The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-05-19

y, IA suhlh, secretary OF the Farmers state Aeso-
citation . out 10 letter supporting Lawrence
Horace White didn't telegraph him IN win nor
nor did Judge LAwrences brother fail In the mis-
zion OF that visit Bureau Co. Herald.
Let no one be deceived as to farmers
clubs and oranges. The oranges are terri
bly, in earnest and mean business, if it
smashes all and every political party in the
land. The oranges know that relief can
only come TO the farmers by controlling
legislatures, congress and courts They
know that speeches, resolutions, platforms,
and all that, are utterly useless, as long as
the railroads and other monopolists control
courts, congress and legislatures-and that
the only way to produce the desired result
is 10 fire paper bullets'int the ballot box for
their men every time they can get achance.
The farmers associations, clubs, so
cities, etc, are generally composed Of men
who like to talk. write letters, and make
speeches, but who don't want to do any
thing that will ruffle the temper Of nice
old political grannies, or jostle the party
committees and party machinery. The
Illinois Farmers State Association is Of
this latter sort-it wants to do just enough
not to accomplish anything. 1t is ready to
do anything for show, but nothing practi-
cal 1t contains good many demagogues
who say don't hurt the party -" don't
carry this thing into politics, y With such
leaders nothing will ever be accomplished
Mr.. S. NJ. Smith of Kewanee, Secretary
of the Farmers State Association is evil
IDENTIFY one of the latter sort Read the
following
KEwANEE H., April IA, 1919.
Thomas G.. Frost, ESQ., Chicago: .
DEAR SIR; Yours Of the 9th inst. asking nv
views regarding the election Of Judge Lawrence
was received In due time, and would have been an
swered sooner but that have been more than us
ually busy since the Springfield Convention, and
now take the inst opportunity to reply. see that
You think am opposed TO the reelection Of Judge
Lawrence. You no doubt received that impression
from a letter Of mine to j, r. Day, Of Rock Island,
letter hastily written after the decision Of
the supreme Court In the Mclean county railroad
case. Whatever iAHlt may have found with the
decision, In that or In speaking. was directed AT
the Court, and not at Judge Lawrence personally
1 think there 4 now no doubt OF Judge
lawrences reelection. I am Told that the delega-
ton from this county 20 the princeton convention
will sustain him unanimously and | shall act In
'''' '' s NJ SMITH
The delegates from Henry to the Prince.
ton Convention had II votes and cast
for Lawrence on the informal ballot, all
he got in the convention On the formal
ballot Craig had S7-every vote in the con
vcntion If Mr. Smith intends to keep
his pledge he will vote and work for Craig
for in no other way can he act in har-
mony' with the delegates from his county
The decision in the Alton railroad case
was given by Lawrence early in February,
we think On the 10th of March Mr. 5
Smith wrote the following letter to Mr., j.
7 Day, Of this county
KEwASEE, H., March 10Th, lisa
jas = Day, Esq, Port Byron
Ny Dear Sir. Yours of the 9Th inst
il at hand 1t is with most unfeigned re-
greet that ! must again DENY myself the
pleasure Of meeting you and my friends of
Rock Island county | am engaged for
every day this week, beginning this even
ing IN Knox county, and ending on Satur-
day in Ogle There is no place that would
have given me more pleasure to be than
with you, on the 18th, but as my other en-
gagements were made before receiving
your kind letter ] must forego thcpleasurp
for the present hoping. however, that
may meet you at no distant day. Our
work goes bravely on The most cheering
assurances come from every quarter and
the people are determined to continue the
struggle until the monstrous wrongs we
now suffer shall be fully redressed. We
need look for no help from the Governor
lrrs appointments fully show that he rs not
in sympathy with us Our ouly hope is
now in the Legislature and even there |
fear we have small hope for relief unless we
give our servants 10 understand in unmis
taxable terms that we are not to be trifled
WITH and that we will be satisfied with
nothing short of al the constitution will
give ms in the way Of just laws for our
protection.
/ consider tie Supreme Court decision
a. place If contemplate pettifogging and
HHTgrthH Of The grace men ch0 constitute
hw jodg Stripped of its verbiage. it
amounts to just this and nothing more
The Legislature may enact laws prohibit
ing unjust discrimination, but they are not
allowed to decide what injustice aud extor-
ton H. Our accustomed reverence for
these autiquated bodies must soon give
place IN contempt If this is a fair specimen
Of their legal acGmen Perhaps the soon
er we come to that point the better as we
may then devise some surer mode Of relief
than through that sloic COUCH
This, after all, is the true state of the
case When slavery was rampant in our
land, no decision could be had from our
courts in favor Of freedom So now, when
railroads are omnipotent when their in
slduous corruptions are pervading every
branch OF our government, our courts can
find no precedent for decision on the
broad ground Of right and justice, but
must bubble for the wrong. Adsaaced
pnbAc opinion Gerry otteH helps judges Ia
dscide for the right Let US continue To
odraHce tbs opiH,oH Only radical meas
ures will help us, and if we fail to accom-
pllsh our ends by such, let us establish an
other such precedent as was made in
Boston harbor u century ago.
We should be in full sympathy and ac-
cord with all organizations that are work
ing for the same emo. We care nothing
for means only as they are tributary t.
ends Remember that the only salrdtior
If tie agricultural interest the 0Hig Safety
.t0r tie iadigfdaaf interest Of Ae TURNER IL
iH union Of interests and IN aRiOR Of &c
toH Be as radical as you may, you can
not be more radical than the emergency
demands Prompt, decided action alone
will secure the accomplishment of our OBJ
iect. and when secured, remember always
that Eternal vigilance is the price of lib
erty. Faithfully yours, ). NJ. SMITH.
About a month had interviewed between
the decision and Smith letter to Day
time enough, one would think, for rehec-
ton. Yet he wrote that Lawrence's writ
ten opinion lit was Lawrence s. was "a
pieee IF contemplate psttDogging. But,
another month later, when Smith is ap-
pealed to by the railroad interest, he says
his letter to Day was hastily written soon
after etc, etc.
In that letter to Day he said the only
salsatiOa IF tie agricultural interest, he
only Sqfety for tie iHdiridual interests Of
The turner is in union IF interests and
min, IF action, yet a month after he
wrote this excellent truth, he writes Frost