Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-11-06
Canvass the South.

| the IOlloWlnS 10 tne ChicaSo LOeHth9
Journal: ...
That the Republican party is in dan
ger Of passing into the minority in the
National Legislature is evident enough.
But that is no reason why it should
not haveia policy and work tirelessly
for its realization. The worst result
of the retrograde movement in politics
for the last ten years is the closing of
the South to freedom of speech. There
never was time in the history of the
Southern States when it was more dan
gerous for private citizens to utter his
political opinions than now. e., if
those opinions should be in favor of
law and order, education, civilization,
and good will among men. There is
not the slightest necessity that this
should be so; and the Republican par
ty has it in its power to alter this bad
condition.
This state of affairs grew up because
the Republican party has taken no care
for the South except what it sought to
exercise through legislation. Now the
South has needed not so much law as
communication: not so much legisla-
ton about free speech as high exam.
Piles of it.
The practical issue with the Repub-
lican party is the work of reopening
the South to freedom of speech. If the
party will take UP this work, it has
future before it. Ifit will not, it will
go the way of all worn-out institutions,
and the sooner it goes the better. Some
thing will then spring up in it's place
TO fill the exigency of the times. No
matter about the elections this Fall Ia
the Southern States-we are beaten in
them renedi)essly. But Immediately
after the elections the Republican par
ty should put its best speakers in the
Southern field, and keep them there
till the south has heard all the party
wants said, and till they have instruct
ed the people in better ways. There
may be difficulties in the way, but the
party which carried the late war to
successful conclusion can find out
way to circumvent these difficulties.
Let Mr.. Blaine, Mr.. Garfield, Robert
Ingersoll, NJ. Fl. Carpenter, General
Logan, Senator Coukling, Senator
Hoar, Mr.. Edmunds, and men of that
rank in the party, speak in every prom
inent city in the South before New
Years and then let no month thereaf-
ter pass without demonstration being
made in some quarter of the South in
the interest of free speech and of all
that goes along with it.
Il cannot be an impossibility to rail-
ly 10 the South pride in freedom of
speech-an Anglo-Saxson's inheri-
lance that shall put bull doing and
all brutality and cowardice to shame and
everlasting contempt. The great men
who are the leaders of the Republican
party can do this, and they ought to do
it, and mast do 1t, or BE- judged derel,
tct to duty.
But it we are going about matter
of this kind, let us not be mealy mouth
ed about 1t. Let us state that it is
business which we are going to per-
form, and let call be made for the
means with which to execute it. If
the Executive Committee of the Re-
publican party designate some person,
as Governor Morgan. of New York, or
Governor Washburn, of Wisconsin, to
act as Treasurer Of fund to defray
the expenses of such speakers as the
committee will send into the South,
we will warrant contributions to the
fund which will show how much the
people of America value free speech
This is practical matter, Messrs. Edi-
tors. Please not to cut this sugges-
ton ont. Very many Of the men
whom We want to speak ia tho
South have not money to defray their
expenses; and there are great many
of us who want nothing so much as to
give something Cor just this purpose.
Let the Treasurer keep open account
for all the world to read. We want no
corruption fund, but We do want one
to defray honest expenses in an honest
attempt to make Gods air 10 the South
resound with free speech.
Of course, canvass of this kind
must not be kept down on any mere
party basis. 1t is a broad work of
culture that We want performed-scme-
thing that will reach over the whole
scale Of human rights, industry, edu-
cation, progress, development. Our
statesmen, 1t seems to me, might take
lesson from Gambetta He is going
up and down France telling the people
that they must make the matter of
education a passion. Do not some of
our Republican party leaders long to
do just that kind of work in Arkansas,
where. for the past year, only $4,000
out of $4,000 children have been to
school?