The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-02-09
The Reason Of it.
LAKE City, Feb. Sd, 1876.

A>AS ~ AOeSoOA III GAL AuO uAAV
world would avoid many serious mis-
takes, if people would use their judy
ments oftener and be guided by their
prejudices less. I have been somewhat
astonished to see many of our old anti
monopoly friends, who were very angry
last summer because their organization
was sold out to the democrats, turn
again and follow those who tnen betray-
ed them. Nor do they stop at this;
but they now 60 even to the extent Of
abusing such as refuse to again become
victims of misplaced confidence by do
ing as they do.
1t is a safe rule to abide by, that
when a man has deceived you once he
will do so again. IF he did it Intention
ally, you must conclude that he is dis
honest and unsafe; if he did it through
ignorance, being himself misled, his
judgment is poor and unreliable. In
either case, he is unworthy your conf
dence. If it is tolerably clear that his
own interests were to be promoted by
the course he pursued, it is fair to infer
that his misleading you was intentional
and does not deserve to be forgiven;
but if it appears that he was only mis-
taken, you should forgive him, but you
= should not forget his error and place
yourself again in his power.
see that the Chicago Age and the
St. Paul - are advocating an
independent party and abusing the DEM
ocrats. Only few months ago, they
were contending that the democrats
were reform party, and that the re-
establishment of that organization in
power would be followed by all the
blessings of a wise and beneicent gov
eminent. How is this? Are not the
democrats the same now that they were
last year? I think so. Why, then, is
= it that these papers praised them then
and denounce them now? Did they not
then know what they were? If so, why
should we believe that they now know
what they are? If they were mistaken
last fall, may they not be mistaken this
winter? Let US use a little common
sense and sound judgment in forming
our opinions of these men before we
trust them again.
They were either mistaken, Or else
they purposely sought to betray US. If
they were mistaken they were prepos-
terously foolish. This can hardly be,
and if they urge this plea, their place
hereafter is to follow, not lead. But
was it probably profitable to them to
deceive US last year? Let us see. The
democracy is an old organization. Its
controlling spirits are first, the agents
: and attaches Of the wealthiest financial
houses in the world-of the Rothschilds
and Barings-and the wealthiest mo-
nopolists in the country; and, secondly,
old Bourbon politicians whose entire
lives have been spent in ofice-seeking
and Office holding, and who have gener-
ally grown comfortably we'll off in the
service of their country, at very moder-
ate salaries. Here, then, were those
who are we'll able to pay for services
rendered their party, and whose inter-
ests are likely to be largely promoted by
its success.
The anti-lnonopoly party is an organ
ization Of the common people, the
''laboring masses, "-of poor men COM
paratively speaking. These had no
money to spare to reward laborers, in
their cause, and to work for them was
: pecuniary Improbable. Their political
power, however, was Of vast Importance
because of their numbers, and if their
self constituted leaders could carry them
into the democratic ranks, the success
Of that organization would be assured.
TO induce them to attempt this was
= worth hundreds Of thousands of dollars
to the usurers, monopolists and trading
politicians who control that party, and
we have the right to infer that these
used their money freely for that pur-
pose, and that it was this influence
which caused those professed anti-mo.
= nopolv leaders who advocated coalition
to pursue the course they did.
But they failed to carry the mass Of
the party with them, and now we have