Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-10-14
SECRET SOCIETIES IN POLITICS.
Criticism of Grand Master COchrane's Address
TO the Changers.
From the Chicago Tribune, Sept. 25th.

From the Chicago Tribune, Sept. 25th.
1t is safe to say that there never
was a secret political organization in
this country whose existence was not
very brief, whose influence upon pub
lie affairs was not pernicious in the
end, and whose leading members did
not live to regret their onnection
with the movement. Every staaent
of history knows this from the le- ons
that he has CLEANED from the past,
and every man of mature years knows
it from his own personal observation
In this country and in all other coun-
tries the banding together of men in
the dark with oaths, signs, grips, pass
words, and penalties, -resolving in
secret and acting in secret,-has al
ways accomplished more hurt than
good, and societ religion, individuals,
and the state have each suffered
more or less in consequence of such
organizations. This assertion is a
very broad one, but it is proved to be
correct by the workings of every
secret political society that ever had
an existence in the United States.
Take, for example, the history of the
Know Nothings, an order that
sprung up in a night all over New
England, and especially in Massachu-
sets, getting temporary possession
over ali the State-offices and electng
governors, congressman and senator's;
what credit is now accorded to the
men who belonged to that midnight
band, or what permanent benefcent
measures Of public policy did they in
augurate and crystalize into law !?
They stimulated passion, excited re-
ligious prejudice, fomented iealousies,
and fostered traditional and sectarian
hate-that was all. The same may
be said, and much worse, of the
Knights of the Golden Circle, the
White League, and the Ku Klux
KIans, of the South. The record of
some of these gangs of secret plot
tiers are as revolving and bloody as
similar organizations in Paris under
the lead of the cruel and fendish
Robespierre in the dark days of the
French Revolution. Even Free
Masonry, that has kept itself gener-
ally free from all completely with po-
litical movements, has never departed
from its safe rule in a single instance
without serious hurt to the organize
ton, and without bringing confusion
and disaster to the men who were di-
rectly engaged in the new departure.
Now this is briefly preliminary to
the warning that the Tribune wishes
to send forth to Col. John Cochrane,
Grand Master Of the Patrons of Hus.
bandry of the State of Wisconsin, and
to the men who are following his lead.
Mr.. Cochrane has recently issued an
official proclamation to the Changers
concerning the railroad legislation in
that State, which he considers less
stringent than it ought to be, and he
therefore proposes to obtain supple
mental legislation" to ''enable the
state authorities to carry out the full
spirit of the law" To obtain such
legislation, he proposes to pack the
next Legislature, and for this purpose
he appends to his address circular
which he recommends "to the Masters
of the Oranges throughout the State
to make free use of, addressed to the
candidate and to make public the an
sperS they return, and if no answer is
returned. to make public that fact also,
that the Patrons may govern themslues
accordingly"
The italics are ours and not the
Grand Masters, and possibly the Ian
guage is significant and emphatic
enough without any particular empha-
sis. This circular contains, after the
preamble, thirteen questions, all bear
ing upon railroad legislation, and ad-
dressed to the candidates.
Now, asking questions of men who
are candidates for public Office is all
we'll enough, but it is what lies back