The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-07-22

asked for the suffrage of the citizens
of this second congressional district.
A congressional district is large ter
ritory and all the voters cannot be
expected to know personally what
manner of man aspires to look after
their legislative interests in congress.
In open political warfare the oppon-
ents should be relied on to show up
the weak points of one another. But
among politicians now, there is "a
eentlemen's agreement" not to throw
stones because most of them live in
glass houses. Hence political cam
paigns have degenerated into war
of words in which both sides try to
ontstr;p each other in oratorical stunts
that say much and mean little.
Cause of the Revolt.
1t is these politicians who are re-
sponsible for the insurgency in the
G. O. p. and anti-Tammanyism among
democrats. 1t was this spirit of re-
volt against the wiles of the politi-
elan that impelled the voters of the
second congressional district to throw j..
L. McClcary outside heir br"astwcrks
in his two last assaults on the posi-
comes back at us and says if we don't
take AL. Ward, a man after his
own heart, he will, schoolmaster like,
come back and ferule the voters into
submission. In his ultimatum to the
second congressional district he gives
as a reason for making Al. Ward his
heir to the position that "Mr. Ward
is one of the founders and builders
of Southern Minnesota"
This is "rich" beyond measure, a
real McClearyism for gall, to those VINO
know A. Ward, for it is a notorious
fact that he has built up merely
ly himself. So well has he built ur
Al. Ward that today he is '.land-
lord" who rules over mo-. real estate
and farms in Martin county than a
great man. Irish landlords do in he,
lard.
lie is the Boss Bnnldar
If land'c,dism. then, is !, benefit
to country, if that ''bu':ls up Il
country. then Al. Ward is ccr'aiIly
The "boss builder" of Martin county
but not of Southern Minnesota, for
the rest of Southern Minnesota knows
very little about him."
This letter will answer its purpose
if it helps the least mite in dis
peliing the political fog that Political.
shouters and scribbers have involved
our people in ever since the beginning
Of the Civil war. To lift that fog"
it will be necessary to refer to cOndi-
tions at the outbreak of the war.
1t must be remembered that the
north was utterly unprepared having
neither trained men, money nor NUM-
tiOns of war. Then, the war was not
so popular as the patriots for ''revenue
only of the present day our people
to believe. It is one thing to be
a patriot before the battles are fought
and another to be one after. Did DIR.
Samuel Johnson, dictionary Johnson,
one of the wisest and most learned
men of modern times, said; Patriot
ism is the last refuge of scOundrel.'
He was referring to political patriots
of the kind this country has been
cursed with since the Civil war. AS
"Puck" had it in a cartoon, these pat
riots will stand by the flag as long as
there is dollar in the treasury" Unfor-
tunately at the beginning of the Civil
war the United States treasury was
empty the regular army almost to
Il man had gone over to the south so
that patriotism at that time offered
mo refuge for the scOundrel.' But
the necessities of President Lincoln
of patriots chance to hold the gov
eminent up. and through their eXtor-
tons on it to put money in their
purses The bankers did this by charg-
ing the government eXorbjtant rates
for loans, on Shylock terms, and the
manufacturers, after shutting out for
eign competition by an almost prohibi-
tive tariff, by selling food, clothing
and munition of war to the govern
ment at cut throat prices.
The Shoddy Goods.
All old soldiers will remember the
shoddy army blankets and clothing,
and the quality and quantity of their
grub" but few know or ever will
know until 'the big black book of jobs
is made up how the government was
'bled" by the manufacturers and army
contractors. To cut a long story
short the Civil war was the nursery
of the American millionaire. But this
devils game was not played on the
] United States and state governments
alone for all classes of our people
suffered more or less, from "hOld
up" methods of doing business, and
none more so then the farmers, and
no farmers worse then those of this
| Southern Minnesota. In 1861 Martin
county was just beginning to be set
tied up by poor homesteaders, and
from that time until very few years
/ ha foc hoA tor I