Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-01-06
UNITED STATES SENATOR.
From Tie KiL5ou-p Crv Nirr,.

We have said but little IS 70 who should
be the successor Of j. r. Dooiittle in the
United States Senate, but have by no
means been di3interested spectator Of the
strife which has become somewhat warm
between the friends Of the different can
dida:cs. 4 ID IN this controversy We have
been most forcibly struck with what We
deem to be the unsoundness Of the argn-
ments made use Of in favor Of one of the
candida.es-ia other words, in favor of
Matt H. Carpenter
The first argument is, That ne is an able
manor the word more generally usedis.
smart. We admit that Mr. Carpenter IS
both smart and able; aud, in the profession
Of law he is probably ahead Of any of his
competitors for the Senatorship. But. as
far ss all the duties Of Senator are con
eerned, il viii hardly be denied that seye-
raj Of the other candidates would be as
smart and able as he And when you
apply another adjective, sound, which
must always be applied to true greatness,
We do net believe there are fifty intelligent
men IN the State Who viii seriously claim
that ne equals most OF the others. And
yet, this smariness is what his friends rely
on most to insure his success. We might
readily reply that Doolittle was smart, but
not Sound enough to keep from the slough
of Johnsonism,
The next argument fer Mr. Carpenter
is, that he left the Democratic party to sus-
tain the var. Our replyis, that he didn't
leave the democratic party for that pur-
pose for as la,e as 1868, long after he
sustained the war, he said that the demo
cratic party was 'tb8 last and only hope Of
The country" and that, the party once
more erect, lis face to the foe, no right
minded man could fail 70 choose correctly
between the republican party, born Of
sectional hate, reigning only o0itb cistt a0ar,
and the old hereditary party Of the eonst;-
tuition
And not ill 1867, after it was sure that
Wisconsin was irrevocabiy republican, and
when the U. S. Senatorship was in close
prospect, did anybody in the State, from
any word OF action Of his. have the slight
est reason to suppose he had fully left the
"old hereditary party of the con titation ,
In the dissolving views he exhibited to this
State and the country, h: 5 democracy did
not fade out at all for the war but when
the picture of the Z. S. S.. came close to
tie scene, tue old democratic picture faded
at once, and the new view was unmistaka-
bly, Tabled, Omitted States Senate"
But suppose he had at first left the
democratic party, which he didn't. is that
q reason for reward Don't you say Of
those who stuck to that party, and contin-
ued with the rebels and Ku KIuxes Of
the south, that they are traitors to their
country and deserve traitors fate And
IS there SO much more virtue In leaving
traitors than in never being with them,
sAat the FIRST shall be rewarded with Office
90 the exclusion Of those who have neve.
been in such company? Shall we give
every man farm who leaves a den Of
counterfeiters or horse thieves? and es
pecially shall We take the farms from hon.
est men to give to such There is some
thing so utterly inconsistent ia his kind Of
reasoning, that We can only wonder that
able men should bring il forth.
We believe these are the only positive
reasons used by Mr.. Carpenters friends;
bat there a.es q good many negatsve ones.
One Of these negatives is, that he will not
betray The republican party. We admit
thee is sound sense in his friends proving
this if they can because it is a point on
which tie stern republicans Of Wisconsin
are very sensitive. But would it not be
ridiculous for the friends of Rublee,
Waldo, n ashburn, Solomon OF Fairchild
to go Systematically to work to prove that
they could be trusted
Another negative is, that Carpenter is
not drunkard and another that he is
not Icentious And We believe some of
his friends, and especially his democratic
friends, are out before the public with
strong certificates and assertions to prove
that their candidate Is not possessed Of
these vices All the reply we have to
this is that we think that such meu as
RubIee. Waldo. &c. would not tina k their
friends to commence ylndIcaton OF their
character on these points.
Nov, while we have smart, able, sound
men IN the party in this State men who
will bear the most thorough inquisiSion in
regard to all their qualii ions for the
Senatorship, is it not a little strange thaC
some Of our republicans should, with
such energy, drive a man who needs 50
many defenses? OF tue good men nam
ed as competitors Of Dir. Carpenter, We
do not hesitate to say that we prefer Mr.
Rublee, because We think he possesses
every qualification fol United State Sen
ator in an eminent degree.
NEWSPAPER DIRECTORY. T.