River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-10-14


they fill; nor to retry the issue of the war.
My purpose is quite different. 1t is to show il
can, what is actually at stake now, who aid
what the contending forces are, how much the
result may mean, and which way prudence and
wisdom point.
GENERAL GRANT LITTER TEXT FOR MANY
SERMONS.
You have listened to letter from one to
whom at least as much as to any other man
the nation owes its preservation, prosperity
and primacy. This lei ter, instinct with com
mon sense, hits the nail on the head / 8
writer generally does hit nails, rebellions and
pretenders on the head. He says:
This meeting should awaken the Deonle to
the importance OF keeping control of the gov
eminent in the hands of the Republican party
until we can have two national parties, every
member of which can cast his ballot as iud9
ment dictates, without fear of molestation or
ostracism, and have it honestly counted; par
ties not differing in opinion as to whether we
are nation. but as to the policy to secure the
greatest good to the greatest number of its
citizens. Sincerely believing that the Dem =
cratic party, as now constituted and controlled
is not fit party to trust with the control of
the general government, believe it to the best
interests OF all sections, South as well as North
that the Republican party should succeed in
U, S. GRANT.
Lord Chesterfield said that letter shows
the man it is written to, as well as the man it
is written by. This letter bears Lord Chester
field out. 1t is written to Gen. Arthur, and
it reveals the confidence and esteem iii which
the writer holds him. Informed by many
years of intimate acquaintance Gen Grant
knew and felt, as we know and feel, that he
was writing not only to friend, but to one of
the most genuine patriotic and honorable of
men. loud applause.l
HOW THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY Is CONSTITUTED
AND CONTROLLED.
This letter furnishes a text for many SER
mons. 'The Democratic party as now con-
stituted and controlled" How il is constitu-
ted, how controlled? There is q vast number
OF upright patriotic men init-a vast number
of men who gave all and did all they should
have given and done to uphold their govern
ment and their flag in the supreme and dire
hour of trial. A vast number who imperilled
their lives, as other Democrats laid down their
lives for Their country. Many Northern Dem
ocrats who cast all their weight and sympathy
on the nations side, after the war was over re-
turned to their former party associations !;
many others never did 20 return. Were such
Democrats to guide and Influence a Democratic
congress ana a Democratic administration
their party would not be Constituted and CON
troled" as it is. Because such men and their
views and interests will not and can not con-
troll in the event of Democratic success, much
grave peril arises.
AS the Democratic party is constituted, not
for the Union and the Constitution but the
men OF the South who were against the Union
and the Constitution, men whose policy and
purposes are still hurtful to the country, are
bound aud predestined to control Democratic
administration and Democratic Congress.
[Applause.l In the Senate and in tine House
tho South has an overwhelming ma jority of
the Democratic members, and most of them
are men who led in the rebellion. Every party
measure in Congress is settled ia party caucus
by party majority; thus the Southern men,
bers hold absolute sway. In possession of the
law-making power, of the purse, and of the
power to confirm or reject treaties and appoint
ments, the South is also to furnish all the votes
to elect the Democratic candidates, save only
the forty-seven votes which must be rallied, or
counted or certified, or produced from the
Northern States, particularly not excepting
Oregon. Should the election be close, there
is no knowing but the two Democratic houses
may find ground on which to throw out s. part
or all Of any States electors. With much I'M
employed leisure on their hands, with the
danger which the electoral commission of
1877 alone overpassed, for that time, -taring
the country in the face, these Democratic
houses have adopted no measure to insure
order and right in ascertaining the result CT
the Presidential election. Should controversy
arise, and the election be thrown into the
house, there, the vote being taken by states,
the South would cast nearly all the Democratic
votes, and in the Senate the vote for Vice
President would come from the same source
Ia every event Of Dem )cratic success the
Southern end of the Democratic party must be
to the Northern eni as the locomotive is to the
tender, as the horse is to the cart. This is as
plain as any truth in gravitation or arithmetic.
THE SOUTH CONTROLS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
Perhaps this point viii seem to you to chal-
lenge some attention. For the population of
the Southern States, We must go back to the
census OF 1870. That count Of the people was
made by enumerators not selected by Southern
senators and members of the House as " nom
partisaas" and professional reformers. 1t was
made by the regular marshals and their depu-
ties, and the compensation was 80 adjusted as
to induce thorough visitation and, at the same
time, to guard against exaggeration of num-
bers. No imputation OF fraud was ever cast
upon the work. Such thing as plot to fab
rjcate monstrous increase of population IN
one section, in order to bafla the course OF ma
ture and the logic OF events in another--a plot
to change the balance of power and population
in order to aggrandlze one section by estab-
fishing ia Sc basis of representation and ap-
portionment, thus robbing other sections OF
their share in governing the country, IN levy
ing taxes and appropriating money, had not
at that time occurred to the conservative foes
of radicalsm. That particular spoke in the
wheel of dsviltry had no turned up to the
shifty patriot of that day. Now, such schemes
seem to wax apace. We read of producing
false heirs to thrones, but to multiply false
heirs without anyone to personate them on
scale SO grand as seems now in process, would
s.upefy the ingenuity OF a French novelist, or
anybody else except q thorouy h-gong, nom
partisan, conservative disciple of the Demo-
cratic persu ason wanting nothing for himself,
but ready to do and suffer for d white mans
government with "reform and ga change.
[Applause.l
The suggestion now is that the census
takers Of 1870 under-counted their neighbors.
Paid by the head and by the mile, not by the
day. it is now alleged they robbed themselves;
they neither travelled or counted, nor charged
for doing it. They were "carpet bag gers,
too many of them, in the South; their states
were Republican, they had their ambitions and
motives for increased political NUMBERS and
power; there was not the remotest danger OF
any direct tax; and yet, with nothing to gain
and everything to lose, they wronged and
swindled themselves for the sake OF being DIS
honest. This all may be- 1t is the only way
of accounting for the awkward wonders OF
the census now progressing. | csnnot be
called ingenious, because it is plainly the only
possible explanation, and it limps badly
Ecumenic i councils may sit on these recent
fabulous census revelations, but men Will stu
woDder how AZ per cent. was added to the
population of State in ten years, during
which she received exactly 1877 foreign lmmi-
grants-a fact establi shed without the aid OF