The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-10-20
SPEECH OF MR.. FETHERS.

AW
SPEECH OF Mr.. FETHERS.
He SPEAKS FOR WINANs, THE DEMO
CRATIC CANDIDATE. THE CHIEF
ISSUE ENTIRELY EvADED.-MR.
WILLIAMS THE OBJECT OF ATTACK.
Mr.. o. M. Fethers, who represents
John Winans, the Democratic candi-
date for Congress in this district, made
a speech in Kimball Opera House last
Saturday evening. The burden of his
speech consisted in an attack on the
political character and standing of
Hon. G. G. Williams. Mr.. Fethers
dealt sparingly with facts, but drew
largely on imagination and hearsays,
without furnishing evidence. He fail
ed entirely to make denial, or even
an apology, for the chief charge against
Mr.. Winans; he ignored the significant
fact that Mr.. Winans was a member of
the National Democratic Convention
at Chicago in 1864-a convention
which declared, in substance, that af-
ter four years unsuccessful effort to
subdue the rebellion, the war had
proved failure, cessation of hostlli-
ties was demanded. and a recall of our
union armies from the field.
Mr.. Fethers called at this Office on
Saturday last, and when asked if Mr.
Winans attended the Democratic
Peace Convention in 1864, freely adj
mitted that he did. He was
told that in view of that fact nothing
that had been copied in this paper, al
leging that Mr.. Winans at the Chicago
Convention was heard to cheer for
Vallandigham, could be taken back
that it was a matter of little conse-
quence whether he did or not cheer for
Vallandigham, Jeff Davis, or any other
rebel; that the one fact of his having
participated in that disloyal convention
was enough to throw him out of the
pale of political respect of all loyal
citizens. Had the purposes expressed
in the resolutions of the convention
been carried out, there would have fol-
lowed a divided Union, and the South
ern confederacy would have triumph
ed.
Mr.. Fethers has been on the trail of
Mr.. Williams; he traced him to Mil
waukee, to Chicago, and then to James,
vile. He assumes that Mr.. Will
liams dictated to the Milwaukee
Sentinel and to the Chicago Inter
Ocean what to say in respect to Mr..
Winans' disloyalty. Assumptions of
this kind are not of much account, and
quite likely to be groundless, but sup
posing it were true, that Mr.. Williams
reminded the conductors of these
journals that Mr.. Winans participated
in the disloyal national convention at
Chicago, what of it2 1t is matter of
history, from which Mr.. Winans has
no right to shrink since he offers him.
self candidate for Office. Mr.. Feth-
ers' attempted to prove the loyalty of
Winans by saying he presided over
war meeting in Rock county. Humid
reds of men in the state were ablaze
with patriotism for the Union during
the early period of the war, but relaxed
their zeal, changed their course, OPP
posed the draft, and the furnishing of
supplies for the war. Whatever Mr..
Winans at any time may have done, it
is enough to say he was not Union
man when he was found participating
in the Chicago convention.
Mr.. Fethers of course reiterated the
usual talk about the harbor steal; he
did not say Mr.. Williams pocketed a
few thousands by the steal, but might |
IS consistently have said that as what |
he did say. Mr.. Fethers must be
easily imposed upon to believe the
story he told, of an appropriation
for a brook four feet wide. He
betrayed his want of intelligence by
attempting to prove Mr.. Williams in
in Congress from the num-
Der of bills he had introduced, so few
If which became laws. He probably
loes not know that of the many thous-
md bills introduced at each session
My a small fraction become laws.
Whoever will be at the pains to look
through the Congressional Record
# the past session will find that
Ir. Williams accomplished as much
n the matter of general and To-
al legislation as any member
f Congress from the western
tates. Mr.. Fethers made a detailed
tatement of the items in the bill for
vines and liquors voted by Congress
or the guests at the Yorktown cele-
ration. Probably but few of our
american citizens favored such an ex- ]
enditure; but the guests had been in y
tied from France and Germany; with l
hem costly wines are matter of l
curse. The bill having been incur +