The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1876-08-02
Letter From a Prominent Patron.

Letter From a Prominent Patron.
FARMERS HOME, July %, &c.
Editor Herald:
Through your paper / desire to ask
why any Democrat in Ohio county
should vote for Mr.. Woodward in
preference to Mr.. Phillips for the office
of Sheriff. Is it because Mr.. Wood
ward is a granger? Mr.. Phillips is
also granger in good standing, and
has been about as long as Mr.. Wood
ward. Is it because they think Mr..
Woodward is the candidate for the
grange, as he has been claiming? Then
they are mistaken, for of my own
knowledge he was not brought out by
the grange, and has never been endors-
ed by them. Last year when the gran
gers wanted to recommend candidate
for the Legislature, they met in coun-
ty council, and the Office sought the
man, and not the man the office. How
about Mr.. Woodward? He announced
himself as a candidate through your
paper, and then went to work through
his friends to get the endorsement of
the grange afterwards. Some four or
five efforts were made to get the coun.
Gil together. but either a majority of
the grangers were opposed to Mr..
Woodward, or to recommending q can
didate at all, for they never succeeded
in getting quorum together, and Mr..
Woodward never has been endorsed by
them. Hence 1 say Mr.. Phillips is as
much the grange candidate as Mr..
Woodward, and Patrons are under as
much obligation to vote for Phillips
as Woodward.
But farther, l say it was my distinct
understanding, when I joined the Pa
irons of Husbandry, that it was not,
and was not to be made, political
party. I understood that Patrons sur
rendered no political privileges in be-
coming such, and that it would be their
duty to labor in their respective polit-
ical parties to bring about a reform of
any and every kind of abuse, but there
was to be no new, separate political
organization. I defy any patron to
deny that this was the full understand
ing when the order was established
among us. But for the arguments
sake let us admit that the grange is a
political organization, then l deny that
any patron is under any obligation
whatever to vote for Mr.. Woodward
in preference to Mr.. Philips, for he be-
came a candidate of his own accord,
and was not brought out by the grange.
So did Mr.. Phillips, and they both are
grangers in good standing. Mr.. Wood.
ward tried to get the endorsement Of
} the county council and failed. Mr..
Phillips did not try, and may be if he
had he might have been successful.
Some of Ms. Woodward's friends,
when electioneering with grangers,
charge that the candidacy of Mr.. Phil
lips is thrust upon the grange. 1 de.
ny it. The Democratic Convention
was called and due notice given of it.
Mr.. w. L. Rowe was the contendinp
man against Mr.. Phillips before that
convention. Mr.. Rowe is an exceed.
ingly clever gentleman, an Office hold
er living in town, is not patron, and
has his Office in the courthouse, and
might be Supposed by some to be op'
posed to the objects Of the grange, and
in league with that mythical clique de.
nominated "the Courthouse ring.
And yet Mr.. Phillips. granger living
in the country, beat Mr.. Rowe, an of
fee holder living in town, in nearly ev.
cry precinct in the county, and right
in Hartford where Mr.. Rowe lives,
and where nearly all the voters are Of
that class called "middle men," Mr..
Phillips got majority, and majority
of the men who participated in the
District Conventions and in the Coun-
ty Convention are: members of the
grange.
Now where is any thrust at the
grange? Ifithere had been a thrust
at the grange, an anti-granger would
certainly have been nominated. 1 de-
ny that Mr.. Phillips, or any of those
who solicited him to run or helped to
nominate him, had any purpose in view
of making stab at the grange, or rum
ming him against the objects and prin-
ciples of the grange. If Mr.. Phillips
is running against the grange why are
such men as M. Mcintyre, A. P. Hud-
son and host of other anti-grange
Republicans, who were last year will
ling to vote for a Democratic nominee,