Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-12-26
The Senatorial Question.
The MiIxsnkee Evening wisconsin.

There bids fair to be many aspirants for
the honor of representing Wisconsin in the
United States senate, before the next Iegisla.
ture- In this connection il is fitting 10 review
the lesson of the campaign just ended.
The election has proven that the people can
not and will not De bound BY the dictation of
ring or caucus. No party is strong enou. h
10 long hold its members upon dishonest
platform. The masses learn the lessons of
politics slowiy-but they learn them by heart.
Let.no man mistake the lesson of the recent up.
rising 4 the people. The victory is not the
triumph of the personal adherents of any can
didate for the United States senate. Politi-
clans lind IT much easier to obtain nomina
ton than TO secure an election. These poli;i-
cal terms are no longer synonymous. The
Democratic party, under the leadership of
rings and caucuses, adopted the time-serving
and dishonest doctrine of the National Green.
hackers. The lists were made up on this is
sue by the Republican, party. under the leader
ship of the state central committee, and of the
almost unanimous press OF the party, and the
! result IS that Wisconsin pronounces, in tones
that no man may mistake, for honest money,
resumption when promised by the law, and
scrupuous faith in national Obligations.
Bold, strong Democrats joined at the polls
to rescue an endangered country. This they
did hot as party, but as honest men who re-
membered the teachings of the fathers. They
refused to be led away by packed caucuses.
The honest Germans spurned all personal sp-
peals, and voted for honest money
The va consin wishes to impress upon the
friends of candidates for the United Safes SEN
atorship the obvious lesson Of the recent elec-
| ton. We have learned that caucus nomna
ton will no, secure an election. Success
must depend upon ability, fitness and known
soundness on the issue at stake. This lesson
| should be learned by the legislative caucuses
The people, by their representatives, have a
| right to select the man of their choice-and
| not the candidate to fight and scramble for the
office. One Republican senator, more or less,
| is very important Just now. We cannot afford
| to waste the results of our great triumph by
any mistake in the soundness and fitness Of
our man. Nor should we merge the paramount
| political issues IN mere personal preference
| The people of Wisconsin, who carried the
| election last month with such un,nistakable
| emphasis, will not be satisfied with any vague
| o. doubtful record. No eleventh hour prose.
| Iyte will answer the demand The people OF
| this state demand. aud the Wisconsin, as an
independent journal, demands, in their name,
that the choice Of the legislature shall fall up.
on man of known ability, of undoubted and
proven political honesty--who dare stand up
and preach the gospel of honest money and
national faith-when the weak and craven
covered amid the almost universal craze The
state has just passed a crucial hour-the cleo
tlon returns have spoken the solemn voice ol
The people in tones that no man now misin-
| terprets. They want no man in the United
States senate whose voice is but the echo of a
popular whlm-no man who found his con.
vlctions IN the election returns but rather,
like ST. Paul, one who had faith and courage
TO wrestle with beasts and preach the truth Ia
| the heather.
/ 1t was easy to be Republican after th,
| election of Lincoln and the firing upon Sum
ter /; but it was hard even in brave old Massa-
chusetts to find men with nerve to stand ~
and denounce the slave masters when they
came up to Boston, and put chains around hel
court house, and dragged back to slavery mei
and women from under the very shadow o.
Faneuil Hall. So now, il will be easy anC
popular for politicians TO be on the side Of
honest money-on the side with the mos
votes. But the greenback army may rally
| again in Congress, reinforced by sssoIic
South" and then we shall need a repr esenta.
/ tive in the Senate of the United States who
knows, and has always known, that ninety
cents of silver is not dollar, nor an ire.
deemabe greenback thing of absolute value
| Such man can be found in Wisconsin,
many may be found but the search must be
made among the proved and tried. Generals
tit to lead are found among the veterans. Our
new Senator should be leader and NOT a
follower. The Wisconsin, has no favorite for
TINS leadership-no personal preferences 10
crafty; but will be satisfied with and supper
any man who fills the requirements. We
have fought this fight for a great principle
and we do not propose that the Republican
party, with our consent, shall lose sight oil
mat IN scramble for personal preferment.