The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-08-06
ALITTLE MIXED.

tleman, writes letter to the Farmers
Union and in his efforts to combine
truth and Parsons; and the cause Of JUS
tice and Abernethy he gets slightly
mixed.
For instance he says, in one para
graph:
'Should any man, or company OF men,
procure the enactment of laws favorable to
one class and oppressive to another if under
eristing lGars, railroad companies can COM
bine and oppress the producer by high tariff;
If capitalists, taking advantage of the farm
ers' necessities, unite to obtain his grain for
less than its value EVERY farmer can not only
talk, but act in perfect harmony and unison
in dealing the death-blow to this fragrant
violation of the spirit of Republicanism.'
True. But then he says:
''But to introduce for discussion in our
Oranges, political, party issues, such as pro-
tective tariff, would be a plain violation of
this law of our order"
Mark the inconsistency 1t is right
to discuss railroad high tariff but
it is wrong to discuss a revenue high
tariff. If railroad steals 80 per cent.
of your earnings, that is wrong and you
may resist it; but if the manufacturer
steals 100 per cent. Of your earnings,
that is right, and you cannot resist it
Why? Because the latter is a poll
tical robbery.
: Then it is the duty of the Grange to
, resist all robberies that are not polit.
ical, and to submit to all robberies that
, are political. In other words, the
!, Grange can be used as an instrument
4 tality to protect the people against
everything but the Republican party
/ When it comes to that, the rights o.
e the people must give way to the inter
t ests Of the party the party first, thu
people afterwards.
!, And yet, if brother Coates woule
: look at it little more closely, he woult
= see that the railroad robberies are a
G much political as the revenue robber
: les. The latter come from positiv
enactments authorizing the robbery
d the latter from total failure of legis
b lative action to prevent the robbery
One is sin of commission, the other
u sin of omission. The man who stand
by, and, with full power to prevent il
sees murder committed, is, morally
l. as guilty as the murderer. The polit
e ical party which refuses to protect tn
= people from injustice at the hands {
;. the railroads, is as guilty as the polit
!. cal party which authorizes the man,
facturers to despoil them. And in thi
= case the same party is responsible
both cases, for both omission and CON
mission.
" Brother Coates continues:
"As for the Anti Monopoly address se1
- to the Grangers for their consideration, "
" think some of the subjects there consit
IS cred are proper subjects Tor discussion
,e the Grange"
r Then why not discuss them! Wh
or not, as we suggested, refer the addre
to committee, to report the facts an
D. eliminate the political part? That al
a. dress shows one hundred modes in whie
is the people are robbed and impoverished
o. why, then, should not the Oranges NJ
, discuss these facts, and understar
them
Because. as Brother Coates says,
,o cit is the evident purpose for whit
~ that document was issued, and the parties
AZ whom the plan was concocted-that is, Il
y party issue in the case-which should 70
ever silence Grange upon that document
Now see into what circle of inco
% sistencies partisanship will involve q
10 intelligent man!
80 80 The Anti-Monopoly address containt
30 subjects which ''were proper subjec
for discussion" says Mr.. Coates; bu
st says Mr.. Coates, we must not discu
D. them, because Of 'the party issue
in the case;'' that is. we cannot discu
Mt them without hurting the Republics
~ party; and therefore we must rema
od ''silent forever :"
at Says Mr.. Coates, we can talk abo
in ssexisting laws which enable ''railro;
ice companies to combine and oppress t
producer by high tariff nay. We c.
not only talk, ''but act in perfect ha
ue mony and unison in dealing the dea
d. blow to them. Then zce come alo
a with the Anti-Monopoly Address. a
ch We say. exactly, and as you are abo
to talk on these subjects, here are
w the facts and figures, and here is t
ser se way pointed out in which you can d,
we that death-blow most effectively. Y
oes g are not bound to accept all our facts
yer our conclusions, but discussion mea
&c, hearing all sides Of the question HI
sn is our side. Give it hearing!''
in ssNo,'' cries out Mr.. Coates, :.
ON ON can't; there is political issue in th
you viii hurt the Republican party