Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-08-11

election, and now the Republicans
have all the State officers, six out of
eight congressman. and they carried
the State last fall for Garfield by a
majority that lacked only a few
votes Of 10000 Two years ago
this fall Smith, Republican, for Gov
ernc:, had $4,000 majority over
James q. Jenkins, Democrat, a pop
nlar and able man, and last fall the
Republicans carried the Milwaukee
district for President by 1000 ma.
jority, while Deuster, Democrat,
squeezed into Congress on the
strength OF his own personal popu-
larity, aided by the unpopularity of
the Republican nominee.
No wonder, therefore, with this
gloomy prospect before them, that
General Edward s. Bragg expresses
himself as he did in recent inter-
view in regard to the dire necessity
of securing several first-class politi-
cal issues. He thinks they might
steal a little Republican thunder
with the civil-service-reform cry
Bragg's idea being of course to re-
form the civil service by turning
Republicans out of office and put
ting Democrats inland to raise
clamor against corporations and in
favor Of cheaper transportation to
the seaboard Congressman Bragg
isn't slow on issues, and often raises
them himself. He raised one with
his own Demo-Confederate party in
the House of Representatives year
ago last winter as Chairman of the
Committee on Southern War Claims,
when he maDfully set his face like
flint against the whole business. 1t
made him the most unpopular man
in Congress for the time being with
his own crowd, but it made lively
issue for General Bragg. He also
made an unfortunate issue for his
party in Wisconsin in 1877, when
as Chairman of the Committee on
| Resolutions in the State Conven-
tioD, he committed the party to the
widest theories of finance, and
among other fiat lunatic ideas, :
made the Democratic party Of Wis
cousin 'demand the repeal of the
Presumption act and that the effort
'to resume specie payments be post
"poned until the business interests
'ot the country were prepared for
sit. 1t was a reputation of the
old Democratic theory of finance,
but the convention, under Bragg's
bulldozing, swallowed it at one gulp,
and the party was disastriously beat
en- at the polls, as it deserved to be.
Two years later QS79) the State
Convention took the back track,
Irepudiated Braggs softmoney plat
form, but were beaten worse than
ever.
General Bragg is of the opinion
that our present tariff laws need re-
vision and amendment, and he sug-
gests that that subject be added to
the cry for reform in the civil
service, the fight against corpora
tons, and the demand" for cheaper
transportation Possibly he would
90 upon the stump and explain to
his Wisconsin constituency how it
happened that the Democratic party
has been in the ascendency in the
House of Representative for the
past six years, where all tariff laws
originate, and his party has not
touched or attempted to touch the
tariff. General Brags would have
to confess that he voted for Sam
Randall for Speaker of the House, a
high protective tariff Democrat, who
packed the standing Committee of
Ways and Means with other protec-
tionists, which stitied all efforts in
the line of tariff revision. He would
have to confess, also, that his party
in Congress and in Wisconsin is not
now, Ior ever has been, honestly in
favor of either of the measures he
would convert into a rallying cry for
his etfete party.
No, General Bragg, your party in
Wisconsin is not in want Of issues.
1t only needs hoarse. Chicago
Journal.
A great many DONE understand