Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-08-07
The Farmers Movement and the Re.
publican Party.

c. G. Strawn, States Attorney for the
Twentieth Illinois Judicial Circuit, hav-
ing been formally Intercepted as to before
what Convention he proposed to offer him
self as candidate for County Judge of
Livingston County, responds as follows:
PONTIAC, Ill, July %. 1873.
S. T. K PRIME:-My Dear Sir: Your letter
OF the 18th is at hand. We are heterogeneous
people, made up of agricultural, commercial,
manufacturing and pastoral classes in the
main, and no party based upons the exclusive
principle can successfully subserve the public
interest. That the administration of civil
affairs is now almost entirely committed to the
exclusive control of the commercial and man
ufacturing classes, who pay but little attention,
il any, to the welfare Of their fellow citizens
engaged in other pursuits, can hardly be de-
MED. 1t is believed that the farmers move
ment will correct this evil. But it cannot be
done by separate, independent or new party or
ganlZatlon based upon the exclusive principle
Free government and equal rights to all cannot
be exercised or maintained except through the
application OF the Republican doctrine Of the
greatest good to the greatest number. The
principles laid down in your platform are prlm-
tive and eternal in their nature but they are
not new or peculiar to your party alone; they
are borrowed from the great principles of the
common law under which we live, and from
which all parties in this country Out more es-
pecially the Republican party have drawn
their inspiration. As to settled and establish
ed questions, the Democratic party was, In its
day, as thoroughly anti-monOpolistic in prlncl-
pie and action as any party now can or ever
will be, but it lacked the progressive feature,
and therefore failed to supply the wants of a
progressive people Whereupon the Republi-
can party sprang into existence with the pro-
gressive feature as its cardinal virtue, and was
modelled after the free, elastic and progressive
nature Of the Government ii claimed the right
to control and administer. This party is not
based upon the ercluSfge principle but the in
chisipe principle, thereby embracing the wei
fare of all classes, sexes, kindreds, colors and
nationalities. And when it shall be found that
the party does not subserve this end, the rea-
son will be on account of the departure of
party leaders from the fundamental principles
OF the party, and not Oh account OF the
perverseness of the masses of the party
or the demerit of party principles
Inc EVIL of which the people OF the Ne[ .,-
west complain is, that the legisftioh VI lllt
Country mas been manipulated III 'ne eS'
.. commerce and manufacturing 70 .nT
cIuSi9h OF the best interests OF u
anu .hat laws have been made which sum tiIo
burdens OF government from the Mnoi1 R0o
Pc upon the shoulders of those "nG toii ~
eno plo" But is this the fault 81 ei."Oi tn
party or It's principles? Obviously not AZ, iIe
roIy nature of party organization p g 1 ~
NV possibility of party legislation M tha
neutiY remaining anything but Ia - -
PSeopIe composing the party desirea 'n 1T
sihould be. Parties have always ben Ma, ne
.nc mass of individuals composing theAi ~
ueeh, and these individuals have alwatss
INC same in their wants, aspirations, ;.I .7o
ana principles, whether identified Win nt ,liI
o.he party or the other, so far as CONF nON
thelr personal welfare.
These monopoies have been permitted TO
take root and get their growth under the
regime Of all parties without objection from
the people In fact the people have in all
conceivable ways voted aid to and encouraged
monopolies for many years in all parts o. the
country, and the parties in power have hitherto
simply carried out the will of the people in
this respect, rs il was their duty to do, ours
being a government of the people by the peo-
pie. What | mean to say is this, that the
growth of these monOpolies has been so silent
and insduous, that the people nor the parties
into which the people have been divided have
been aware of their power or magnitude until
now the chain which binds the country has
been forged. The question is, how shall this
chain be broken, and the burden of govern
ment readjusted on its primitive resting
place-the shoulders of the whole people in
common 1t is said that our commercial and
manufacturing classes are alone responsible
for this offense, and that Justice demands that
they be punished by putting the entire con-
troll of government into the hands of another
exclusive class, who will at once proceed to
the enactment of laws again shifting the bur
zen, not back to its ancient and constitutional
resting place, but over upon the offending
classes. No intelligent statesman who means
10 perpetuate free government can subscribe
to this doctrine. 1t would be fatal to liberty
in this country to vest for any considerable
length of time either by act Of law o. acct
dent of party power, the exclusive control of
government in the hands of any one class, be
cause the selfish nature of man would then
liHt ata Of I'm
interest Of those who possess it, and at the
expense Of all others.
1t will not be contended that any one class
of our people can lay claim TO greater share
of natural honesty than any other class, for in
this country we have common blood, bone
and ancestry and to be candid, do not be-
lieve that in point of general welfare, the
country would attain any higher degree Of
prosperity under the exclusive control of one
class than the other. Indeed, the exclusive
principle is in fact the mOnopolstic principle,
and that is just exactly what the Republican
party was organized to fight against, did fight
against and now stands ready to fight against
in the future
This is a nation of mixed interests. and the
true doctrine Is, to establish as nearly as may
he an equilibrium of political power in the
hands of all classes, neither s(lrreOderinp the
entire control of government into the hands of
the one class or the other, but giving to agri-
culture, commerce, and manufacturing their
equal quantum of power and influence in all
the departments of government By the rec
ognition of this principle, constitutional lib
erty may be perpetuated to the remotest gen
Grafton Of our race; but by the abandonment
of il we Will be driven into irrecOuclable fac
tons and classes, each striving for the suprem-
acy over the other, with ''bloody chasms" di-
Vlding us on every side, until at last plunged
IN hopeless anarchy, our backs are bent to the
burden Of the involuntary slave.
The Republican party is not an crr}it>t1s par
", but is made up of farmers, mechanics men
in pursuit of commerce and manufacturing,
the rich and the poor, the high and the lowlv,
the native born and the adopted citizen, and
all alike are entitled TO be heard in its cOun-
ellis. 1t has turned lis hand against no man on
account of his rags or the color of his skim
Il does not turn It's face on the farmer tn-day
IN his war against the mouopolstc legislation
which silently crept into our statute books,
while the giant energy of his rural mind was
bent 10 the very earth 10 make the soil respond
10 his wants But now the spell of his life
ambition, that Of Wriuging forth from sulen
nature her reluctant fruits is broken, and
where shall he 60 TO find rcdrcss% Shall il be
10 new and strange gods, or shall he invoke
the powers of whom he has so often obtained
relief in the past? Could it be said that the
Republican party had ever failed to respond Ia
any specific want OF the people when that want
had been made known through proper chan.
ncls, then indeed, could it be urged with some
degree Of propricty that they should seek a
TO secure remedy for the evils which they
suffer. If the Republican farmer or mechanic
shall, through lack Of interest allow the par.
10 f9l int tl,.a ,lS NF haH