The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1897-05-01

y4y buren, LODGE No. T. PATRIoTs OF AsERI-
ca, meet every Wednesday night al Horti-
cultural Hall J. G. MooRE. r
c. r. Co.DELL- Recorder.
d. ". SsoDGEAss, Treas.
PATRIOTS OF AMERICA AND POLITICS
Under the constitution of the order 1t
can take no part in local elections and
any member of the order who should
undertake TO use the order for the pur-
pose of furthering his own political
aspirations, or to drag the order as an
order into any political fight in local
elections, will be in violation of the
constitution of the order and should not
be tolerated by any lodge. The object
of the order as political order is to
take part only in national elections, and
that must be done in the way and
manner pointed out by the constitution.
The order makes no attempt TO control
the action of its members in political
affairs. They may belong to any
political organization Of their choice
and this order, except as provided in
the constitution, makes no attempt to
control or influence their vote. Local
politics should never be mentioned in
the lodge and if it should be attempted
by anyone he should be reminded that
he is violating the constitution of the
order. We meet in this order as
sincere, patriotic citizens seeking to
know how to solve the vital questions of
government through unselfish wisdom
in the interest and to the promotion of
honest principles and the happiness and
prosperity of all the people and any
attempt to control the members in the
interest of any political party, faction
or man, except as provided in the con-
stitution, has selfish motive behind it
and tendency to lower the principles
of humanity, and is not in the spirit of
this movement and foreign to the
principles of this noble order.
For the election of president and
congressman we act together as an
order. This is the purpose for which
the order was founded and so far as
politics are concerned this is the only
purpose, because the evils from which
we suffer and by which small per cent
of the people of this nation own or con
troll all the wealth of the country and
another per cent a little larger than the
first are only making sufficient to keep
the wolf from the door while large
per cent are only eking out miserable
existence by hard toll, laboring from
early morn until late at night or tramp
ing from one place to another begging
at the back door of the kitchen for the
crumbs that fall from the table of his
more fortunate brother for the preserv
alton of that which God has given to
every human being an equal portion
life. 1t is possible to perfect an organ
ization and to secure united action of its
members in national affairs and national
elections whereas it might be impossible
and would be impracticable to perfect
and organization so far reaching in its
principles as to extend to all elections
and at the same time uphold that high
standard Of civilization that permeates
and animates this order. If such
actions were contemplated and all
elections and especially where our
neighbors were candidates for office
which would no doubt result in a
division of its members, and rightly to
because in matters of local interest we
can best judge of the parties and men
aspiring to fill the various offices of
their qualifications, the principles they
advocate, the character of man he is
and his ability to resist the temptations
with which he may come in contact in
whatever capacity he may be called on
to serve. In whatever we do we act as
an order, and not as an individual, that
we may give effect and force to one OF
the highest principles known to repub
lican forms of government. That re-
spect and sanction that should always
be paid and given to majority
opinion or expression of the wisdom OF
the people after being intelligently in
formed and thoroughly acquainted with
the subject and the effect it will have
on the general public
All organizations in republics that are
political in their nature have attempted
to carry into effect the plans which in
their Judgment would give operation te
the wisdom of the people in such organ
izations as expressed by majority Of
its members.
The plan adopted by this order and
which is we'll known to all of it,
members and many who are moi
members and acknowledged by all who
understand its plan to be superior tC
any plan that has ever yet been adopted
by any political party for procuring the
majority will of all its members to say
nothing of its educational work and the
method we have adopted for securing
an educated and patriotic organization
whose first object is to bring about sucf
reforms in national legislation as to give
every man an equal right under the law
that he may enjoy the blessings and
happiness attending such results
according to efforts put forth to attain
them.
All organizations republican in char
acter worship the principle involved in
a majority expression of the wisdom Of
the people, and any organization which
does not recognize this principle in q
republican government has a despotiC
tendency that seeks to deceive the
people or to pervert the principle of a
majority expression of the wisdom and
will Of the people is an enemy TO repub-
lican government and an enemy to
humanity.
The great difference between this
organization and other political organ
izatiOns in regard to the point we have
been discussing is as to the plan by
which the majority expression of the
will of the people is obtained. We
have learned by experience to the