The Grange advance., 1873-12-31

0: Know mo Nothings, mere political dark
lantern concern, where the plans would
be arranged to pull wires. pack caucuses.
and set up one man and pull down another.
ANY such system, would, as it did with the
Know Nothing Order. speedily destroy it.
self. 1t is repuguant to the American
character
:.Politics" has it's broad sense and its
narrow sense In its broad sense it in
c|udes political economy" and the
science of government. In its narrow
sense it means simply the cunning tricks Of
small men to obtain Office or the spoils Of
Office.
1t is usually, in our daily speech, contra
distinguished from statesmanship.'
Thus we often hear the remark made,
such !, man is good politician but no
statesman" In other words, he has the
art to climb into position, but not the power
to use that position for the good of his
country his mind is narrow, sharp and
fcrcible, not broad, contemplative and gen.
evous. On the other hand there are men
who are genuine statesmen, but without
political tact, and they remain in private
life John Stuart Mill was statesman;
Simon Cameron is u politician.
Hence the politician is defined as: 50
man Of artifce, or deep contrivance
while IA statesman is defined as "a man
versel in the arts Of government.
Now we can readily conceive, that to
turn the Grange into 'political' machine,
thing Of wires, tricks, caucuses andcom-
binations would be to degrade and destroy
it, And we can as clearly conceive that
the same result would follow if the men,
bers proceeded to discuss transubstantia-
ton, prcdestination, secession or emanclpa-
ton These things have nothing to do
with the purposes for which the Grange
was formed.
But there is another class of questions
which are intimately connected with the
very objects for which the Oranges were
! called into being, to-wit: such questions
as taxation, transportation, monopolies, &C.
Now it is conceded that the Oranges
were intended to improve the condition OF
the farmers, to relieve them OF their bur-
lenS, to add 10 their comforts; and it is
also couce,!e,l that the Oranges should be
| use,i as debating societies, where the farm
! crs should discuss their wrongs and seek to
| ascertain their remedies.
Now we will suppose such Grange IN
the midst Of such a debate. Mr.. Jones
has the floor; he proceeds to show that the
/ farmers are robbed by the merchants, and
| to prove it, he says he bought blanket
the other day of Mr.. Smith in the village,
and tha, he charged him twenty per
cent. profit on it. Mr.. Jones remarks are
we'll received.
Then Mr.. Brown gets up and says, " that
while all that Mr.. Jones said is true, new
erthelcss the farmers are suffering still
greater injustice, viz: that to the original
cost of that blanket there was added over
one hundred per cent. Of unjust profit by the
operations of the iniquitous and abomin-
able PROTECTIVE TARIFF imposed on the
people by the National Government"
The Worthy Master rises in great alarm
and calls Mr.. Brown to order. ''The tar
iff," he says, sis u political question,
you must not discuss Mat.'
"But.' says Brown, sit is robbing me
annually Of onc-third ofou tia I produce, to
enrich my fellow citizens down east; am
sinking under the burden, while they are
hcaping up wealth. Do you pretend that
we can denounce the petty stealings Of the
merchants in the village, and are we to sit
with closed mouths in the presence Of q
robbery infinitely greater -
eyes, says the Worthy Master, "when
you entered this Order you tied your feet,
and manacled your hands, and muzzled
your mouths, and pledged yourselves to sit
like dumb sheep before your shearers."
"lf that is the CASE" replies Brown,
this Order is our enemy and not our
friend and we would be better free outside
Of it than slaves inside its walls" (Ap-
plause.)
l cannot believe that the founders Of the
Order ever intended to prohibit the
Granger from discussing those great ques-
! tions Of governmental policy which lie at
the base Of their prosperity. applause. }
In fact. there is scarcely any subject of
public iupcrtance which has not political
bearings. For instance, a Grange cannot
discuss the qsestion Of transportation with