I04 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



and find a mugwump, and then just examine him. It is al- 

 ways easier to examine some other fellow than it is yourself. 

 Just examine him and see what kind of a fellow he is. I 

 was talking a little wdiile ago about people being controlled 

 by their disgusts. Did you ever know a mugwump who was 

 not controlled by his disgusts? The truest thing ever said 

 about a mugwump was that he was a man whose mission was 

 to make virtue odious. That is exactly it. A mugwump 

 can only see the darkest side of everything; he is constitu- 

 tionally against everything; that is the mugwump. I have 

 no use for that type of human being. I want a man to be a 

 Democrat or a Republican, or to belong to some other party 

 that is formed on definite lines, and I don't care now what it is. 

 Let him be a member of it, and let him stick to it, and let him 

 fight its battles out in the caucus. I do not care what party a 

 man belongs to. But when he has made his choice let him 

 stick to it, and help fight its battles in the caucus or anywhere 

 else. I do not believe in a man belonging to a party, and not 

 going to its caucuses. That is just the source of one trouble 

 that w^e have had. We have let the caucus go to the devil, 

 and the devil has run the caucus. The citizen who does that 

 has got no right to say afterwards: " Its pretty bitter to vote 

 this ticket." Now I hope you will understand me. I am not 

 holding myself up as a model citizen; not at all; but I draw 

 that general division; I attend the caucus; I do not always 

 vote, but I would not miss a caucus for anything in the world. 

 I want to know what the boys want, and what they are think- 

 ing about, and what they propose to do. I want to be one of 

 them. I want to talk it over with them, and advise with them. 

 It does no good many times to find fault with nominations 

 after they are made. The thing for the good citizen to do is 

 to attend the caucuses, and help to see that good nominations 

 are made. If you do not go you are not a free citizen; you 

 are controlled by some other poAver. No foreign potentate 

 could do it any more effectually if you were under his juris- 

 diction. You are not a freeman in the highest and best sense 

 if you do not attend your caucuses. It does not always make 

 so much difference whether you vote or not, but go to the 

 caucuses unfailingl}-. Do it every time. The caucus con- 

 trols our government. You cannot have it in any other way. 

 You may use bad language about this, and express your feel- 



