The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-04-24
The Granger Element and Glass
Legislation.
correspondence OF the Star.

correspondence OF the Star.
PULASKI, IND, April 10.
The reply OF Mr.. j. H. Rogers, secre-
tary of Grange No. 1918 of Cana, Indi-
ana, to my Anti-Grange Communica-
tion, contains four points that deserve
notice at my hand.
First. He says the Order (the Grang.
is and always has been non-partisan.
Second. He says that he "holds tn at
the railroad corporations should be COM
PEELED to transport from all points along
the line, at the same rates per mile, as
from points accessible to two or more
lines.o
Third. He gravely asks, ssIs 1t more
unjust to limit the profits Of railroads
than % say what toll grist-mills shall
Fourth. He says my assertion that
the "Order is seeking the control OF the
Government is without foundation;
and ne challenges me to produce any
thing in support of 1t in Grange history.
In the first place, he seems to have
fallen into an Inconsistency that is pecu-
liarly characteristic OF the Order of
which he claims to be member. That
10, to make an assertion and then with
almost the next breath contradict it.
have heard this done-I was about to
say-a hundred times, and by some of
the most prominent men of their Order
IN our neighborhood, They will solemnIy
declare at one time that the Order has
nothing to do, whatever, with politics;
and at other times they will say, "OhI it
is no use to deny but what it is pollti-
cal DC. And this, in substance, is pre-
ria iaalv va q frlnnh ROnoro oauo nd dooo
He says ''the Order is and always has
been non-partisan," and in the next
breath says, "but hold that the compa-
nies shall be compelled (mark the ex-
pression) to transport all along the
lines,n sc.
Now, friend Rogers, will you be so kind
as to tell us hose you are going to coanpel
them to do thls lining? Are you going w
drtUe them at the point of the bayoneI, or
are you going to compel our Lawmakers
TO do IL by legislatlun2
IL by the Iormer, then will you not be
a band of lawless "CommunistsW But
fby the latter, then will you net be
'partisansw You say you are "non-
partisan" If so, how are you going to
accom- plish such an arbitrary political
measure? What IS a partisanY One
who adheres to, or follows partyl MOL
one claims that you are the Democratic
or Republican party. Yet you must be q
party; or how, L ask you again, DO YOU
expect to compel such Legislation as you
demand? You certainly could not do SO |
If one voted for it and another against it:
and If your uniting on any one man who |
will promise to carry out your measures |
does not make your Order a spartisan,' |
order, will you be SO good as to tell the |
readers of the STAR what a1ill constitute
a partisan order?
Please do NOT evade this QuerY. It is i'm
portant in settling the controversy.
Second-You grayely ask: 'fWould IL |
be more unjust TO say what per cent,
railways should have, than TO say what
part grlst-mills may take as tolls q,
l answer, No! under the same circum-
stances. But do You not know, my dear
sir, that there is q vast difference be-
tween the tWop
Every grist-mill In our land has been
built with the full knowledge by the
builder Of the statute Limitation In re-
gard to tells; While our railroads have
.een built in good faith and Without any
such restriction ON them. Had it been
otherwise we, In all probability, would
lot now have had the roads for yeu to
whine about; but the men who had the
money would have invested it where they
,ould have had the protection of the |
avs in controlling their own properly,
he same as the Granger should have.
And further, do YOU not know that She
aw made 10 govern the toll OF mills is
'nly law IN name-a dead letter on our
statute books-that it has been long 4
ince superseded by what is called sthe
aw Of custom." And why simply BE-
ause IT was imprAclicable. The fourth
proposition places me in the unavailable
'osi.ion OF trying TO prove q thing that
ar Rogers Knows And everybody else
;nows TO pe taet. He says my asser-
ion that they are trying to get the con. :
rol OF the government IL without ioun. 1 !
alton and challenges me I'd prove it. MI
10 assertion 10 true then L have lied.
na thls excuses me from further re. =
But Ii my assertion canl ,