isolation of farm life. Like other SECRET SOCIETIES , such as the MASONS , GRANGERS had local chapters with secret passwords and rituals. The local Grange sponsored dances and gatherings to attack the doldrums of daily life. It was only natural that politics and economics were discussed in these settings, and the Grangers soon realized that their individual problems were common. Identifying the railroads as the chief villains, Grangers lobbied state legislatures for regulation of the