The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1874-07-16
Granger. and Politics.


One of the best signs of the times, is the stand
which the more earnest and thoughtful Graugers
are taking against q destructive Grange political
party, and their refusal TO unite with the new
parties which are being organized with the ex-
pectation of receiving their principal strength
from the Grange element. Their experience has
already warned them that such a course will
throw them into worse hsDds than those from
which it is songht to release them. They are re-
turning to the original idea of the Grange, which
discountenanced separate political organization,
bnt left the members free to seek needed reforms
through already existing parties.
The fact has been clearly demonstrated to all
who will not refuse to see that horde of politi-
control the Grange vote, and monopolize the of
fees at their hands. We do not refer only to
Democratic politicians who have been unable to
obtain office in Kansas, but to n large number of
Republicans as well, who have lost the confidence
of the party, and been consigned to the shades
of private life, unable longer to obtain Office.
These fellows are the londest advocates of reform
they appalled, at the corruption Of politics,
and their hearts bleed for the wrongs of the
farmer. Thousands of the Grangers, as Republi-
cans. gave their assistance in hurling these dem
agogues from Office; is it reasonable to suppose
that they will, as Grangers or Reformers, put
them back into Office againi Last Winters Leg
islature had wonderful curative effect. A lot
of blatant shysters sufficient to constitute con-
trolling element, got into the Legislature, whose
mania was corruption and reform. They were
wild on hobbies, and discarded reason and
common sense. The result was, that meritorious
and necessary measures were defeated, under the
suspicion that they covered some fraud OF monop-
oily; while some most barefaced swindles and
frauds were enacted, under the belief that they
were measures of reform.
A great party of publication and reform will
not attempt to organize by picking mp all the re-
fuse and discarded material of older parties. If
the Methodists should deem it advisable To or
gauze a church in community, they wund
hardly do so by gathering up all who had been
expelled from the Presbyterian, Baptist, and 9TH
er churches, for vice and immortality. If the
Masons or Odd Fellows desired to organize
Lodge, they would not gather up, for the pur-
pose, all the expelled or rejected members that
were lying around loose in the community. So
the Changers, believing there is necessity for
organization, do not propose to establish pOlt-
ica party for the express purpose of lifting into
power lot of political shysters who have been
found unworthy the confidence of other parties
There is another class who are picking up a
temporary livelihood at the expense of the Gran
gers. 1t is a lot of dead-beat, seedy printers,
ular offices, but have wandered about the coun-
try, working alittle, sponsing great deal, and
cutting on their bills Whenever they had an op-
portunity. They have no principle, and are will
ling to write or print for anybody that will EN-
ploy them. They take lively interest in the
Grange movement, aud feel called upon to pub
lish a Grange organ. They manage to work up
the Changers to the point of assisting them to
purchase some dilapidated press and type lying
loose about the country, or more frequently in
duce some moneyed shyster who is laying his
wires to be elected to Office by the Grange vote,
to buy the Office, in order to have an organ.
With this old material, and an outside printed in
Chicago or St. Louis, Mr. Deadbeat grinds out
his Grange organ, laments over the wrongs of the
farmer, and yells Justify for reform. If Grangers
control the County patronage, this fellow invari.
ably secures it, to the exclusion of some one who
mas epeut MS money ana laDOr IN establishing
paper for the benefit of the whole community.
There are not half dozen old established papers
in the country that do not heartily sympathize
with the efforts of the farmers to obtain Justice
and have at all times been willing to do anything
fair and reasonable to aid them. In fact, it is
the interest of the newspaper to take the side of
the people. But these dead-b.at adventures,
without character or influence, are help to no
man or party. They gather up what patronage
they can, run in debt as far as they can 90, and
finally play out, leaving swindled creditors on
svery hand, and the men who backed them are
big bill to settle.
When we consider that the Grange movement
was intended to free the farmer from dema-
yognes, swindlers and leeches, who were taking
his very ife-blood, it is no wonder that earnest
and respectable Grangers are washing their
hands of all new political parties, when they see
that they shall be called upon to rcsurrect all
the political rotten Lazaruses in the country |
and to set mp in business and recognize as their or
gans, every dead-beat tramp who can manage to |
drag his sore feet and his body lice into their