The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1896-03-24
MACHINE POLITICS ILLUsTRA-
TED.
A Machine With Duplex Action and
One Motive Power--How the Old
Thing Works

@AAS
IF THIS MAKES O MAD IT IS INTENDED
o YOU
| Correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
Two bogy men firmiy attached to
! each other by a horizontal pipe Dined
| to their stomachs, are placed on a pivot
80 they will whirl easily around an up.
| right bar. One of the bogy men is
labeled on his fOrehe ID in letters of
| brass, THE National Democratic Par
ty." The other bogy nan is labeled IN
a similar manner, the National Re-
publican Party.
The two men are alike in their main
features and organization except the
label for they both belong to the
| party" These words, the Party"
the trade mark Of the whole machine,
are printed in very large letters on the
crosswise piece at the top Of the per
peDdicular bar. The places where the
two bOgy men are )ined are covered,
so that children and simple minded
people and party voters" (who are
never dilO " Ky OOLll4N Vic BCCGCSJ
believe they are two separate men.
Great simpletons believe them to be
actually alive, and would fight you If
you undertook to show them that they
were either dead or connected at the
stomach. In fact, once in four years
they are whirled 80 rapidly around
each other and made to speak forth
abusive platforms, etc, by the accom-
plished ventrIl1quIst who stands be-
hind them, that even fairly intelligent
men, in times OF great excitement and
huooub, actually believe that they are
no5 only alive, but separate also, liv
ing separate e~XistenCes, and aCGUated
by separate motives. But a most Gu
riOus working of this machine and one
main purpose Of is invention and
operation Is yet TO be disclosed. Many
people called voters go to look at the
OOgy men and there are many quar-
reIs and fights going on all the time
over two questions:
1st. Whether or not they are )ined
together lat the stomach).
2ud. Whether or not they are dead.
What gives rise to these discussions
is that whenever q voter comes near,
the ventrlloquist operator begins to
persuade him that one or the other Of
tbs bogy men is trying to insult him,
and hat the other Is his friend; and
true to this design, one Of the bogy
men is ell smiles for him, while the
other is threatening him for trying to
smile back at his wooer. This goes on
until the voter gets an ry and hits one
of the bogy men as hard as be can,
thereby caus ng the other bogy TO
swing round against him with such
force as to knock him down. This is
done so quickly that observers differ as
to which man struck him. In h me
lee that follows, the operator sends one
of his assistants round to help tho
wounded man to his feet, and during
this kindness, relieves HIM OF his p0ck
etbOok containing the proceeds Of his
last years's crop. The rage OF the
3ouno ed voter is 50 great that he
does not miss his p0cketbOOk, or if he
does, he believes it was the ''smiling
william" who knocked him down mat
got it; for while others DIFF n as to
which one struck him, he knows, for
he felt the blow. AS soon sc he recov-
ers sufficiently for another fight, under
the sanction and encouragement OF his
friends, he assumeS an eff 4nsive atti
tude, rails back at the smiling but
now insulting OOgy, and SIS soon as he
gets in striking distance, being also IN
sugated by the other bogy, he deals
the offender a far more powerful blow
Ehan ne did his former enemy; being
enraged too, on account of his being
'bt trayed" and fooled" and de
ceived" by the ''smillng william" who
struck him. He is knocked down har
der and further than he was before.
He is assisted in the same kind way as
before, aud of course relieved Of his
earnings by the same sleight of hand
One Of this sort, after being knocked
down q few times successfully by first
one and then another of the bogy men,
and being always faithfully assisted
and relieved" by the same hand, be
gins to suspect something, and goes off
aud sulks, says he will never have any
thing to do with politics. Afew of this
class, however, after they have been
knocked down several times, occasion
ally head a mob to pull down the whole
machine. And, if they know toom much