Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-06-21
COngreSsiOnal-shall the People or the
Disoiganizsrs Rule


The few who regularly read the
Platteville Witness must have noticed
how sensitive that local sheet is over
the candidacy Of one of our citizens
for congressional honors. At the
announcement by several of the press
Of the district Of their preference for
the elevation of Hon. Geo. G. Hazel
ton to represent the Third District
in Congress the Witness trots out
the name Of Hon. ]. Allen Barber as
a candidate for that position, and in
the same article pitches into Mr..
Hazelton like q mulley bull into
stone wall" Doubtless in the end
the Senator will stand as firm and
impregnable IS the rocks, notwith-
standing the butts and kicks, the
abuses, curses and slanders of the
much troubled Witness, We believe
no other Grant County paper has in
dulged IN the disgrace of publicly
slandering any Of the aspirants for
Congress, or has attempted to force
q prejudice in tho minds of the peo-
pie against tho claims OF any for tho
important trust. This kind Of war
faro, inauguratod and thus far contin-
ued by the Witness, may oil DO very
we'll for political opponents, but when
editors inaugurate war and discord
in our own shoop-fold then it is time
for oil those who reverence the good
namo and history Of tho republican
party to look into the conduct Of
those who indulge in personal as
ssults in our own camp, and sec if
mean, petty selfshness on the part
OF those engaged is not at.tho bottom
Of all their work.
AS for Mr.. Haseltou, he is we'll
known to his fellow citizens Of Grant
County, and they know him 20 be
all that his most sanguine friends
claim log him. Whenever he has
been before the people of Grant
County for their suffrages his fair
name has been an open target for the
slang, falsehood and abuse OF the
Witness and ell those who follow the
wake Of that sheet but the verdict
of the people has invariably been on
the side at Mr.. Hazelton and against
the cowardly attacks Of the Witness
and those who have sought the COL
umns Of that paper for their uEtruth-
full criticisms.
In our intercourse with the peo-
pie we have become satisfied that
Mr.. Hazelton is the choice of a large
proportion of the republican cleo
tors of this county for our next Con-
gresham and when we announced
his name as the peoples preference
for that Office it was simply what we
then believed and still believe, that
the choice of Grant Co unity in this
contest would fall upon him. And
when we speak of Grant County we
mean something more than the mere
town Of Platteville. We understand
that Platteville is q part of Grant
County-not the whole of it; and
while we are willing to admit that
the Witness correctly represents the
majority sentiment in Platteville, we
say that that sheet docs not repre-
sent the republican sentiment on To-
cal politics in one single town in the
county outside Of Plstteville. If the
Witness is entitled TO arrogate to it
self that il represents the true re-
publican sentiment in Grant County,
why is it that in most of the towns
OF the county the paper il not O
weekly visitor, and has never been
heard Of only as tho organ Of the
soroheads and boilers. The Fitness
represents tho honest republican
sentiment of Grant County 2 Why,
If such is the fact, then the result Of
the election last fall Ia q lie. II we
understand the history Of the coun-
~ for tho past twelve months, the
c0pperhcads and sorohcads and bolt
ors did not carry the olOction last
fall. On tho contrary over eight
hundred of tho sturdy republican
voters Of Grant County pronounced
against tho Witness and in favor of
tho very man il would defame and
SANDER at this time. o, consistency,
thou art o jewel, indeed The peo-
pie understood yourposition then, Mr..
Witness, and understand you now.
IL is simply tho samo old cry to the
soreheads and boilers TO arouse for
tho contest, prepare for victory, and
ifyou can't get the victory, bolt
Now, republicans understand the
game, and that you havo no idea
that your candidate, Hon. j. Allen
Barber, will DO the next nominee for
Congress. You know very we'll that
George G. Hazelton is tho "coming
man. from this county for that posi-
ton, and your game is to defeat him
by dividing the county support and
thereby play into the hands of CO.
workers and sympsthizers outside of
Grant County. Your aim is to de-
feat Hazelton at all hazards-no
matter what the means are, foul or
air; and if you cannot defeat his
nomination, which you certainly
cannot, we expect you to organize
corps of soreheads and copperheads
and boilers, and bolt the nomination.
1t is for this purpose and this alone
that you proclaim the name of ].
Allen Barber at your mast head.
The republican masses understand
the programme, but it never can
win.
We have no disposition to turn this
congressional matter into a contest
of personal abuse of men, and regret
to see the course of the Witness and
Mineral Point Tribune in opening
their columns to this kind Of warfare.