Rensselaer Union, Volume 6, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 May 1874 — WHAT THE PRESS SAYS OF THE PEOPLE’S MOVEMENT. [ARTICLE]

WHAT THE PRESS SAYS OF THE PEOPLE’S MOVEMENT.

The weekly Mail and Magnet, thirty-two columns in sire, is tine srftme of a pspr-r launched al Ply mouth, Ind., on the 6th instant.! — It is published by Messrs. C. M. Brooke and A% B. Clark, and the first issue is a very pretty sheet. At a recent meeting, the Patrons of Husbandry of Laporte county passed a resolution recommending ti»« construction of a ship canal from Lake Michigan (Michigan City) to a point on the Wabash river, in order that water communication may be obtained from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. The Rensselaer Uniox calls Warsaw a one-horse town. Why, neighbor, it could put the whole of your little village in its Opera House, and still have room for a first-class concert!— Warsaw Indianaian. It requires a large quantity of brass to equal in valpe a small bit of gold. In another place is published the rules adopted by the People’s Central Committee lor governing their Primary Election on the 30th instant. Every legal voter in the county may vote at that election without giving pledges. Let every one come out and 6liow to the world that the people are capable • of selecting a good ticket without interference of cut and-dried conventions. Yesterday the commissioners of Jasper county in called session appointed Messrs. Charles M. Watson, of Marion township, and Albert G, Robb and William Hanley, of Gillam township, a board of appraisers to assess benefits and damages to real estate arising from the operations of the Jasper County Ditching Association. This organization has made an estimate of the cost ol their proposed work, and find that it will bp something > less than $48,000. About every bigoted Republican jourual in the country is opposed to farmers and other laboring classes taking an independent position in regard to political matters. — Nearly every self-constituted “leader” in ihe Republican party, and nearly every man holding an appointment under President Grant is opposed to “Grangers having anything to do with politics, as it is out of their sphere, and contrary to the spirit of their order!” Why ? Is the Republican party afraid to trust the people ? Are office holders opposed to the interests of farmers and other laboring classes ? Is that party wholly gone into the control of monopolists and salarygrabbers ? Mr. Jasper Packard favorß the Philadelphia Centennial job, and is willing to vote three millions of dollars of the people’s money for that nonsense. Is it not singulary that our representatives can’t understand what is meant by economy and retrenchment in Government expenditures? These are hard times,; industrial interests are said to be languishing everywhere in the United States; newspapers have been publishing columns upon columns gs arguments for an increase oi the volume of currency and members of Congress have scarcely recovered the natural tones of their voices since speaking loudly in favor of the same thing; these inflationists are not done making mouths at the President for vetoing their bill; yet Mr. Packard and his confriers think the country demands three millions of dollars’ worth of noise, pageantry—nonsense ! It is no matter how large the national debt is, or how laboring people work, and pinch, and practice strictest economy m order to obtain the barest necessaries of life, school their children and pay .■ taxes—these considerations have little influence with salary-grabbers when Philadelphia saloon keepers, hotel managers and speculators ask au appropriation for their exclusive benefit Who proposes to attend the Centennial exercise, will they be farmers, mechanics, laborers, factory operatives, country tradesmen, or physicians, clergymen and attorneys from the rural districts ? Very few of them have means to squander that way. No; those who are likely to lie there will be members of Congress, merchant princes, -* railroad kings, stock brokers and the' shoddy aristocracy generally. Let them foot their own bills. Not . one person in a thousand outside of Philadelphia would see the show or hear the noise, and not one of a million would receive any benefit from it ; therefore the national government should not mike any appreciation for that spree.

o The Chicago Tribune published entire the platform of the People's Movement in Jasper county, supplimenting it by a brief outline of the condition of political sentiment in Jasper county, both past and present, as detailed by a correspondent. The Indianapolis journal and Crown Point Register summarized the proceedings of the meeting of April 25th into a dozen lines of type, barely giving an outline ot their import The Remington Journal, Francesville Guard, Valparaiso Messenger and Crown Point Herald published the proceedings entire without comment. The Monticello Herald published only the platform. The Brookston Reporter published the platform and gave an outline-of political affairs in this county. The Lowell Star published circular, preamble and resolutions, recommended them to the consideration of people in Lake-.couuty, and promised to comment upon th»ra in a future issue. The Kentland Gazette says Very -briefly, bat, somehow, significantly, that “The people ot Jasper county by a published call have requested the voters who endorse reform m the State and National administrations, to meet in their several townships to nominate county officers, etc., by the primary election method.” This is significant so far as the Gazette is concerned, from the fact that the movers in reform are given the dignified appellation* of “People,” instead of being designated by the opprobriousi epithet “Sore-heads.”— Of late, however, the latter term is not used so flippantly nor so frequently as it was a few months ago. “Sore-heads-” will be pretty much extinct when the people proper begin to conduct the primalies themselves, instead of entrusting this duty to the manipulations of a few professionals who generally attempt to manage them in a way to serve personal interest, without caring especially for the public welfare.

