Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-10-15
. vrv woass 70 DEMOCRATS.

Who. in the Legislative hall, in the
executive chamber, on the bench,
have 50 discharged their trusts that
their names have become historic,
has ever been q favorite boast. No
p.rty in this century has been
nrouder of its record than the Dem
ncrstic party, and to be an "old line
Democrat is considered glory
enough, by many who base their
political creed on the principles of
Jefferson and Jackson. And this is
right. SO fsg as the principles OF
those noble men are the living is
sues of to-day. But we cannot live
wholly ia the past. We must be
alive to the questions of our time,
and the question for the Democrats
Of this district is: Where would
an enlightened patriotism lead them
to throw their influence! For we
have no separate party organization;
no nominee on whose head waves
the plume of Democratic leadership.
G. F. Thompson is no Democrat,
and has no record or abilities en-
titling him to our support. But We
have on one side the so-called "Re-
form party, a queer conglomeration
of aspirants, communists, dema-
gogues, and honest idealists, who
see in each new party the perfect
one of which they have dreamed.
TO believe that from such elements
great national party can be evolv-
ed, capable of rising to the height
demanded of it, requires credullty
which few plain practical Democrats
ike myself possess. On the other
hand we have the Republican party,
long ago found to be ga foeman
worthy Of our steel" Let US look
the facts squarely in the face like
men. The Republican party is the
only one which now has a national
organization, and when we remem-
Der those Old Democratic heroes,
Douglas, Dickinson, Dix and others
who, with the patriotic rank and
file of our party, shared its tolls
and helped it to save the nations
life, we can but honor it for its
noble deeds in the past. In 1860 its
bitter opponents called it the party
of "Mudsills," ''the skums OF So
ciety," and now call it "the arlstO-
Gratis party We will honestly ac-
knowledge our conviction that here,
as elsew here, ''truth lies in the
golden mean," and that it is party
without respect to class, one for the
whole people. The resolutions
passed by the late Republican con-
yention in Mineral Point, declared
in favor of honesty and economy in
the use of public funds, an early re-
turn to specie payment, the speedy
conviction and punishment Of be-
trayers of public trust, the improve
ment of the Wisconsin and Fox
rivers, and made the noble declara-
ton that ''tbe Republican party is IN
.taoor Of ecery REAL and LASTING
REFORM" The Republicans seem,
to me, such as any patriotic Demo-
crat can endorse. The Republicans
have put in nomination for Congress
a native of the district; one whose
boyhood was spent in turning up
the fertile soil of old La Fayette
county; whose lifelong sympathies
and associations are with the peo-
pie of the district; whose hopes are
for their true and lasting progress /;
who is pledged, if elected, to do all
in his power to worthily represent
the district of which he is a nomi-
nee, and to further, by all honorable
means he can command, the i'm
provement of the Fox and Wiscon-
sin rivers. Those who know Mr..
Magoon know that his pledges will
be kept, and that no more efficient
representative could be sent from
this district Granted that the Re
publican party has made mistakes,
that few dishonest men have had
high positions in it, it is only hu-
man, and we can soon find instances
of betrayal of trust in our own
party, great and national as it was,
if we turn to its history. Yet, can
we not see that continuing treat
ment, even moderately good, while
the nation is Commissioning from the
terrible wounds of war, is far bet
ter than taking up some quack
medicine, which, like the Reform
party, promises to cure everything
Douglas said in one of his last let
tiers, pennsd by hand already