People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 August 1895 — REV. SAM JONES TALKS [ARTICLE]

REV. SAM JONES TALKS

GIVES HIS VIEWS OF THE POLITICAL SITUATION. Says Olil Party Lines Are Fadlntr < u . and the Country Is Organizing on the Brains and Common Sense of tii Common People. For the past twenty years the ianl; and file of citizens have given very little attention to politics. Our rapidly developing country, the various commercial and agricultural interests, Lave commanded their attention, every man has been busy with his Own affairswatching his opportunities in the business world. We have literally turned the governmental machine over to the politicians, and for years the professional politicians and tricksters have manipulated things to suit themselves, and all they had to do was to write out their platform and write democratic or republican above it,, crack the par y whip, and the people fell in line. As long as the old governmental cow gave milk enough for the family nobody cared how many calves sucked, but when there was not milk enough to go in the coffee the question was raised. The people have attended to their own personal business and have turned governmental affairs over to pot politicians and tricksters until they have managed things their own way until the government of the United States is literally in the hands of a set of political stealers and government robbers. * * *

The only question the average politician of to-day asks is: “What plank and what man will capture the most votes?” The vote hunter has made appropriations wherever he could capture a vote, and every fellow who got scared at the sight of a soldier or a gun during the war, or who had a bad cold or stumped his toe, has got his pension and gone to town to whittle white pine, while a few of the honest soldiers are supporting nearly a million of Uncle Sam’s loafers and white pine whittlers. The question now is how to get a. public pap to suck. When the democratic calves are sucking the republican calves stand around the lot and bawl. When the national election the gates and turns out the democratic calves every little republican calf rushes in. grabs a tit, shakes his tail and goes to sucking. * * • The people looking on the depleted treasury, gazing on their property reduced to one-half its value, putting their grain and stock upon the market at half price, pouring their hard-earned money into the depleted treasury of the United States, in heavy taxes, are beginning to look square in the face the question of the absolute bankruptcy of the United States unless something is done. They have waited four years on a wrangling congress, cross lifting with each other and the President, and bringing no relief. They have stuck to old party lines till hope has died within their bosom, and now almost every thoughtful citizen in the United States has got his ears backed and is prepared to kick the filling out of any fellow that cracks a party whip over him. * * * The old party lines are fading out and the country is organizing on the brains and common sense of the common people; organizing on a basis to secure speedy legislation on the questions that most need immediate attention. I looked upon this as the most fortunate thing that could happen to our great commonwealth. This is a re- ; publican government. We need an in- j telligent citizenship. To have this we ] must have first a free press, with brains and statesmanship at the head, not bought and bribed and dominated by a party lash, but governed by patriotism, I intelligence and sense of right, instruct- j ing the people honestly and impartially j on the great governmental questions of I the day. The common people are be-: ginning to think more than ever on*, government questions; they are begin- j ning to doubt, investigate and examine.: and the time is coming and ought | quickly to come, when the masses of | the people will cease to be driven into j line by party lash wielded by corrupt, I selfish and designing politicians.

* * => If I should make a cartoon of the government of the United States I would picture Uncle Sam standing with his hands thrown up saying: “Anything you want, gentlemen,” to the liquor king with his gun presented on the right and the money king with his gun presented on the left. Money and whisky have got the politicians, and the politicians have got the government. My hope has always been in the people. I have never had any hope in a politician except as he feared the people and acted for ihe people. People are aroused from one end of this country to the other, and well they may be, and the politicians may look to hear thunder before long. * • • Party lines are broken; the people are thinking independently and the time has passed when a little pot politician can take a drink out of his flask and yell Jeffersonian democracy a few times and call the democrats into line, hitch them to his little wagon, crack his party whip and ride into office. This country is bigger than any political party. Political parties have died and the country has lived, and some •more can die and the country will be better off by their death. Bankers and usurers are the only men that ever questioned the credit ol this government in time of peace. Tbe way tc win is to work to win. Now is a rood time to begin