Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-02-18
WHOLE NO. 1866.

| The fact estsbllShad ~ h'S entlr
political career il that be il
INCAPABLE OF EMBARRASSING ANY Po
LITIcAL PRINCIPLE
whatever that to accomplish par
ticular scheme or secure particular
place be is ready to denounoe any
principle or desert any party. A
more unprincipl9d traficker in pc,
litics the world has never seen 9
more sensitive trimmer to every pc.
li.ical breeze, and every modification
and variation of every political
breeze, history does not mention
Consequently after the president OF
the Milwaukee & s.. Paul Railway
Company had determined to transfer
the Democratic vote in the Legisla-
ture to the support of Republican
whose Ropublicanlsm was, in his es-
timation, overbslanced by bis sup
posed devotion to the interest Of
capital, and his employment for
many years as his railroad attorney;
after the president had determined
to betray the Democracy, to shatteI
its organization and abandon is
nominated candidate to promote the
interests Of his corporation, il was
exceedingly natural such an unprin
cipled trafficker, as Doolittle's whole
life shows him to be, should be sum-
mOned to the scene. Natural that
Doolittle should be selected to frame
a platform which should express no.
body'5 opinion, but deceive and
swindIe everybody. How we'll he
played his part, with what consum-
mate skill be devised a string of
propositions meaning something or
nothing as anyone may hereafter de
sire, how he muzzled and mptfi I'd
the Democracy and made them not
only willing but absolutely happy to
be sold out and betray ed, you have
seen. They say it is as pleasant to
be cheated as it is TO cheat. In con-
frmatiCn of this theory it should be
stated that the Dem cratic members
of the Legislature seemed to enjoy
being sold as much a. Doolittle en-
joyed selling them
But there is another part of Doc
Iitlle's speech which deserves atten
ton. A contest has been going on
in England for many years to en-
large the range Of suffrage and Sc
cure secret ballot. This
SECRECY OF THE BALLOT
is indispensable, to individual indie.
pendence. A railroad or manufac-
turing corporation, having the pow
er to throw thousands of employees
out of the employment from which
alone they earn their daily bread
apd feed their chi iren. might intim.
employees, but for the secrecy Of the
ballot. Universal suffrage, too, is
the basis Of al free institutions, and
the very shibbol9th of Democracy
As might have been expected, Doc.
httl :, atter selling ont the Democrat
ic party, comes before the people
suggesting an utter demolition of the
corner stone upon which not only
Democracy but human liberty rests.
H. suggests an abridgment of the
right ot suffrage secured by the if-
.eehth amendment ami his argu-
mcnt is as insulting to our citizans
as his scheme is fatal to their rights.
He says
"Why can't they have Republican governs
ments in Germany? Why don't they have
them in Spain: Because the people are not IN
teLigent enough"
Tois deliberate insult to our Ger
man citizens they will probably APP
preciate.
THE EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION.
Mr. Doolittla then suggests his
remedy; which is, that no white or
colored citizen shall vote who is
unable to read and write; and that
every voter shall write his name
upon the ballot he casts. Mr.. Doc
little regards defective education not
as a misfortune to be relieved, but
a. crime to DO punished by dis
reimbursement. ln the ranks Of the
union army which met the baden
hail of the storm of rebellion, which
achieved great distinction in saving
the life of the nation, and conferred
immortal glory upon the American
name by their bravery and l)yalty,
thousands were, and still are. unable
to read and write. Mr.. Dooittle
proposes to pluck the stars from
their shoulders and consign them to
perpetual ignominy. lie proposes
to establish caste in this country !;
and set the sons of the rich, educated
by their fathers wealth, over the
sons of the poor, moderated, in con-
sequence Of their fathers poverty.
This is the latest phase of Democrat
ic doctrine, taught by one who
speaks for the Democrats of the
Wisconsin Legislature one who
having been upon all sides Of every
question, and leader ia every party,
may be supposed to teach Dem &C.
racy with all its modern and latest
provements.
In this country the poor are pre-
tected by the ballot as in other
countries they are protected by the
bullet. And whenever this country
shall change its policy in respect to
the ballot they will be justified in
resorting to tho bullet, their only re-
naming means of defense /; and the
first exercise of this last right of the
poor, against their proud oppressers,
should be upon those who shall strik ,
down their right TO the ballot.
1t is understood Mr.. Doolittle is
now engaged in revising the speech
be made in the Assembly Chamber ;
so that in few days we may expect
to see, not the speech be did max
but such speech as he thinks, on
reflection, he ought to have made.
But the speech he did mako, while
flushed with the victory of corpora
tons over the people, of capital over
labor, of the rich over the poor, must
be taken as truer decl .ration of his