River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-10-02
The Present Leader of the Greenback
Party in WisCOnsin-.-fiis Record in
the Past.


From the Evening Wisconsin. Milwaukee.
The Greenback vote in this state during the
paststwo years has been drawn about equally
from both the old parties. The Democratic
party has tried to retain Democratic Green
hackers by processing their principles, but
many of them have preferred to act with the
new organization. The present year strong
effort will be made to bring back all the Demo-
cratic wanderers into the party fold, and to use
the Greenback organization simply as sort OF
limbo for the soft-money men OF Republican
antecedents, who, as between the Republican
and Democratic parties, would vote with the
formor.
To accomplish this purpose, the services Of
Mr.. Brick" Pomeroy have been called into
action. He played the leading part at the
Watertown convention which placed cand.-
dates for state officers in the field. He drew
the platform, and controlled the whole action
Of the convention. He WAS made chairman OF
the Greenback state committee, and has the
management Of tho canvass 80 far as that
party is concerned. The policy which he is
trying to carry out was clearly indicated in the
selection of candidates. Ali of the nominees
are men of Republican antecedents. With
them it is hoped that the Republican Greer
hackers may be held firm, while platform de-
handing the repeal Of the national banking
law, the issue of all paper money by the gov
eminent, and the unlimited coinage of silver,
the Democrats hope to secure the votes of all
Democratic Greenbaekers. In order to pre-
mote this scheme, Pomeroy, in his paper the
LaCro sse DeDloc u, now and then makes an
unfA vorable comment on the Democratic party,
Just to satisfy his readers who have been Re
politicians that he is impartial. That he is
consciously and earnestly attempting to play
into the hands of the Democrats there can be
no doubt. The Democratic party Is a good
enough Greenback party for him, but he
thinks he can do more to promote its success
bxyh canfa ol1ya bap nv
II men OF Republican antecedents will re-
member what he has been in the past, they
will be best able to judge what he is at present.
and how much he deserves their support and
confidence.
During the war he made an extended noto-
riety asa Copperhead' His paper did what it
could to excite draft riots and to encourage the
rebels to persevere. He assailed with the
coaIsest abuse President Lincoln, he recon-
mended his assassination and exulted over the
success of Wilkes Booth With all the re-
sources of bad grammar and horse-boy cpl
thets, he assailed the cause of the union and
all men who earnestly supported it. He then
denounced the greenbacks as worthless, and
pr edicted the reputation of the government
bonds He did these things not from any real
zeal Of conviction of any sort, but simply be-
cause he loved notoriety and his course made
him notorious, and because he loved money,
and he found that he could gain it in that
manner. Scattered over the north and
through the border states were a class OF
Democrats to whom the seditious and treason
able articles and the occasional obscene stories
which enlivened his paper, supplied the only
form of literature that they were capable OF
understanding and enjoying. They took his
paper, ard it obtained large circulation, and
was profitable.
Probably few of our readers ever saw it in
those days, and such as did would now be as
tonished If they wero to look over its files for
1864 and 1865 that such a publication could
have been issued in a loyal state. 70 revive
their recollections, and give them some notlons
of its quality, we have copied few extracts
from editorial articles in the weekly La Crosse
Democrat during the years above mentioned
The assassination Of President Lincoln is
thus advocated in a leading editorial under
date of August 26, 1864;
Lincoln is a traitor and murderer.
Had any former Democratic president warred
upon the constitution trified with the destinies
of the nation lincoln has he would have been
hurled to perdition long since. And if he Is
elected for another four years. IRE trust some bold
hand oi pierce his heart NTH dagger point Jor the
public good.
After Mr. Lincoln's assassination, under date
of October 2, 1865, the Democrat says:
The Sentinel says that last fall we made the last
motion to kill Lincoln. Granted. Ana last sprung
God seconded IL, and, through Booth, put the motion
and carried 10.
1866, as follows
We deprecate assassination, yet zoe feel to thank
God for calling Lincoln home, wherever thar nome
Tnag be. The will of God be always done on eartn
as 1t is in heaven Not all the cannon IN the world
ever sent an ecbo so far into the future as did the
report of pistol that fatal night in washington
theater, where great men were players ana hauohs
the spectators. 1t woke up the people OF Amerlca
II broke the spell. 1t gave the country states"
man for president. 1t flashed It's sac seftpr "
rannis from Maine to the golden strand OF our
western boundaries, and halted the Harcn Vi
usurpation most ehectually
We will give no more of this blasphemous
riba!dry. but snbioin specimen or two of arti-
cles designed to encourage the rebels, disheart-
en- loyal men, and excite resistance to recruiting
and draft, In the number for October II,
1864, we find the following.
The south can aseuer be subjugatd. The rebels of
the south are nearer whipped to-day than they
were four years since. For proof of this look to
TincoIn's drafts which follow each other in such
quick succession that you cannot tell where one
leaves off or the next commences. For further
proof look to the way they are still fighting. Tnelr
warfare is not that of weak and puny enemy but
that of brave people nia,fty struggling far 'nde-
perdence and determined 10 have IL.
In another article in the same number, the
recruits then gong forward to join Grant and
Sherman, are thus spoken of:
Victims Victimsii Yicttmsl!!
Food for powder and ball.
Food for disease; morsels for death!
Living victims of arbitrary power
Human offerings ON the altar OF wrong, hate,
treason and usurpa tion Choice morsels for bayo-
net, cannon ball, fragment OF shell and iron hoof
of madden ed war horse
Drafted FREEMEN
How like devilish mockery the word sounds
Where is Liberty the God-giyen oirthright OF
Freemen2
Dead
Where are the people? In chains and fear. In
the grippe of abolition and taxation.
Slowly and sadly the victims IN 10 De