Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-12-20

Editors Reporter People are not
to blame for blindness, for this may
be the fault of mother nature they
are not responsible for ignorance, ex-
cept ignorance be a choice to cover
their own purposes, for this may be
due to circumstances beyond their
control But those who are connected
with any enterprise supposed to be of
public concern and who are dealing
with matters of public interest cannot
be held guiltless if they do not use a
wide and noble discretion and preserve
in all things an impartial judgment and
following this they are therefore most
fully responsible if they subvert affairs
of wide Importance to the petty uses
of private spite It is a fact often
met with that those with the smallest
regulations and the least to lose are
the most anxious and the most Jealous
of others to whom success has come
in a larger measure by acknowledged
merit. And it is these regulations
like the misers penny that are rubbed
and rubbed by the possessors selfish
ness until they are rubbed away. The
Tribune we believe is now the only
"bivalve" sheet in the county-which
until it has remodelled its platform Of
principles and enlarged itself to the
public interests and given some te8ti-
monials of its own prosperity other
than its own wind bag, which is
being forever and ever called into
requisition, should have very little to
say of its ncighbors. In referring to
the last issue we would say that no
one has ever made any statements that
reflected upon the merits of our county
officers in the least and if the mis-
presentations of that sheet has made
1t appear so, with them rest the blame.
When the Tribune, however, states
that when the Republicans packed up
their little bundles and vacated there
was but $4,000 in the treasury, it errs
from a matter of fact. That there
had but a short time before been a
sale Of county lands in which the
county had realized several thousand
dollars is well known that the de-
linquent taxes were never collected as
close as this year, it is also we'll known.
The Tribune also forgets to mention,
and the reason is evident, that there
have been other trials of late years
that cost the county much more than
did the Fenner trial But as none of
these facts reflect upon the honesty
of our county officers why attempt to
magnify them for private uses to such
proportions ? and as for even intimat-
ing slur upon county officers that
have retired is to question men who
have held the undivided honor of
this community for years and hold it
to-day in places of Importance and
trust. There is not very large
element of party spirit enters into our
county politics, men are supposed to
be elected upon their merit, but if the
county administration were to be de-
fined as "Republican'' or "Dem-
ocratic" the latter could we'll afford,
with judgments that stand to-day in
our courts against two Of their officers
who went cut some years since, to
leave the sweet and busted past alone.
These things are immaterial to the
subject in hand, however, and scarce
deserving of mention. But the pub
lie are getting weary and tired of these
peevish. babyish utterances of the
baby paper and will soon have to
administer the gag-!et it be stopped
let US have something little above
it. Don't begin to brag Mr.. Tribune
and tell US what Mr.. so-and-so has
said, but show us what you eau do.
AN OBSERVER.