The Caucasian. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1874-1875, 1874-06-20

| ~ to the scaboard, or between home
producers and consumers, all the
productions Of our country. We
adopt it as our fixed purpose to
"opun out the chamels'in natures
great arteries that the life blood of
commerce. may flow freely" We
are not enemies Of railroads, navi-
gable or irrigati,ig canals, nor of
any corporation that will advance
eur industrial interests, nor of any
| laboring classes. La our noble Or
der there is no communism, no
agrarianism. We arc opposed to.
such spirit and management Of any
corporation or enterprise rs tends
to oppress the people and rob them
Of their just profits. We are not
enemies to capital, but we oppose
the tyranny of monopolies. We
long to see the antagpnism between
capital and labor removed by com
mon consent, and by an cnlighten-
cd craftsmanship worthy of the
nineteenth century. We are op-
posed to excessive salaries, high
rates Of interest, and exorbitant per
cent profits in trade. ,fhcy great,
ly increase our burdens, and do not
bear proper proportion to the
profits of producers. We desire
only selfprotection and the pro-
lection Of every true interest of our
land by lesitmate' transactions,
legitimate fsadc, and legitimate
profits.
We shall advance theaGuse of
Education among ourselv Is and for
our children; by all just means with
IN our power. We especially advo-
cate for our agricultural and indus
trial colleges that practical agri-
culture, domestic science, and all
the arts which adorn the home, be
taught in their course of study.
8. We gnpiatically AID sincerely
assert the oit-repeated truth taught
in our organic law, that the grange,
national, StfSe,9r subordinate, is
not political or party organiza
ton. No grange, if true to is OBJ
legations, can discuss political or
religious quest;sns, nor call politi-
cal conventions, nor nominate can
didates, nor even discuss their mer-
its in its meetings. Yet the prin
ciples we teach underlie all true
craftsmanship, and, If oDroperly
carried out, will tend to purify the
whole political. atmosphere of our
country. For we seek the grea@,t
good to the greatest number. We
must always bear in mind that no
one by becoming a Patron of Hus-
banSry gives up that inalicnable
right and duty which belongs to
every American citizen, to take a
proper interest in the politics of his
country. On the contrary, it. is
right for aery member to do all in
his power lesitmatJy to influence
70, good the actioegof any political
pary t? which he belongs. 1t is
his duty to do all he can in his own
party to put down bribery, corrup-
ton and trickery to see that none
but competent, faithful and honest
men, who will unflinchingry stand
by our industrial djnterest, are nom
mated for all positions Of trust
s'nd to have carried out the princi
pie which should always character
ize every member, that the office
should seek the man, md not the man
the office. |
We acknowledge the broad pmn.
ciple that difference of opinion is no
crime, and hold.that "progresS to-
wards truth is Sade by differences
of opinion,' while the fault lies in
bitterness of controvcrsy."O We de-
sire q proper equality, equity and
fairness; protection for the weak,
restraint upon the strong; IN short,
justly distributed burdens and just
ly distributed power. These are
American id.as, the very essence !