The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-11-01
LITTER FROM e.. A. ERlCKsOn.
RED WING, Oct. p. 1879.

mr.: II. II. Young, Dear. NiT:-In
your last issue l find an article defend
ing me against the Misrepresentation
Vt The St. Paul Dispatch. For this
kindness of yours I feel very grateful.
I have to acknowledge that while I
have some times differed with YOU in
opinion, yet you have always conduct
ca your arguments in fair and
honorable manner, without resorting
to black-guardism or equivOcatiOns,
now too common among a certain
class of journalists.
l did not consider the articles of
The Dispatch worthy of notice; first,
because they were false, as you have
already proved: secondly. because it
Is apparent that The Dispatch has
made a political contract, in the full
filling of which it has adopted the old
Jesuit practice of making any means
holy that would accomplish the OBJ
!ect sought, and though they have not
burned men at the stake, as did the
Jesuits, because they differed in be-
lief, yet they endeavor to do the next
thing, namely: to deprive their op-
ponents in opinion of what is dearest
| on earth; their honor and their good
name.
l. Will briefly give you few prin-
cipal points Of my political creed:
believe that God created all man
Kind with equal rights. That men by
their sinful acts have violated the
rules OF our Creator and brought
about different results cannot be gain
sayed. [ also believe that our Ameri-
Can tOrefatherS, in founding our Re-
| publican Institutions, intended that
all mankind should have equal rights
| before the laws of the land, and that
this their object was not accom-
pllshed until the decision of our late
civil war; and now, since we became
' the victors in the late struggle, which
resulted in the liberation Of over four
million slaves.
Why not now extend to those we
conquered friendly hand across the
', bloody chasm, instead of perpetually
tearing open the bleeding wounds of
the past at every election? I am con-
tident that, if the masses of the people
both South and North, were allowed
to come together and make terms of
peace, we should have no sectional
strife; but SO long as the leaders at
The South sha]l be allowed to parade
nndlsturbed with their torchlight
procession, equipped with revolvers
and bowie knives, instigating the
masses with sentiments of treason,
and thereby furnishing grist for some
OF the leading politicians at the North
to keep their political mills in per-
petual motion, we shall have no peace.
There is no possibility of making
peace between two mastiffs, so long
us crowd OF wagerers stand at the
tall OF each setting them on; and
equally impossible is it to make peace
between two sectional parties, 80 long
the head Gnstead Of the taiD of the
masses continually pouring oil upon
the burning embers of the past, there
by keeping up perpetual flame.
Some may ask, what shall we do to
abate these animosities? l say that
the Government has the power at
hand to stop the bloody work going on
in the South, and thereby deprive
some of the politicians at the North
OF their grist. believe in order and
discipline, if we have to fill all the
penitentiaries from the Atlantic to
Pacific in order to MAINTAIN it, and if
the Government is unable to maintain
that order, we certainly lave no gov
eminent in practice but only in name.
While nearly all branches of
business are lying PROSTATE for want
OF Legislation, many of our leading
men in Congress have spent their
time in quarreling over dead issues.
instead of trying to heal up the bleed
ing wounds of the past and attending
to the necessary legislation for which
they are bountifully paid, or rather
bountifullv taking their pay. For
this reason think it is necessary for
every true and independent citizen to
vote for the man whom they think
Will labor for the interest of the
people and the nation, and not for the
interest Of parties and the interest of
themselves. It is better to vote for
good man on poor platf ,rm Though
platforms are generally all good re-
CARELESS of party, than to vote for a
bad man on a good platform. because
| lie belongs to Il certain party.
hope You will pardon me for ex-
pressing some OF my views regarding
our Congressional contest. While 80
dong, 1t is hot my intention to do in
justice to either Of the can
didates, but simply t. point out what
in my estimation may be the merits
objection that we can find to Judge
Wilder is that he looks t" Governor
Tilden for the necessary reforms.
which think he does in good faith.
and which point we. not only as Re-
publicans, but as Independent voters.
cannot see, but prefer to trust the
necessary reforms with Hayes and
Wheeler, taking their words and judg-
ing them bv their past records.
Outside of this objection, nothing
can be found against Judge Wilder,
though records from St. Paul to Phila-
delphia have been searched in order
to find proof of accusations made
nuooti on1nn hio 1ovalfu