Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-07-19
LANCASTER, PA. July 10, 1880.
The Force Of Habit.

The Force Of Habit.
Many social and political phenomena
cannot possibly be understood unless the
force Of habit be constantly borne in
mind. This force is especially strong
among an agricultural people. Farming
communities are always the most firmly
fixed in their customs and habits OF
thought, the most impervious to out
side influences and the last to change.
Individually jealous Of their own
interests, they are nevertheless, of all
classes, the most difficult to organize as
q body In their own defense. Profess
sional men, manufacturers, bankers,
merchants, mechanics and even day
laborers combine successfully to promote
the interests of their class, but every
attempt to organize the farmers has
practically failed. The Farmers Con-
gress of the United States, the Grange
movement and the Arkansas Wheel
each attracted national attention for a
brief period, but none of them even In
their palmiest days moved the great body
of the farmers of the land. These plodded
on in their usual fashion, in spite Of the
desperate efforts made by the leaders of
these movements, as well as by the more
intelligent members of their own body,
TO arouse them from their wonted
apathy.
Among the many examples which we
might adduce to illustrate this force of
habit and of social convention, is a Gu
rious instance given BY w. Stanley
,s. L. 81, n d.,
I Mechanism OF Exchange. Powerful rulers
have frequently failed to put new coins
into circulation, or TO withdraw old ones
the customs of the people proving too
strong for laws and penalties. " Thus"
be says, " in the remote parts of Nor
way ut the present time the old paper
doler notes are preferred to the beautiful
new twenty kroner gold piece"
Curious as this preference seems for
Z dirty paper to bright new gold we never.
theless see the same thing In another
form all around us every day. The ag-
ricultural population of Lancaster
county is, as a rule, as much the slave of
custom-of mere unthinking force of
habit-as any other people outside of
the Chinese empire. We have of course,
/. among our intelligent farmers, many
thoroughly independent men, who have
shaken off the chains of custom which
bind IN moral slavery SO many of their
neighbors. These men read, think and
4 act for themselves. They study 50 cial
< and political questions, possess minds OF
their own, can give reasons for the faith
4 that Is in them, and when they come to
4 Yote-Qr act 1t Is without the slightest
! reference to what their fathers did or tC
what their neighbors intend to do. But
they are unfortunately brilliant excep
tions to the general rule. The great ma
iority simply follow with blind Chi.
nese docility in the footsteps Of their
sirs and grandsires. They attend the
same church aud vote the same ticket
They are governed from the grave and
do not know that
I" A serf Of his own past is not II man
4 Their church may change, their politi
cal party may change, but they never
change.
Thus, when thirty years ago, the earth
quake shock of civil war aroused them
from their apathy, they joined by hun
dreds the Republican party which ther
sprang forth triumphant to face armed
rebellion. They and their sons fell into
the way of voting this ticket, and this
soon grew into a fixed habit. The party
which their fathers Joined when il was
young, pure and patriotic might become
foully corrupt. but it mattered not tc
them. In spite of the crimes of il.
leaders, the sectiocalism and tyranny
Of its legislation, ant the wasteful eX
travagance of its finaL cial management
the force of habit kept them In its ranks
The great founders of the party NIGH
y become dishsartened and leave II on,
by one, declaring that il had grown toe
thoroughly corrupt for reformation. Bu
not SO the Republican farmers OF Ian
caster county. Every surviving mem
Der of Lincoln's cabinet, except Simon
Cameron, who was removed for shame
fully dishonest practices, might come
Z over to the Democratic party, but moth
ing seemed to grow too foul for ths
nostrils of the Lancaster county Repub
ficens. They might see wise Demo
cratic administration save one hun.
dred and thirty millions annually
and its Republican successor in
Office, by shamefully wasteful extrava
gance bring the treasury, in the frs
year of its power, to the verge of bank
ruptcy, expepding not only the who'll
of the nations vast revenue, but ever,
dollar saved by Democratic economy
All this they might see--they do see
but with what result?
The farmers Of the West are not so dull
but are awakening everywhere TO Re
publican iniquty. Careful observer
declare that they will prove in futur
elections that they are weary of the dirt,
paper of broken Republican promises
and that hereafter they will choose the
bright new gold Of Democratic achieve
ments. Let us hope that the day is no
far distant when their brethren in thi
county will follow in their footsteps
/ For they are an honest people, and i
once aroused will! no longer consent t
be the willing tools of political knave
like Quay and Of political knavery lik
that of the present Republican Congress
A Hint 10 the NabObs.