Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-09-09
Democratic Craftsmanship.
The Milwaukee Sentinel.

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The Milwaukee Sentinel
The possession of Congress by the
Democratic party has always meant the
control of the Southern element. There
never was time in the history of the
country when the legislation of Dem
ocratic Congress was not directed by
Southern statesmen, so-called. It is
true of the present Congress. Since
the Democratic party has had control
of Congress about the only legislation
that has been attempted has been for
the relief of the Southern Democrats.
The repeal of the laws which provide
for the supervision of elections, the
repeal of the test oath and the crippling
of the United States marshals and the
army, were all in the interest of the
South. Indeed this was so marked that
Congressman Bragg, a Democrat, gained
some prominence by protesting against
the rule of the brigadiers. Taking all
party history into account down to the
present time, the broad statement that
Democratic rule means the rule of. the
South, is entirely justified. "Well," it
is answered, "what of it ? The war is
over, and since these brigadiers are
clearly entitled to the seats to which
they have been elected, they are also
entitled to influence legislation if they
can. The time for making faces at the
brigadiers has gone by-we are now all
living under one flag, the war is over
and we should submit to the presence
of ex-Rebels in Congress since they
have been admitted under the recon
struction proceedings" Leaving out,
then, all sectional animosity, burying
the bloody shirt" admitting the right
of the Southern statesmen to influence
legislation if they can, is there no other
reason why the plain fact that they can
and do control Democratic Congress
should be alarming?
From the organization of the Demo
cratic party down to the civil war the
Southern statesmen directed legislation
with only occasional breaks. They had
things their own way with no obstinate
executive to obstruct their work. They
were the great men of the time and
looked with contempt on the statesmen
of the North. What did they accom-
plish In the face of common sense,
self-interest and destiny, they devoted
themselves to the perpetuation of slav-
cry. All the world except these South
ern statesmen knew that slavery was a
curse to the South, and that real pros
perity and happiness and safety could
never be expected while this existed.
All the world except these Southern
hoe 1,,o that h.
ment of the section was impossible with
this curse. The test of craftsmanship
is its effect upon the material welfare
and happiness of the people. Tried by
this, the Southern statesmen were blum
derers and worse. Under such states
manship the South remained an unhap-
by region without schools, without
railroads, without middle class upon
which the welfare of country depends !;
at one end of the social scale a luxuri-
Gus, narrow, prejudiced and cruel aris-
tocracy; at the other the slave, the fear
of whose revolt was constant thing /:
and between, a class of ignorant white
trash" This region was foul blot on
the face of civilization, the reproach of
America. This was the result of years
of Southern craftsmanship. Then
crime is added to plumbers. Not satis-
fed with having kept the South back
in the march of human progress, the
Southern statesman plunged it into a
war from the effects of which it will
take generations still to recover. To
perpetuate slavery, they sacrificed thou
sands of lives and lost their slaves. The
grand result of Southern craftsmanship
is seen in the present condition of the
Southern States. On the other hand,
freed for twenty years from the infu-
ence of Southern statesmen, the North
ern States have developed to an extent
that surprises the world; not merely in
population, but in material wealth and
all that makes life worth living.
And now the people of the Northern
States are asked to restore to power the
Democratic party with its Southern
statesmen. They are asked to set aside
the Republican party under which their
gigantic strides have been made, and
allow the Southern statesmen, who have
wrecked one section, to show what they
can do. The crime of the Republican
party is that it has directed affairs long
enough and that it used the bayonet to
control elections in the South. Well,
it directed affairs so that the country
has prospered and if it used the bay
onet to control elections In the South,
it was because the stupendous crime of
the nineteenth century, committed by
the South, rendered it possible if not
necessary. The Republican party can
better afford to retire than the country
can afford to have it retire. It's record
has some stains with much glory, but
with all the stains it has been glorious
in the most important matters. Ifthere
is party which promises to continue
what has been good in Republican
craftsmanship, put it in power but to
place the legislation of the country into
the hands of the men who have brought
disaster to their own section is simply
insanity.
THERE are now 1915, 681, 532 of gold
"a z1dn nn0 GOT r