, 1881-03-13
VITAS OF WISCONSIN,.

ment.
Villas, OF WISCONSIN,.
On the occasion Of the formal election OF a
successor to the late Senator Carpenter by
the Wisconsin Legislature Thursday, the vote
stood as follows:
Angus Cameron Mep.).. ..:.........-:....-.9I
William F. villas tallegcd Dem.. ..........-...-E2s =
The vote fur Villas was less than one-third,
and hardly more than one-qnarter, OF that for
his Republican opponent Why was this sc? !?
Villas is an able man. lie is one of the best
lawyers in the State. AS an orator he is con-
fe5sedly without q rival in Wisconsin. lie
was a good soldier. is personally unobjec-
tionable, and has hosts OF friends. Other
things being equal, he would make stronger
Senator than Cameron, because an ADLER and
more eloquent man, and would fill Mr. Car
peptef's shoes in point Of ability more nearly
than perhaps any other man in the State.
But other things we're not equal. Mr.. Villas
is not sound on the main question. His po-
litical associations are not OF the right kind;
and, II elected, he would represent aid ell
force views of public policy which the people
of Wisconsin do not believe in and have
most emphatically condemned. That is the
reason why, when it came to vote between
him and Angus Cameron in the Legislature,
the latter had a majority Of nearly four to
one.
Now, it is true that Mr.. Villas, who in the
past has been regularly obscured on account
of his political associations, and now is ell
tirely out OF the line of promotion, has no
mental or moral tie which should bind him to
the Statesovereignty Bourbon party for one
moment. AL the Democracy he has he got
by inheritance. His father was Democrat.
before him. So he sentinentally imagines
he is Democrat He has inherited the name
and party prejudices. That is the whole
logic Of his position. But he had so little
real knowledge Of OF affection for the
fundamentals Of the Democratic party
that when the War broke out he sprang to
the defense of the Union, and as brave and
patriotic soldier did his best to stamp out the
pestilent heresy of State supremacy, which
constituted all that was ever genuine or vital
in the Democratic party. If he had beon 4
Democrat by principle, and not by Inherit
ance, he would have remained at home,
Joined the Golden Circle, disseminated Cop
perhead tracts, and decorated the corner
groceries with his cussing Of the War. In
stead of that, he acted on his convictions,
worked with sword and voice for the triumph
of Repub1icanism.-anti-s principles.
When Col. Villas came back from the work
ofsllooting and crushing Southern Democracy,
covered with honor and reputation, he ought
to have grayitated into the Republican party,
where he properly belonged and had earned
q right to be, lie owed that much to con-
sistency. AS Nationalist he fought: how
could lie become State-suprenlacy Demo-
crat when he honorably ceased to fight there
being no longer any OCCASION for his serv-
ices j? II he had deserted, or been drumned
out, we can understand why he should have
back with flying colors there was no excuse
for such conduct Family memories over
came him. He gave to a lower consistency
what belonged to his honor as a soldier.
Ueredity oyercame the scruples which he
could not help but feel, aud lie almost con-
vinced himself that he believed in those nox-
ious Democratic principles of State suprem-
acy which his father had instilled into him
in his youth, but which lie had fought nobly
10 put down. So he became Democrat by |
prejudice, while he remained Republican
in principle. Still he believed in Republic
IN doctrines or he would not have fought to
preserve and establish them.
Mr.. Villas was quite young man whenhe |
made this fatal mistake. It he had been
older, he would have been wiser. He saw
100 late that lie had blundered. When Gen. |
Grant came back from his foreign tour, and |
was entertained in Chicago, who but the |
eloquent Col. Villas was selected to make the |
speech. Being gallant soldier |
md also an alleged Democrat, it was felt I
hat he was indeed a Turn aDis, and could |
lot be spared from so unique an occasion.
50 he was brought down from Wisconsin,,
ike white swan, to give distinction to the
east. And he did it. His speech was one |
IT the most eloquent and appropriate that
wen Gen. Grant had ever listened to.
,ol. Villas himself was so overcome by |
t that, report says, he would have voted
or Gen. Grant for President II he had
,een nominated. But he refused to vote for
Mother brave soldier, who was an abier
tatesman and less ultra Republican than
3rant, When Garfield was nominated, the
rave, the witty, the accomplished, the patri-
tic Villas Slipped back into the Bourbon
where he no more be-
ongs than in the Ku-klux Khan OF the White
league Of Louisiana
There is a lesson and q moral for young
Democrats of National feeling and sentiment
4 this pathetic tale To all such TIE TRIB-
NE disinterestedly says, Don't be Bourbon
ecause your father was; or, if you must
blow in the footsteps Of your mistaken an
estors, move to Texas or to Missouri, where
lere is some chance for young Bourbon to
row up with the country
In the Fourteenth Ward, Lorenz's term ex-
Tres this spring. He is uo-account Alderman !
7 Bourbon politics, Mr.. j. J. McGrath has
a1e 80 useful and active an Alderman during
that thsra IL q for |