Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1879-10-30
Speech of Gov. Smith at Lone
Rock, October 18th.


illusions in regard to public affairs ] shall tell
you no amusing stories, and probably give you
nu new information as to national affairs But
! will call your attention to The Facts, and II
we agree | trust you will all cooperate with us
al The ballot box 1t is not necessary that WE
should be reelected but it is not unnatural that
we should feel some interest in the result. For
two years we have used orr best efforts to dis
charge our duties as officers. The record is
before you: and 1t is not in human nature for
Us to be Indifferent to your verdict. | do not
think that waste, mismanagcment or eXtrava-
gance is charged in any quarter. or that any
reforms are proposed 1t seems to be general
4 ly conceded that The present administration
/ has been efficient and economical. 1t is not
advisable, therefore, to go into detail of what
! has been done or obtained in the past two
/ years.
He viewer, the official records show that dur
! ing the two sscal years past, ending September
30lh, the disbursements OF the State has been
/ less by from sl65, COO to $4,000 than in any
similar period for the past eight years with
! every claim against the State fully paid, 30 far
as known. There must be enough in the gen
era fund, from which the disbursements are
made, to last the four month, ensuing until
! the receipts from taxes come in in January and
! February. The present is the first instance in
| the history of the State for many years when
| Wisconsin viii be able to meet all demands
without borrowing Illegally from trust funds
a. has been necessarily don heretofore. In
| 1872, $4,000 was the cash balance September
! 30th In 1878 there wac deficit of s67, 900 :;
! in 1874 a balance OF sl25O00: in 1875, 81 SEQ :;
| in 1876. 81 900 IN 1877, 5000; in 1878, 49,
| 0 o /; in 1879 there remains 1918 900; owing to
the fact that the business was conducted in
| business way.
| In the Democratic convention the following
resolution was adopted
THAT the administration of State affairs
| ought 10 be conducted with greater economy,
and greater effort made to diminish the burden
| of taxes that all official salaries and fees, and
! all expenditures for State charitable, educa.
| tioual and penal institutions, raised TO meet
The necessities of high priced times must now
| be correspondngly reduced"
! The present Republican administration did
not wait for this resolution but commenced to
act Two years ago. Il was their sworn duty to
! conduct the State affairs to the best of their
ability. By efficient management and close
| attention TO their duties by the Secretary and
! Treasurer, all dues from railroad and insurance
companies and other sources have been col
! lectcd
Again, the State tax proper, levied in Rich
! land county in 1873 was S. 900 %. Besides
this were SO for Industrial school, and 81 l0S,.
| a for insane For this year the State tax
proper will be S3s6l A. Last year the rate
was l6l5c on 800, this year it will be 10 l0c.
/
county, town and school purposes, for which
the State is in nowisc responsible. The
cost of living Is lower now than heretofore,
bnt is must now be remembered that the de-
manis on the industrial school and the insane
asylum have largely increased in the last eight
or ten ycals---aS much as fifty per cent.
In national affairs it is highly important that
Wisconsin Enthusiastically range herself with
the solid south or Enthusiastically range her
self on the other side H. is no time to shut
eyes and ears and neither see nor hear. | should
have been pleased if these old ssucs had not
been revived, | am free to say | had hoped
tor better things. When the south was cloth
ed in the panOply of statehood. and relieved of
its hated carpet baggers, | had supposed that
its praised chiyalry would have made at least
pretencc Of acquieseence, and not opentQues-
tions we had tundly hoped were settled; and |
protest that the opening of these questions
now cannot be properly charged to the Repub
lican party. Had the Democratic Congress
voted the usual necessary appropriations and
not rendered the extra session necessary,
then there would have been no necessity of
giving the State election national importance.
II Is now forced upon us, and iOrewarncd is
torearmed We cannot afford to repeat the
experiment Of 1861 If the hydra headed de-
mon OF secession is not routed, body and soul
We cannot know it too soon. The ex-rebels
have absolute control of Congress, and not one
has admitted that lac las done wrong or would
rot have done it over, Every gentleman who
has said anything on the subject las taken
special occasion TO toast of his services to HIS
country and lis lost cause. Nay, they are be-
ginning to boast that its principles still survive
and that they have become prominent in the
ration; and with ctliontery sublime they
haughtiy hold out the olive branch and con
desceudngiy offer amnesty 10 the people of the
north, As ! think that only two uncertain
lives lie between those unrepcntent rebels and
the army, treasury and navy of the Uniteo
States the blood rushes to my headand threat
ems to paralyze every function, Ben Hill says:
Yet while we make 10 you no concessions.
we come TO you in no spirit of revenge"
I'VE do not propose to compel you by oaths
for YOU who breed strife only to get office and
power will not keep oaths
owe ask you to rise above all your animusi.
ties, forget your sins----' and more of the
same sort This was Ben Hin, author of the
black rag policy, spoken amid applause from
the floor and sympathy in the galleries.
The Governor here referred to the fable of
the compact byiwhich the sheep gave up their
dogs to the wolves, and said
Shall now the people follow their example or
shall they rise up and show n solid front, and
united north for the right against the solid
south for the wrongg Insist on falr elections,
free ballot and a fair count There is no other
salvation for our country ! do not say they
are all Hills, but caucus once again
has captured the Democratic majority ~ it
did before the war. Democrats who know
better follow the lead of these bus, ering bull
dozers OF the south to the infinite disgrace of
the party that honors them with its Sufirages
Since March last the Democrats Of the north
have yielded to their dctation implicitly. In
the Senate are II Democrats, OF whom 80 are
southern in the House 1915. Of whom 100 are
southern. In the Senate are p standing Gem
mittees, Il ct which are controlled entirely by
cunicdeates. On Committee on Privileges