Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-10-07
30 LANCASTER. WISCONSIN. THURSDAY. OCTOBER T. 1875.

unpopularity of Gov. Taylor. Ma
turally of a morose and sullen nature,
the honors of the Office have not
sweetened and his cares have soured
his temper, so that he repels all APP
proaches of friendship, Anglers those
who would assist him and drives off
even those who toady to success.
His habit has been to call caucus
of prominent members of his party
to canvass each contemplated official
act, and to ask advice. He has gen.
orally followed the poorest and most
interested that was given, and thus
offended the pride of all who have
taken the trouble to advise him well.
Without tact or knowledge of human
nature he denies when he should
grant, grant when he should deny,
denies in way that invites hatred,
and grants in a manner that STILES
gratitude. Too bigoted to brook con-
tradiction, the criticism of his friends
and the opposition of his political
enemies, which men of breadth of
character accept as an incident of
politics and bear with good nature,
keep him in a state of rage, like a
mad bull stung with darts kicking and
hooking, sweating and believing.
His plumage is entirely borrowed
His State papers, of which his
claquers brag, are written by others
by the job. The little pretense of
retrenchment, which constitutes his
chief claim to popular favor, is no
more his work than was the transit of
Venus. His action in the railroad
controversy is extolled, but the mar
rowest of his own party can now see
that it could not have been worse.
The Potter law was an offspring of a
sentiment which had grown up in
both parties. 1t had the backing of
the whole people. All that was need
ed was to meet the objections of the
railroads in the courts of last resort.
But the Governor saw an opportunity
for damagogic display. In order to
advertise himself as the great cham
pion OF anti-monopoly he raised hue
and cry, stirred up feeling ofresent-
ment and all sorts of petty prosecu-
tons by pettifoggers IN want of a job,
and loafers in want Of a witness fee.
In this way and by his proclamations
he created the impression abroad
that the people of the Stste were ac-
tuated by . malignant spite against
railroads, which has struck dead all
railroad enterprise for years to come
in the State, and caused foreign en-
terprise and capital to shun it as they
would communists or cannibals. The
course he advised was so suicidal to
the interests Of the State that the judge
in deciding the Potter law to be valid
felt called upon to rebuke it. 1t
placed the people in false position
- Tho Iaating dntripaont of the State.
By this cold blooded desertion of
his friends, having no nerve to stand
by them in pressure. he has lost
legions of Democratic workers who
sweat for him two years ago. They
believe that a false friend cannot be
faithful servant. Taylor's bitterest
enemies are those whom his ingrati~
tude has made His admirers outside
of the family organ, are confined to
toadies for hire of the Slaughter
school, and to starveling editors,
called in from the country and paid
out of the state treasury for sitting at
clerks desks in the capitol, and
writing false and fulsome praises of
the governor for bucolic pursual.
Unfortunately their laudation, like all
that is extravaganza and undeserved,
amounts to satire, and makes its OBJ
ject appear another Sancho Panza.
The shoddy character of the Re-
form Administratio is most ludicrous-
ly exhibited in the electioneering
showbill put forth before the conven-
ton to prepare the public for the
nomination. 1t is prepared on the
pa:ent,medicine advertisement plan
with a tawdry portrait of Governor
Taylor, hair brushed up, looking as
porty and gubernatoriaI as a quack
doctors picture. The turgid lauda,
ton of his exploits in doctoring sickly
finances and restoring health to Ian
guild body polite, which these hand
bills contain, are in rhetoric and
veracity mere parody on Helmbold's
Buchu Almanac. But quackery in
politics, as in medicine, rarely fools
the same family but once. The hard
headed Democracy of Wisconsin hate
show and pretension in politics as
they hate water in whisky or political
sermons With all their faults they
have always admired brains and
ability. Hence, not Taylor any more.
The pet names which even his sup
porters bestow upon him would
starve the vanity of Diogenes.
The chief argument used in favor
Of Taylor is that he has saved largely
TO the State by retrenchment. Give
hundred dollars day saved to the
tax payers" is the chorus. It is
hoped that there is such dense ignor-
ance of State affairs that this terse
falsehood will find credence and be
easily learned A word of explana-
ton disspates 1t into thin air. Wis
consin has been, under Republican
rule, notably frugally governed
State. Not niggardly, she has built
and supports a number of charitable
institutions and has an elegant Capt.
tol. The buildings were honestly
built, under Republican rule, without
fraud and speculation by contractors,
who remain poor. They were all
completed and furnished when the
reform party came in. Large appro.
priations were no longer needed
Set up in political housekeeping, with
everything furnished to hand, it is no
credit to the administration that it
has not retrenched more. Its affecta-
ton of economy will not survive a re-