Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1900-10-25
DEAR BOY" LETTERS. No. 10

My Dear Boy:
want YOU 10 Do a little work in POI,
lies before election. want YOU rot only
to vote right. but to get TWO or three
others to vote right l know that your
friend Morgan says that politicians are
all corrupt and that if man wants 10
turn out a grand rascal all he has TO do
is 10 mix into politics. But. my boy.
there are two kinds of political workers.
y little true story will show YOU what
| mean:
In 1913, Martin Van Buren, failed 10
get the Democratic nomination for the
presidency. He and his friends bolted
the ticket and he accepted the nominal
lion 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 a game. He had no real, fixed, po-
litical principles. And it was a revcla-
ton to him when he got into Massachu-
sctts and found men like Garrison, Hig-
gibson, 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 a 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
thore?"
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 1 will tell you what l want you
to do. l want you first to go down and
see Barney Crogan. They have been
stutling him with the statement that the
Republican party is the rich mans party.
and that the Democratic party is the poor
mans party. He sees the rich mon and
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
| want you to go down and tell him
that when a 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 q
man digs thousand dollars worth of
gold out Of the ground he is richer. bu,
nobody is the poorer. Show him that
there Is such thing as a natural increase
of the worlds wealth which benefits all.
Fell 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 moro work and
better pay; that when railroads and man
'lfacturcrs are making money labor is
| most abundant and receives its hishcS,
reward. Tell him that the Republican
party is the party for the whole people
! rich and poor alike. Tell him that we de-
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'>
administration as proof of what YOU say.
| And keep polling the truth at him until
| he sees it and promises to vote for Nc
! knley.
! Then so and see Will Barton. A Dem
| ocratic ncighhor is trying to get him tc
! trade on part Of the ticket. Tell Will
| that this is not the year for a 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 Tel!
him to let his Democratic friend vote as
he will, but that this is the year for
straight Republican votes. Do this, ms
boy. and then vote right yourself, and
when the news of victory comes You can
| cheer with vim and rejoice that YOU
have share in the glory
YOUR FATHER.