The Francesville Home Banner thus comments upon the Movement: “The Central Association (Grangers) of Jasper county, have ordered a Primary Election to be held in order to seleet candidates for the offices to be filled at the approaching October election. We presume the same course will be adopted in all the counties where the Grangers are very numerous, and are not at all surprised at the movement. — From the first we felt convinced that to accomplish the avowed object of its introduction in the W est it must necessarily become a political organization, and we are not sorry to see steps taken to bring the matter squarely before the people. We are not committed one way or the other, neither to the support of their ticket or the opposition; should a ticketfbe nominated in our county composed of men ot unexceptionable character, unmixed with any of the old political ‘dead beats’ of the past, and the measures advocated by them look to the interests of the whole people we will give them a cheerful and candid support. But we trust our farmer friends will remember, while contending for justice to themselves, that the elevation of agriculture cannot be accomplished by the destruction of other interests. Our civilization is such that mutual concessions, and mutual dependence in their several pursuits are necessary to the well-being and harmony of the whole. The elevation of one class to the exclusion of others leads, first to discontent, then to anarchy, and finally to despotism. This is the evil which our Grangerifriends-claim they wish to remedy. We earnestly entreat them not to be led by designing men into the opposite extreme.” ■ The Winamac Democrat publishes the introductoiy proceedings of the meeting, the circular, and platform, prefaced as follows: “We are indebted to Horace E. James, Esq., for advance eopies of the recent movement in Jasper county to form a new political organization We are informed by Mr. James that the several committees are composed of active men from both the Republican and Democratic parties, the largest number being from the former. Heretofore the county has given a reliable Republican majority of 360 to 395 with a voting popnlation of about 1,500. It will be seen from tho proceedings which we give below in full, that the movement Is inaugurated by the Central Association of the Patrons of Husbandry, notwithstanding the repeated declaration of the members ot the order, and solemn announcement ot the last National Grange, that the organization was not a political one.

The resolutions with bneSxception arc good, and will commend themselves to good men of all parties. If the fourth resolution advocates the doctrine that Congress possesses the power to regulate tariffs on roads through the several States, we do not fully endorse it, neither Is it generally conceded by our best statesmen. From our acquaintance with many gentlemen both Republicans and Democrats whose names appear upon the committees, we have uo doubt the movement ja formidable enough to defeat any candidates which may be nominated by either of the two old political parties.” The Laporte Argus calls it “a significant movement” and says:— “Under the auspices of the Jasper County Central Association ol the Patrons ol Husbandry, a primary election for the nomination of a county ticket will be held in Jasper County on the 30th inat, This is the first open political step taken by the Grangers in this end of the State, and it is, therefore, of the greatest significance. The Central Association invite all voters, irrespective of parties, to join them in making ihe test: “Is he honest, and is he capable” the standard of their support of any candidate for office. Comffiittees were appointed to confer with adjoining counties, to bring about proper selections for Legislative candidates. Jasper county has heretofore been regarded as one of the most reliable Republican counties in the congressional district, and her majority usually reaches to the neighborhood of 400, there being about two Republicans to one Democrat.— The new .movement is significant in that it was participated in by Republicans and Democrats alike, and does not arise from any local trouble, but solely from a desire to correct the many evils which have grown up under the rule of the Republican party. The Resolutions favor strict economy in all official circles, and condemn the salary grab, applying the same to the President, Congress and State

Legislature. They oppose a piotective tariff and express a wish to avoid the extremes of both Protection and Free Trade, making a tariff for revenue only. One ot their resolutions hits a point which the Argus has frequently spoken of and as it shows that we are not alone in denouncing the style ot legislation, we give it entire: ' “ 'Resolved, That with an increase of the assessed value of property in the State of Indiana there should have been #*decrease in the rate of taxation, therefore we favor legislation, at the earliest possible day, having this object in view.’ “Another resolution favors increased facilities for transportation with 6uch regulations as are consistent with organic law; and lastly, thay favor such legislation on the temperance question ‘as wisdom may dictate.’ In the proceedings of the convention the names of a number of gentlemen figure who are quite prominent outside of their immediate localities and it looks very much like an affair that is likely to be catching and one that will spread throughout this Congressional District.— It is clearly a thrust at the Republican party, for it can hardly be said that there is any other party in Jasper County, and we think that most Democrats, who are desirous of bettering the condition of governmental affairs will heartily co-operate with the movement. If all the elements opposed to the Republican party can be united, the 10th District will send a man to Congress who will be able to do something to stem the tide of corruption that now prevails around the White House, throughout the Departments and in Congress. If the Jasper county Patrons can aid in doing this, we heartily wish them. God speed.”