Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-03-22

5 ScGtLcG Glldb N1I. Will iioS hdNC
he chance to dispense any federal pat
'onage for the next four years, large
number of leading Democratic journals
lave commenced abusing Mr.. Tllden
n a bitter rancorous manner. The
Washington Herald accuses him of
the presidential nomination
IN corrupt manner, and now comes
The Chicago Times, with the following
article, headed "Gone to Pieces"
That heterogeneous combination of
and peculiar Office hun
tiers called the resurrected democracy
has gone all to pieces again. In fact
never, since it was called up from the
political graveyard by the scheme to
make Sam Tilden the national spells
dispensator, has it ever been anything
but an incoherent accumulation of dis
jointed fragements-a collection of po-
itical dry bones of all extinct party
animals, out of which a complete skel-
ston of any kind could not be patched
up. Though assuming to have a ma
jority of nearly two-thirds in the nation
81 assembly, that majority was made
up of all the political odds and ends
of earth. Bourbonds, liberals, soreheads
grangers, protectionists, free-traders,
bullionists, rag-lunatics, Calhounites,
nationalists, men of every sort and
shade of political opinion, holding ut
terly irreconcilable views, and agreeing
upon nothing but the appetite for spoils,
composing the absurd combination of
old graveyard politicians that attempt
ed to impose themselves upon the coun-
try as the democratic party come back
from the other side of the Stygian
river, with all the sins done in its life
time ''burnt and purged away" bear
ing a new life, possessing a reform
character, and having a new claim
Carefully concealed) to popular trust
and confidence.
Setting up enormous pretenslons to
superior political virtue, this combin-
alton OF inconsistent political humbugs
proceeded Systematically in an attempt
to bamboozel the country into the no.
ton that they were come to rescue the
nation from the vast army of official
thieves that were devouring it. They
held a convention at St. Louis, yelled
reform is necessary" selected a
slippery New York politician to repre-
sent one kind of principles and a
facing-all-ways Indiana demagogue to
represent several other kinds of prin-
ciples,-tied two spawned political
horses together by the tails, and set
them cantering in opposite directions
for the spoils The most surprising
part of it is that upon programme
of political humbug SO grotsesque they
actually got for their contradictory can
didates majority of the votes. They
were lawfully elected. They were the
persons constitutionally chosen to the
Offices of president and vice president
And it was completely in the constitu-
tional power of the rssurrected dem
ocrats, composing an almost two-thirds
majority of the representative body,
20 appoint and install at least the man
who was so constitutionally chosen to
the presidential office. But notwith-
standing these facts, the resurrected
graveyard politicians ANONYMOUSLY
surrendered after their victory was won
and like craven poltroons allowed a de-
feated enemy to hold the position he
had lost.
The resurIected democratic party
humbug has gone all to pieces. 1t has
gone to pieces for the simple reason that
there was nothing to hold the il!-nlatch-
ed parts together There was no bond
of political cohesion; no common polit-
ical purpose. There was only a COM
mon desire to turn out the vast army
of Office holders and put a new army
in its place. That was in reality the
only purpose upon which the Tilden
managers were united. They were
not agreed and never would have a
greed upon any programme of govern
mental reform. The cry of reform
was a mere blind. The spoils consti-
tu.ed the only object of their combin-
ed effort. Sam Tilden gone, the spoils
were gone. No spoiles could be hop
ed for from Morton or any other pres
ident adinterim When, therefore,
Sam Tilden dropped out of the posi-
BILE result. the resurrected fag-ends of
the putrid Renaissance fell asunder.
When the prospect of official plumber
disappeared with the last hope of Til
denis Inauguration, nothing was left to
hold the conflicting spoil-seekers to-
gether
The true course of political wisdom
for the again shipwrecked spoils democ-
racy is, then, to Immediately disband
its organization, which no longer exists
as means to any political end, but
only as an fundamentally of futile
and useless contest against the official
class for the possession of the spoils.
When the official class no longer finds
itself opposed by combination to con-
test the possession of the offices, a
healthfal political partyism will of ne
cessity arise. compelled the administra-
ton to have policy, and to depend
upon the popular strength of its policy
rather than upon the bribery of Office
giving for its success.
Rev. Mr.. Hawlsy of Beaver Dam
has been holding revival meetings at
Stevens Point with excellent success.
The Rev. has also excited an interest