The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1859-07-22

power.
Now, what is the result of the change,
and what has this great party of reform
accomplished, of all that they promised to
the people' Absolutely nothing. 1t is
true that at an enormous expense to the
State, they exposed the details of the Land
Grant corruption and mismanagement-
the general features Of which were already
well known to the people; and the effect
Of this thorough and exact expose, was on
" to load the State with an additional tax
of fifty thousand dollars, and to fix the
charge of corruption upon certain indivi-
duals who might, unless thus exposed, be
at some future time in the way Of the pol
itical aspirations Of the getters up of the
investigation. And this investigation fur
Their proved, that the charges and proofs
Of corruption were not confined to the
members Of any one party, but that Re-
pubIicans, equally with Democrats, had
shared in the public plumber and that a
Republican Governor had claimed no less
than $4,000 of this corruption fund.
What further has this pretended party
Of Reform accomplished BY their reck
less extravaganza, and dishonest appropria-
ton of the public money, and at time,
too, Of general IN onetary depression, they
have increased our State expenses to near
" double the amount they have ever reach
ed prior to the advent of the Republican
party into power.
We have not room in the limits of this
article, to detail the items Of unnecessary,
or rather dishonest appropriation of public
money made by that party, after they ASST
med the reins of State government, but
will point to a few which come most read
lily to memory at this time.
Governor BAsHFoRD presented to the
Legislature datailed account by items Of
his expense in eontesting before the SUI
preme Court the right of Governor BAR
STOW to the executive chair of the State.
This account complete, was only five thou
sand and Fifty dollars. But the Republican
majority, who came into power by r-oms-
ing reform ard economy, now that the
power was wholly theirs, changed their
motto, and declared that to the vic:ors be-
longed the spoils and gencr6us'y gave to
Coles BAsnFoRD, their partizah Governor,
nine thousand dollars Of the peoples mon
four thousand dollars more than
he claimed or demanded.
The same Legislature QS57) gave each
of three Republican lawyers $3.50 for
services in one suit-not very intricate
or difficult one-nether of the lawyers
being eminent in their profession. The
suit was before referees, Mr.. PRoUDFIr be
inc the party against the State, and he on.
ly paid his counsel 5000.
Another instance where the Republicans
carried out the motto" to the victOrs
belong the spoils"-(the pcQplc's mo"ey)-
was the ordering of large number of use
less documents: printed in foreign langua
ees. The cost of MiS printing to the State
for 1857, was over $4,000, and not any
of the work was done in time for distribu
ton that year; and being Annual Reports,
they were of course but of little value af
forwards, and cords of them are probably
now lying useless in the vaults Of the State
Capitol They have accomplished their
designs, however, which was not the en-
lightenmcnt of our forei gn-born popula-
ton, but to support at the expense of the
people, partizan pres, that had not sufi-
cientmerit q be self supporting.
1t would he idle to attempt to follow
through the extravagantt legislation of the
party for the past three years.
1t is enough to say that every scheme de
vised for plundering the State Treasury in
favor of members of the Republican party
has met with prompt support from the
members Of that party in the Legislature,
and we can point to the enormous State
tax of the past three years as proof that
the cry of Reform and Economy, with
which that party succeeded in deluding the
people Of the State. las proved an ignis
tatuus to allure the State into the swamps
and quicksands Of public extravaganza,
and consequent oppressive taxation.
The Democratic Party has now assumed
the place Of public prosecutors; and we ar
raign the Republican party before the great
bar Of Public Opinion, on the charges of
public extravaganza, and corruption, and
general mismanagement and imbecility in
conducting the affairs Of the State govern
ment. Before the great court Of the Peo-
pie, in November next, the issue will be
tried and hence the necessity that the
Democratic party should be fully prepared
for the trial. To be 50 prepared, the vo
tiers of the party must interest themselves
in every proceeding which las an influence