The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1900-10-26
DEAR BOY" LETTERS, No. 10

Ny Dear Boy:
l want you to do little work in poll
tics before election. rwant you not only
to vote right, but to get two or three
others to vote right. / know that your
friend Morgan says that politicians are
all corrupt and that, if man wants to
turn out grand rascal, all he has to do
is to mix into politics. But, my boy,
there are two kinds Of political workers.
A little true story will show you what
l mean:
In 1S4S, Martin Van Buren, failed to
get the Democratic nomination for the
presidency. He and his friends bolted
the ticket and he accepted the nominal
ton of the Free Soil party. His brilliant
son, John Van Buren,, went up into Mas
sachusetts to make some Free Soil
speeches for his father. Now with Prince
John, as he was Familiarity called, politics
was game. He had no real, fixed, POI
litical principles. And it was a revela-
ton to him when he got into Massachu-
sets and found men like Garrison, Hig-
ginson, John Brown and others, of pure
character and lofty ideals, whose very
lives were laid on the altar in the cause
of freedom. When he came back from
his trip, he met friend in New York
and the following conversation took
place:
Hello, John; where have you been?"
up in Massachusetts, making Free
Soil speeches for father
"Did you find many Free Sellers up
there?"
"Yes, and, d-n it, they believe it, too"
My boy, this nations safety depends
largely upon the political work of men
who work because in their very heart of
hearts they believe that their political
principles are founded in truth and right
eousness. That is the kind of worker /
want you to be. Don't get down to any
thing mean or tricky, but work because
you believe that the Republican position
is right, and that the election Of McKin-
ley and Roosevelt will be for the good of
the nation and the good of the world.
Now l will tell you what I want you
to do. I want you first to go down and
see Barney Crogan. They have been
stufing him with the statement that the
Republican party is the rich mans party,
and that the Democratic party is the poor
man puIlts ne SEES the TlCu men duU
great corporations growing richer and
they have told him that whenever a rich
man grows richer it is at some poor mans
expense. They have told him that the
Republican policy makes ''the rich richer
and the poor poorer"
l want you to go down and tell him
that when farmer raises a thousand
bushels of corn, the farmer is richer and
no man is the poorer, but some poor man
will get the job of cutting that corn aud
be the better off. Tell him that when
man digs a thousand dollars worth of
gold out of the ground he is richer, but
nobody is the poorer. Show him that
there is such thing as a natural increase
of the worlds wealth which benefits ALL
Tell him that in this country, whenever
the rich are doing the best the poor are
doing the best; that when coal operators
make money miners have more work and
better pay; that when railroads and man
ufacturers are making money labor is
most abundant and receives it's highest
reward. Tell him that the Republican
party is the party for the whole people.
rich and poor alike. Tell him that we do
not believe in arraying one class against
another but that all classes should work
together for the common veal And then
point him to the results of McKinley's
administration as proof of what you say.
And keep poking the truth at him until
he sees it and promises to vote for Nc
Kinley.
Then go and see Will Barton. A Dem
ocratic neighbor is trying to get him to
trade on part Of the ticket. Tell Will
that this is not the year for Republican
to monkey with his ticket. He will get
it tangled up and twisted till his ballot
will not be counted if he is not careful
There is too much at stake this year. Tell
him to let his Democratic friend vote as
he will, but that this is the year for
straight Republican votes. Do this, my
boy, and then vote right yourself, and
when the news of victory comes you can
cheer with a vim and rejoice that you
have share in the glory.
YOUR FATHER.