The League And Its Work

The folio w ing excellent idean of President Taitón, taken from tli' (Jrand Rápida Eagle, will be ol Interesi to i-epublicans: A rt pieseninlive ui the Eagle in.', Mr. John l'ntton, Jr., preaideni ol the Republican league cu" Michigan, yestrrilay. and requested a statement of hls views as to the work oí the league. "I urn very glad," BaM Mr. Pattón, "i" mik to republicana aboni bHè league. It is ïormed, not in the interest of in.v candiila li-, Imt tor the purpo.-e o:' organJaing rcpnblican clubs, clrculattng cepulfltean literature and promoting the ancceea oí república n principies. It is dcsinncd io embrace all the republican clubs of the state and, as far as posslble, edúcate the voter on the great questions now al issue botween partles. The yalue ol the club system was thorouglñy made manifest in 18S8 and it can be made a powerful factor for 18!)2. !;■- publican slionld begin the work of organlzation and do missionary work for tlie noxt year. We can learn a great deál trom our enemles naid 1 beU ve il republicana had a proper undcrstandiUR of 1hc eïl'ective work the democratie party haa done ii a quiit way ii the country during the past three yeara, fcbey wouid awaken to th neeesaity oi immediate and earncst work to counteract it. For exaniple. lile Reform club of New York city, an organizaron whlch. began operatione inimedlately after the presidential eleCtion, in November 1888. It has a large membership among the wealthy demócrata in New York, and a nonresident memljorship whlch embraces every state. I have examined tle publtehed animal reporta of the work of tliis club and am nol surprised that we wete beaten in 1890. The average republlcan has no idea of the work this club has done, and rlght here in Michigan we bad to figW aoi all the democratie organlzationa but this auxiliary of Tammany Hall as well. The Reform club raised $20,000 and spent it in 1880 after the presidential election in distrlbuting tariff reform Uterature. It sent out over 300,000 documente, storted a weekly paper for general circulation liired rooms in the Cooper Union, and had schools for speakers instructed by experts. It spent a Earge amount of money and dld much greater work in 1889, and for 1890 its tariff reform committoe reporta an expenditure of $58,014.13. It distributed eome 900,000 pamphlets and in addition to the lincs of work carried on in 1888, completeil a poll of almo.4 the entire country with the name of every democratie voter. It furnished a tract for every conceivable phase of the tariff question and the report says anion.ii otlier tilines: 'Xext to Iowa, it was in Minnesota, Wisconsln and Micliigan that the Reform club did the most work.' "In Illinois, one eongrossioual district, that of Rowell. chairman oï the eommittee on conUssted elections, was so well worked 'that Whlle local leaders of all parties still considered the campaign a hopeless one (for the democratie nominee) the Reform club forwarded him a poll canvass to justify its assertion then made that Lndicated that he would be elected as was the case.' "The eommittee on press fnrnished from 4,000 to 8,000 words of tariff reform artieles every three weeks to three Prees Assoelations, the American Press Association, the A. N. Kellogg Xewspaper company and the Chir eagO Xewspaper union, which went Into papers circulating in the smallest towns and villages, with a circulation of 1,050,000. "These are significant faets for republicans to study, and we must awaken to the necessity of meeting such work as this. The gospel of discontent and the heresies of free tifttde have been so insidiously advocated among the farming classes and mechantes that it will take a great dal of work to eradicate the poison. The club system and the work of the league eau be made of immeasurable help in this direction. With the earnest nelp of every republican the state can be so organLzel that when our state and other commlttees begin the campaign of 189Ü they will have a dificiplined army, bom of intelligent discussion, and a calm consideration of political questions, ready and anxious to do battle with an enthusiasm that will be irresistible. The of Heers of the league ask the hearty co-operation of all Kpublicans toward this end."