The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-09-02
THE MILWAUKEE,
MEETING.
ELOQUENT DEFENSE.
a Administration OF VIM. r..
Taylor Severely
Criticised.
Arrogant and Self Seekin g
Candidate.
Offers an Insult to the Supreme
Court.
No Economy Except by Starvation
Wages to the Poor.

4 u inc IIcHhIcTttttc ttIItt LteJOfUi 4 CtItY
Of Wisconsin,.
The undersigned took the liberty of
recently meeting with several respecta-
BILE and Influential friends of the party
in the city of Milwaukee, in free and in
dependent consultation respecting the
nomination of a candidate for Governor
by the next State Convention.
Such an informal meeting became
necessary, in their opinion, because the
present incumbent of that Office, and
his interested friends had for long
time been making the most persistent
and determined effort to secure his NOM
ination at all hazards, make it u fore
gone conclusion and forestall the action
of the Convention without any free or
fair expression of opinion as to his
claims, merits or availability. Many
of the party have for long time can
didly and impartially believed that the
present Governor was not the most COM
peten5 or available candidate for re-elec-
ton to that office in the coming CANVASS,
and was not, by any means, the only one
in the State of ability, character or pop
ularity to make him such, or that he has
exclusive claims to the Office, paramount
of all others, and they claimed and ex-
the liberty of opinion and speech on
this subject ofIpubhc and party concern.
That meeting and its proceedings
have been most grossly misrepresented,
and those who participated in its deIib-
erations have been the subjct of ridicule
and abuse by the peculiar friends of
the Governor, who have assumed the ex-
elusive control and management of the
party in his interest.
1t has been denominated as Sat.
CIark's Convention: It is due to the
Hon. Saterlee Clark to say, that he new
er knew the meeting was called until he
was requested to be present, and that
no suggestions had been received from
Mr. Clark previous to the call in rela-
ton thereto.
Having thus been publicly and most
unjustly attacked, it becomes our duty
to stand on our defense and to give the
reasons for our opinions and action, and
not wishing to be personal, offensive or
obtrusive, but prompted by our own
self respect and by what we deem to be
for the best good Of the party and the
State, we shall canvass freely, as we
have thus been challenged to do, the
merits and claims of this one arrogant
and self seeking candidate.
Two years ago VIM. r. Taylor sought
and obtained the nomination for the
Office from n newly formed party organ
ization, which had no knowledge of its
strength, as a mere experiment, without
a thought entertained by any one, in
Guiding himself, that his success was
possible.
The nomination alone was regarded
by him as sufficient honor, and which
then filed the measure of his ambition.
The success of the ticket astonished
everybody, and shocked and ps,ralyzed
the candidate, and considering his entire
unftness for the place, it was the com
mon remark that if his success had been
even possible in the opinion of the mem
bers of the convention, he would never
have been dreamed of as a candidate.
This result, so unexpected, whatever
may have been its causes, we are assured
was not in any view caused by the pop
ularity OF Mr.. Taylor.
The law fixing railroad rates, common
ly called the ''Potter Law" was passed
by the Legislature of 1874, and which
was not in the strictest sense q party
measure, was the result of the Reform
victory. The constitutionaIity of the
law was most ably and plausibly attack
ed by the railroad companies and their
attorneys, and it was disobeyed and
the ablest iurists of the country.
1t was the constitutional duty of the
Executive to have all laws. the ''Potter
Law included, faithfully executed, :"
and it was his simple duty, without re-
gard to the policy of this law or his
views of its expediency, so long as he
found it upon the statute book, to en-
force its obedience, and in doing SO, he
did not become the supporter of this
law or its special advocate any more
than if any other law was violated and
he has no right to claim any special
merit for so doing, as the champion of
this law against railroad extortion and
monopoly.
In the performance of this plain duty,
he demonstrated not only his want of
ability and discretion, and appreciation
of the dignity and magnanimity of his
high office, but displayed the very low
est and worst traits of character and the
blind recklessness and arts of the dema-
gogue, by instituting measures of petty
and malignant prosecution, and setting
on foot a multiplicity of criminal prose-
cutions before magistrates in distant
and out of the way places, not against
the corporations or their officers and
managers, but against innocent ticket
agents and other employees, whose con-
slant duty it was to be punctual and
faithful in the discharge of routine duty
subject to superior orders, in order to
ensure the safety and convenience of the
travelling public and the speedy trans
portation of property.
The, result was as he wished it, q
great public excitement, interruption of
the trains and the business of the roads,
an incalculable injury to the business
and general interests of the people and
the credit of the State, and deprecia-
ton of the property and credit of ali of
our railway corporations, without APP
preaching the settlement of the doubt
ful question of the constitutionality and
validity of the law itself the first and
only thing in which the State and the
people felt any real interest. 1t was on
this fiimsy and false foundation that the
domestic organ of the Governor sought
10 raise n reputation for its hero as the
special friend and protector of the rights
of the people against the corporations.
This unwise and most vicious course
was pursued for many months until per-
secution, expensive and fruitless litiga-
ton and personal spitefulness and evil
design produced their natural conse-
quences, and a most dangerous reaction
in public sentiment became apparent,
and the law itself nearly became odious
at home and fully so abroad and it was
feared that the real good and protection
that it was properly and Justly intended
by its genuine friends to accomplish
would be defeated aud the law repealed.
After considerable delay. and forced
by the more considerate advice of others.
he gave the matter into the control of
the Attorney General other eminent
counsel were employed, and the case