Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-08-14
THE RUTLAND HERALD
THURSDAY, AUGUST "A, 1873.
WISCONSIN POLITICS.

A mass convention of German-Ameri-
can citizens, who called their meeting py
the high sounding name of 1.-The Aneri
can Constitutional Union, was held at
Milwaukee. Wis, last week, and result
ell in a disappointment to those who
were expecting much of it. The OBJ
iect of their convention, as declared
in their call, was to protest against
sumptuary laws, and while many people
will agree with those delegates, that
Temperance is a virtue which cannot be
promoted by legislation" yet, at the
same time, they will be forced to repudi-
ate this convention as an exponent OF
their views, on account of its intern
perance OF action and of speech. We
believe that all people are entitled to
respc ,tful hearing, and we are we'll
pleased to see individuals, who look upon
any measures as vicious and useless, that
are instituted for them, do all they reason
ably can to procure reversal of the
rule; but they should not inaugurate
their reform with a manifestation OF
vindictiveness, nor seek to gain power
by denying to others the same personal
liberty they claim for themselves.
The self-constituted delegates to this
convention, 1--WE speak of them as dele
gates because the convention so terms
them, although they denominate the
meeting itself as a mass convention
were principally from the Western and
Central States of Wisconsin and her i'm
mediate neighbors. Their first assault
in behalf of their hobby of ''free lager,
is a bitter TRADE against the Republican
party, which they charge has changed
its character, from an organization for
patriotic purposes, to an engine in the
hands of a selfish few, to retain power
and position for themselves. Now, every
body knows, by the results of the last
few elections, that the Republican party
is pre-eminently and exclusively an or
ganization Of the people, and can be
used only by the people to promote the
highest political advantage of the nation,
and that as such 1t stands higher in the
popular esteem to-day, than ever before
since its birth at the Philadelphia con-
vention of 1856. The charge they also
make, that corruption is manifest in all
branches of the government, has nc
foundation in fact. There are some cor
rupt men in power, and some of then
profess to be Republicans but the won
der is that there are not more of them
and the republican party is not RESPONSE
BILE for what there is, as it has taker
prompt measures to purge itself from
every corruption so soon as the disease
first manifested itself.
About the most inconsistent arraign
ment this convention makes of the party
is that, "the national domain and re-
sources are voted to political parasites
and mighty corporations, whose over
whelming and constantly increasing
power is giving just cause for alarm.
1t is less than ten years since every MAJ
not lunatie or an idiot, actively ap
proved the granting of public lands fol
the building of railroads, as a judiciou'
investment of public property, to Ope1
up for settlement large States, as wei
as to increase the value of the remaining
portion of the national domain left il
the hands of the government. Thu
fourishing States represented by ou
German friends at Milwaukee, would
now have been unhallowed by the ad
vancing tide of civilization, had no
these same political parasites" anC
alarming corporations" furnished
method by which they and their neigh
bors could remove their household god
from their fatherland to their happ,
homes in and around the valley of tn
Mississippi.
There has never been better citizens il
this country than the Germans. The
are peaceful, intelligent and law-abid
ing, and the great mass of them ar
strong adherents of the Republican pal
ty, and this outburst from this disaffect
ed few, will have no influence upo
them, but it may foreshadow the Demo
cratic war cry of the coming campaig
in Wisconsin. Prohibitory legislation
They regard it as an abridgement of pei
sonal liberty to restrict the sale or us
of their fayorite beverages, and the al
tempt to Join the opponents.of the Re
publican party with the personal libert
prejudices of that powerful class, VIII
cherish an affection for the histori
drinks of their ancestry, is cunnin
electioneering dodge, but it won't work
The Republican party are not fanatics
The patriotic purposes of their organize
ton are not prohibitory legislation or tn
establishment of religious societies, an
when the Republican State Conventio
of Wisconsin, that meets at Madison o
the 9th of August, has done its work
there will not be much doubt left in tn
minds of the German citizens of tina
State of where their duty lays in tn
coming canvass.