Year: 1879

A TIMELY AND PAURIOTIC


LETTER.


Editor Patron-The overshadowing
strength of the political cliques and rings
of the country indicates most unmistak-
ably that there can be no hope of reform
in the condition of the laboring classes un-
til it is efectually and thoroughly broken
down. This should be the paramount
question that should engage the earnest
attention of every Grange within the linn
its of the United States. If the members
could be made to realize that the burdens
of an eXtravagant, corrupt government
fall in a great measure on the products of
their tolls and labors, they certainly would
bring about radical and wholesome
change for themselves and all other indus
trial classes in both town and country.


If intelligent appeals were made to the
latter, cordial cooperation could be Sc
cured, and with these forces combined
their onslaught would be irresistible and
destructive. A few leading purposes
would form the common bond of. union,
such as the abolition of the present bale
full convention machinery and the selec-
ton of representative men of their own
classes for official positions, the reduction
of the number, and in many instances, of
the salaries of officials, and last but not
least, a perpetual injunction by legal
methods on the issuance of any more
National, State, or municipal bonds. 1t
would be difficult matter to convince
the American people that public debt is
a public blessing, as has been couteuded
by many pseudo political economists.
| The depreciation in value of real and
personal estate in several of the States,
cities and towns here as in other countries,
gives it the lie direct 1t is but candid to
remark that this is not the only cause of
the present depreciation. Many of our
| cities are on the verge of bankruptcy,
others hopelessly insolvent. 1t has been
stated through the columns of the public
press that the debt of New York city is
greater than the combined indebtedness
of any four of the largest cities of Great
Britain. Louisville has debt of $II, ,ooo-
900 hanging over her, while Kentucky
owes nothing


Fortunate State! Unfortunate city!
Many of these debts may be cancelled
in the course of time but in the meantime,
through what sea of perils and woes
must the people encounter! 1t is not the
fierce struggles with the gaunt skeleton
of poverty; it is not 'the strikes" for liv
ing wages, involving the frightful loss of
life and property; it is not the increasing
numbers of assassins, robbers and MUIR
derers infesting the highways and by
ways; it is not the lawless spirit of agra
rianism SO rapidly and powerfully evoked;
it is not the gangrene of decay that has
settled on every material interest, but
more than all these it is the palpable loss
of those lofty moral principles and purpo-
ses, that SO conspicuously elevate civilized
communities above the heathen and brute
creation. The root of these evils must be
DESTROYED or in time it will be the sad les
son of history repeating itself. When
Jefferson uttered the immortal sentiment
that Eternal vigilance is the price of lib
erty," it was as note of warning to the
masses of the American people, for he
perhaps above all others of our statesmen
was more thoroughly imbued with the
conviction that in republican governments
the direct tendency was to centralization,
as power, open or covert, was always
stealing from the many to the few, and
that upon this fatal rock our liberties and
our institutions might be hopelessly and
forever wrecked.


The destruction of any future bonded
1debtedness accomplished, 1t would effect
ually crush out the worst and most glar-
ing of all the terrible evils of the credit
system and leave one other important step
to be taken by the Patrons aided and
abetted by all other industrial classes, who
in this, as in all governmental reforms,
should be their natural allies. We allude
to the destruction of our present tariff
i system, foundation, superstructure and all,
a system of legalized robbery coeval with
the history of our government by which
Puritan blood hounds have been furnish


ed with the sinews with which they have
!: been scourging the South to the verge Of


bankruptcy and poverty, and the govern
ment into the horrors of civil war, debt
, of billions, a subsequent twelve years


reign, rule and ruin of unlicensed thieves
and robbers, and an impending anarchy
conditioned upon the Inauguration and


life tenure of Office of Grant unless the
, Socialist, the legitimate fruits of their in
fernal legislation should anticipate and SUI
; percede such an event. With the, destruc-
) ton of this colossal power that has been
, istabbing the government to its very vitalS.