Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-11-12
CARELESS VOTERS.
A Young Mans Complaint OF the NeglRrsu
of the ssOId Enovss Pnrkisan

Young Mans Complaint OF the Negligence
of the "OId FOgy" Partisan.
In late number of the Farmers Alli-
Ance, the Alliance organ of Nebraska,
we find letter that may be read with
profit by every man who is careless Of
how he votes or whether he votes 81
all or not 81 feel like kicking every
old and 1iiddle-aged man l meet" are
the words at the head of the letter, and
they are made the subject of the
writer's remarks While we can not
indorse the extreme views taken by the
writer on this subject, there is no doubt
that there is a great deal of truth in
given heed to the manner in which
elections are conducted knows that OBJ
jectionable men very often get into of
fee because they induce their friends
to be active and work, and turn out and
vote, while the other side does not
There has never been a time when it
was more true that the price of liberty
is eternal vigilance"
We reproduce this letter because we
think that farmers are especially amen
able to the charge of negligence in mat
ters political, and because they have
suffered more in consequence than any
other class. The writer says:
These words Chose quoted above) were
uttered by young man who has been con-
Iidered a "modeP Young man in the oom-
munty where he lives. He Is sober and In
1ustrious, always economical; and such an
expression, falling from his lips with such
earneStness naturally led us to inquire
why? why" said he, ''see what they have
done for Us. their children They have voted
US into slavery, and not only US, but our
CHI ldren also. The old 'pewter. heads"
have been voting and voting. 10 these many
years, and what is the result? Any one can
see the result in the present state of affairs,
when we work sixteen hours q day for
merely enough TO keep soul and body to-
gether, and when W. ara preyed upon by all
the frauds the ingenuity of the devil and his
aids can originate. And 1t is all mems fault
that have been doing the voting for the past
thirty years. and think they deserve their
children's curse, for they have blast ed their
prosperity and made their lives wretched,
all by this senselesS and wickedIy careless
way of voting"
What answer could l make to this?
1t is all true. Some of these old men
see, now that it is too late, their fatal
mistake. and try to excuse themselves
by saying they were deceived, or that
they didn't know etc., etc. What right
had they to cast ballot If they didn't
know what they were voting for? What
right have they to plead ignorance az
the cause of this folly? 1 tell you old
Captain Trevellick hits them exactly
when he says they never read any thing
but their party newspaper and played
high five. The old men that have had
the management of this Nation in their
power, and relegated 1t to LAWYERS.
bankers and Wall street, have terri
BILE charge to answer to- You have
voted your children and your chill.
dren's children into slavery worse
than black slavery ever was You
have been too idle and too careless to
look after your own or your ohildren's
interests, much less the Nations For
whatever is good for the Nation is good
for the citizen. Well, you have made
the citizens of this Nation bankrupt
slaves to monopolistic greed, slaves to
taxation, slaves to the money power.
Now this is a terrible state of affairs,
but there might be some amends made,
even at this late day. Old men, rouseI
shake off your imbecility, your party
prejudice, your old isms, whatever they
are, and cast one vote for your children.
You have made them victims, now come
and help rescue them from the terrible
fate awaiting them and turn your chill.
dren's curses into blessings -Journal Of
Agriculture