The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1873-10-09

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aware, felt constrained to interpose nv
veto last winter to an act of the legisla-
ture permitting a bridge to be thrown
across the Mississippi at point where a
board of able and disinterested army en-
gineers had said one ought MOTTO be built.
was bitterly assailed for my action, and
it was said that 1t was dictated by motives
of hostility towards particular railway,
and the desire to favor the city of La
Crosse, where for many years 1 have had
the happiness to reside. The statement
have made shows that my action was en-.
tirely consistent with my previous record,
and had done otherwise should Justly
have subjected myself to the censure Of
the whole country. 1t is source of sat
isfaction to me to know that all the posi-
tons assumed by me in that veto, have
been recently vindicated by Judges Drum
mond and Hopkins of the U. 8. Circuit
and District Courts, after full and pa
tlent hearing of the whole case. 1t will
hardly be claimed that their places of
residence, or hostility to the St. Paul and
Milwaukee Railroad, Influenced their de.
cision. -..
THE LATE MoNGREL CoNvENTIoN-MR.
TAYLOR's POSITION.
AT the recent mongrel convention in
Milwaukee there was feeble illumination
against railway monopolists, but so feeble
that Mr.. Anderson, sturdy and honest
farmer of Dane county, denounced it in
unmeasured terms before the convention,
as wishy-washy trifing affair. He offer
ed two other resolutions having the true
ring of genuine reform, and combined
attempt was made to howl him down and
table the resolutions, which evidently
were not palatable to the many stipendi-
aries of the Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail-
way Company comprising the convention
But Anderson stood his ground like a
man and said: q quote from the report
in the Milwaukee NewS): You dare not
reject these resolutions. The grangers
cast more votes in this State than all
which this convention can control He
dehed them to refuse to act on these reso-
lutions." Several gentlemen expressed
their sorrow that such plain spoken reso-
lutions were offered. Had the resolutions
expressed the sentiments of the conven-
ton they would have been adopted at
once. L will guarantee that these resolu-
lions would have gone through the Re
publican Convention, without dis
senting voice, had the occasion for
them arisen at that time. But dared
as they were, they were afraid to
table them; they were referred and finally
passed, after having the positive points
trimmed off, such anti railroad men as
j. P. G. CottrelI and Geo. H. Paul of Mil
waukee, and Peter Doyle of Crawford,
being the loudest in shouting, "Aye."
The sentiment of the convention being so
Enthusiastically in favor of the railway mo-
nopolies, and they being afraid to allow
their candidate for Governor to define his
position from the platform, we are forced
to look for it elsewhere. / shall always
speak of MIR. Taylor with that respect
which l feel for him as good citizen,
-
which he has chosen to occupy upon the
great question of railway extortions, Il must
express my regret that in his address before
the Agricultural Society, he should have
expressed himself in so unsatisfactory a
manner upon this question. The farmers
were not prepared to hear him say that
he had just walked up ON this subject. How
could it be otherwise than that he should
wake up "now," since it has been thun-
dering of late all around the sky. Mott to
have heard the cry, a man must have been
absolutely deaf. But who awoks the peo-
pie to this cry? Certainly not W. R. lay
lor. He tells you that he measured his
words when he spoke of the authors of
our State Constitution, who 25 years be-
fore gave power to the people to absolute
ly control all corporations. Where has
his voice been in all these long years,
during the last ten of which the people
were groaning under burdens greater than
| they now bear, and which only their cry
of anguish and despair could awaken
him from. You have heard of the man
in the State of Maine, who, when inter
rogated on the subject of the Maine Law,
declared that he was in favor of the law,
but opposed to its enforcement Our
friend Taylor, after reposing for twenty
five years, perfectly unconscious that any
thing was wrong, so far arouses himself
as to measure his words,'' and say that
he is satisfied the time has now come for
the people to do something. 1 will let
him tell it himself. Said he, Z" 1t is nv
opinion that the time has 7eop come to
exercise this power delegated twenty-five
years ago to the Legislature by the peo-
pie for their protection. No violent rem
edies are needed No legislation should
be enacted that aoiA aoedkep credit, or impair.
the fair 0alate Of eristing rights"
Now as you cannot legislate against
railroad without the cry being raised
that its credit may become weakened,
and as you cannot limit them in their ex-
actions without "impairing the fair value
of their existing rights" to gouge the far
mer all they can, this is virtually saving
that you must keep your hands off The
sentence Immediately following, proves
conclusively that he should properly be
classed with the Maine law man before
spoke of. ,.-r
THE LIQUOR PLANK. i'
While upon the subject Of this platform,
am reminded to notice and express nv
satisfaction at the action of both parties
on the subject of railway passes 1 cal
led the attention of the Legislature to the
subject in my last message, and expressed
my opinions fully and need not repeat
them. believe that 1 am the first execu-
tive of this state that ever called attention
to the subject, and am very much graft
fled that my views have been accepted
There is another resolution which will
notice in passing, it is as follows:
RESOLVED, That all enactments which usurp to
the state jurisdiction, private conscience, or
punish one citizen for the offences Of another arc
in conflict with the spirit of free government
THE GRAHAM LAW. hi
do not know that understand what
that resolution means. If it means, as [
am informed it was intended to mean, that
the free and unrestricted traffic in rum,
whiskey, gin and other death dealing and
Qof riy7o dc. 60 h.