The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-10-31
PATRON POLITICS.
What Dol. 9. Y. peLand Says About
Them--How the Democrats are Try
Ing to Use and Fool the Patrons.

"Weuld you like to know what the pat
rOns of Industry are doing? My connection
with them Is and has been such that l hav.
good insight into the workings of the or
der. They were considerably divided II
opinion In the early part of the campaign
Agitators were trying hard to divert then
from their legitimate purposes OF
the order and make the order political ma
chine. have met with them i'm over thirty
counties In the state and can say that theil
attempt has been a failure. The great bulk
of the members of the order recognize thai
their order Is based on nOn-sectarian. non.
political grounds. Any attempt to draw of
republican patrons will be unsuccessful.
The patrons and thc grangers have, for the
last two wears, engaged in an attempt 10
protect the products OF the American farm
| against foreign competition in wool and all
other products The Mckinley bill was
| framed through their influence and In their
4 interest. An examination of the schedules
| will show that the increased duties laid upon
| the products competing with those from
American farms will increase the prosperity
of the farmers to the extent of not less than
$50, 900, 900 per year. Tie object Is to shut
out the importation Of foreign products OF
the same character at least to larger extent.
| The farmers have come to see that it is sui
cidal for them to adopt any policy that will
| open the markets of over sixty millions of
people to the surplus products of five mil
lions of Canadian foreigners. They see
that whereas we have consumed $4, 900, 900
worth of Canadian meats under the old tar
i'll, the consumption will be greatly reduced
under the new tariff. This importation is
practically prohibited, while the free trade
policy. instead OF restricting the importation
from Canada, would open the door to the
admission of the entire surplus of meat and
other farm products of Canada, to compete
with the farmers of Michigan and other
neighbOring states"
'What do the patrons generally think of
the silver bill passed by the last congress-"
was asked of the colonel"
1.-The silver BILL" said he, twas also
approved by the national grange, and is in
strict conformity with the demand of the
Patrons OF Industry. as made in their plat
form. The object of demanding the present
silver law was to do away with cumber-
some kind of money, but to utilize it by
means of a paper representative, which
should be n full legal tender for all purposes,
in unrestricted amounts, equalizing the
values of gold and silver by making them
inter-redeemable, and placing it on the same
basis as the old greenback, but making it
better than the greenback, because there IS
metallic dollar behind every paper repre-
sentative. 1t has given us practically free
coinage. for it embodies that declaration of
the Patrons platform, in this provision,
leaving it free to the business and CONNER
cal interests of this country to demand coin
age OF both metals to supply their wants."
"How about the county tickets put up by
the Patrons?"
There is one very peculiar feature of the
situation" said Col. Deland. ''and that is.
that there has been no agitation for patrons
tickets in any of the Democratic counties of
the state-not one. In those counties the
Democrats are very anxious that the order
be n0n-partisan, and in the strong Repubi-
can counties efforts have been made through
the Democratic, greenback, labor and prohi-
bition Journals to put up patrons tickets,
constructed mainly of that class of parti-
sans, nearly all of which tickets have been
endorsed by the. Democrats of those coun-
ties, the object being to defeat the Republic
cans by drawing away Republican Patrons
in the interests of Democratic success.
The result of this action will be as it ought
to be, that the Republican Patrons will
refuse to support these tickets, and that they
will he defeated in all, or nearly all, of
those counties. In Barry county, for
tee went so far as to assess the local assoca-
ton of Patrons, to make up the campaign
expenses and elect sO-called Patrons
ticket, composed entirely of Democrats and
Prohibitionists, while the regular Republic
can ticket of that county was composed
almost entirely OF the Republican Patrons.
have spoken at sixty different meetings
since September 1. They have all been
remarkably well attended, much better than
ordinary off-year meetings. A great deal
more interest has been manifested than is
usual in such years; and if appearances are
at all correct, the effect of this
kind of political patronism is going to
work disastrously to Democrats and fusion
lists and materially benefit, or aid, the
Republican congressional, legislative and
county tickets all over the state"
"Then you think the Democracy cannot
draw much aid and comfort from the
Patrons movement"
Certainly they cannot. Patrons of
Industry are not free traders. Their very
purpose is protection, as l haye stated, and
they cannot get it from the Democratic par
ty. Have you read our platform? Well,
compare it with the Republican platform.
The patrons say: 1--WE are i'm favor of
such revision of our national revenue laws |
as will protect producers, laborers and
farmers against ruinous competition of for
eign production and cheaper labOr; and the |
Republicans say we are in favor of such !
revision of our national tariff laws as will |
protect producers, laborers and farmers |
against the ruinous competition of foreign |
productions and cheaper labor, and espec- |
tally commend those features of the McKin- |
ley bill which provide for the protection of |
farm products as well as manufactured |
articles The Patrons say: we endorse |
the principle of bi-metallic currency and |
believe the national government should |
acquire and hold the output of our gold and |
silver mines and issue to the people gold |
and silver certificates, making them legal |
tender for all purposes, leaving it free to |
the business and commercial interests of the |
country to demand coinage of both metals |
to supply their wants. and the Republicans |
say: We indorse the action of congress I'm
its legislation upon the silver question, and |
favor the unlimited use of gold and silver |
bullion as basis for legal tender paper
interchangeable with conn.,
These are the two most important parallels |
between the platforms, but they are essen |
TALLY the same I'm several other respects.
They bOth favor the abolition of frao ,,oa.o, /