The Greeley tribune., 1908-09-23
STUDY FOR YOURSELF

STUDY FOX 1ol lhSELr
The day of the political spell
binder is again with us, and from
this time on until election, and for
n few DAYS after the voters Of the
country will be torn by conflicting
arguments. The spellbinder bears
about the same relation to the cam
paign as the street parade does to
the circus, and is about as useful.
Most persons have made up their
minds how to vote. long before the
spellbinder breaks loose in the land,
lust as they have made up their
minds to go to the circus, long be-
fore the parade comes along. The
circus posters have long before told
the story of the wonders within the
big tent, just as have the news
papers of the country been inform
ing the people for months ahead
Just what the issues will be in the
coming campaign, and almost to
man, who will be the big men put
up to vote for.
Quietly and without the least
interference from the outside, per-
son may then sit down and study out
conditions for himself, so that long
before even the conventions are
held a mans political views have
been pretty well determined upon;
so much so, that but few persons can
be changed by the Campaign speak
ers. Often members of an audience
are fully as well posted on the issues
as is the speaker himself, and just as
determined in their way as is he.
Most of the members of the audience
is there to be entertained, rather
than to be instructed. They have
already read the story that he is
going to tell, and know that he can
not stray far outside of the subject
matter that they have been studying
for months. He may tell the story
in slightly different language, and it
may even be more amusing or elo-
Quent, as the case may be but the
subject matter will be the same. He
will go but little outside of the plat
form of the party he represents.
Just bear that in mind and then
study your party platform; then
study the platform of the other
party
When you have fully digested the
make a comparison of the two. and
see in how few minor details the
two really differ. 1t will surprise you
how near they are alike this year
Both have the same excellent
provisions that an effort may be
made to put into laws. Both have
the same number of straws-called
planks-that are intended to please
everybody, and that will never be-
come laws. Both parties are trying
to revive the old tariff question. and
both admit that the tariff needs -e.
vision. Give this matter some study.
and you will find that the tariff is
just a matter of local conditions
Here in Colorado everybody wants
the sugar interests protected, while
in the states where the only interest
in sugar is the lowest figure at which
the commodity can be bought, they
want the tariff removed on Philip
pine sugar. And so it goes all down
the line.
You study the questions that are
of most interest to you locally and
vote that way. The United States
senate and congress will take care
of themselves. The country will
not go to ruin If those two bodies
should become democratic, nor would
it be national calamity should
they remain republican Vote for
your interests at home. because that
Is what every other section in the
country is going to do. If you don't
do the same thing, you are simply
going to get the worst of it. Study out
the questions for yourself. It beats
all the spellbinders in the world.