The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1874-10-15
LIVE ISSUES.
Ex-Governor Washburn Discusses
them at La Crosse.
The Railway Question He Thinks
Railways are Good Servants,
but DANGEROUS Masters.
he Tells the Truth About the
Reform Pan ty."

O1OWulS Is dill dillOoG ~ Nto-AA
port of Ex-Governor G. G. WashOrrn
speech, delivered at La Crosse last
THURSDAY:
sire 20 speak to the people this fab LIVING
quietly and cOntentedly upon my farm, I snolI9 9
there during the pending canvass, could nave
done so III justice to the party that mas 9e 81
greatly hOnOred me in days past, or to mySeA
The request of the State Central Committee
that [ should make some speeches this fall I
could not refuse to comply with. Thankful
now and always to my fellow citizens for the
many fayerS I have received at their hands, and
especially at the haods of the Republican party,
[ could not decline any reasonable request made
by that party, so long as believe as do now,
that the peace, hopes, prosperity, and happiness
of the country depend on the continued as
tendency of it. shall speak to you tonight
as L always speak. my sincere convictions re-
gardless of all personal considerations. hope
that my views will meet with your approval
but if they do not, 1 cannot, like a scurvy
politician, seem to see the things that are not" :"
In speaking now on the only live issues Of the
country in regard to which the people are SO
much divided, can hardly hope to meet the
approval of the State Government, after fifteen
years of honorable administration, passed into
the hands of the Democratic party under an
other name. This party, which now carries the
all indignant people fifteen years ago. Clam
erOus and hungry, ''meager, gaunt and grim "
and remembering the jolly days of Monks Hail.
when they were allowed to sack the State Treas
ury and plunder the school fund, days that they
had long sighed for the return Of, they raised
a hue and cry last fall Of extravaganza and cor
ruption, and told the people if they could once
get into office and get hold of the books they
would deyelOpe startling things. Their crimes
against the people Of the State had been par
TALLY forgotten, and many good people, hear
ing the constant clamor, were, no doubt, led to
believe that there might be something wrong,
and were Indifferent to the results. Well, they
have now been in office about nine months :;
they have had full control Of the books all that
time, and you have failed to hear the slightest
Government while under Republican rule, or
that they had not all been managed with the
greatest fidelity to the public interest.
The new State Treasurer will tell you that he
found every dollar in the treasury that be-
longed there, and the Secretary of State viii
tell you the same thing. How this contrasts
with the condition of the different departments
when they passed into Republican hands you
all know. Willany responsible party connected
with the present State Government dare assert
that there has been no defalcatiOns in any Office
in the capital since the Reformers had control
of it?
Coming into Office with-a great flourish of
trumpets and parade of honesty, the Reform
erS signalized their advent by great sound Of
retrenchment and economy, and actually sue
ceeded, by kicking out a few crippled and
MANNED soldiers who had been employed around
the Legislature, in saving few hundred dollars
Their next great achievement, for which Re
formers no doubt feel proud, was to dig up and
pay to the model Reformers of the period or
place in a way to be paid divers Or Sundry old
claims that had three times been paid in full ;
ton in the great city of Milwaukee the biggest
Reformer of the lot, the great Reform engineer
of last fal who now stands indicted in the
United States Court of this District for defraud-
ing the revenue, and who, if convicted. VIII be
wanted to serve the government in q different
capacity from that of an NJ. c. This last great
crOwning act was accomplished, according to
Judge Mallory, the opposing candidate for the
nomination, gentleman Of high character and
untarnished name, by an expenditure of 500
00O in bribery and corruption. That the Re
formers ought to feel proud when they hear of
these things, who can deny? That their new
candidate for political honors is destined to
set it down az an axiom that any party which
supports man for an important office who is
is itself corrupt. and may expect to have that
judgment pronounced upon it. do not believe
that there is any district in the State quite
ready to invoke such a Judgment, certainly not
the one which boasts of her great commercial
city, and the thrift sobriety, and intelligence
of her citizens. Think, if YOU can. of Rindskopf
sitting in the chair Of Mitchell, and then if your
minds are capable of fathOmng a lower deep,
think of Mitchell helping to place him there.
But have no time to waste upon such matters.
| attempted to arrest, and did arrest for time,
some of the robberieS, but in turn the people
arrested me. You know the rest.
They evidently like to be robbed, and did
very wrong in interposing to save them from
that pleasure. 1t is ssaid that
1.-THE pleasure is as great
OF being cheated as to cheat,
and if that BE so, you are no doubt perfectly
happy.
The great issues that have heretofore divided
the country are to a great extent settled. As
they have been settled against the protest and
votes of the Democratic party, it is more than
likely that, should that party again ever come
into power, it will undo as far as it can what
has been accomplished. Constitutional amend
mentS have been adopted to secure the rights
of all men without regard TO race, color, or pre-
viouS condition. But without appropriate leg
iSlatiOn these amendments are as so much blank
paper The Democratic party has always op-
LEGISLATION necessary
amendments effective, and would no doubt re-
peal ali such laws # once possessed of the power
The only safety, then, is in keeping them out
of power, and if there was ever any doubt
about it, the recent transactions at the South
have settled the question. While there is no
occasion to discuss at this time the issues OF the
war, it is proper that we should see TO it that
the results of the war are maintained. But
there are other and vital questions affecting
your prosperity and welfare that are pressing
and cannot be ignored or postponed. Perhaps
the most important of these are the transpor-
tation and currency questiOns.% My position on
both OF these questions, think, must be pretty
well known and understood, as | have often
publicly declared my opinion in years past.
No one has a patent right to the discovery
that the State had, under our constitution, the
power to control railways, as may be supposed
from the claims recently set up in certain quar-
tiers, but if priority of advocacy confer any
rights, may safely assert my claim.
In many public speeches before the people of
the State since 1866, and in two annual messages
to the legislature, 1 declared myself in IN
eQuivoca1 terms. But my early and continued
advocacy of the right of legislative control was
in no spirit of hostility to railroads. I well
know what they have done for civilization and
the development of the country. They are
good servants, but dangerous masters. Wit
Messing for years the vast aggregations of cap
ital in the hands of corporations, whose will
appeared to be the supreme law. long since
became convinced that they were becoming a
dangerous power in the country, and that if
not checked and controlled by the people,
would become their masters that they would
dictate thNl laws OF the country, pack courts to
interpret them, and would make and unmake
Presidents, Senators and Representatives in
Congress. 1 said this in speeches in 1855. had
no private grievances; the railroads had al
ways used me well, and had no special cause
for opposition to any. and what said at that
early day was not in reference to the railroads
which such vast powers were concentrated in
fhf, hands of a few men. who. if so fjisnOSed.