Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-07-24
The South in the Convention.

1t is again, as always, the south that
controls the Democratic party. 1t was
the south, under the leadership Of Louis
lana, that insisted on the nomination of
General Hancock. Friday it was the
south, which, rallying to the name of
Cleveland, secured for him the nominal
ton. All Democratic presumptiOns of
victory begin with Solid South The
solid south since as before the war, has
been the backbone of the Democratic
party. The old rider is mounting again
the same old war horse. Wait till the
rider gets his foot well into the stirrup
then see how the reins will be handled
The Democratic party, in the future as
IN the past, is certain to be subservient
to southern dictation.
But, it is pleasant to record, the dele
gates from the south have borne them
selves with excellent discretion and dig
nifty. Those states were wise in select
ing their best men to represent them.
The offensive manners of the old slave
ocracy have been wholly missed. They
have not insisted that this time either of
their nominees should be taken from
their section, A careless locker on
might fancy that the old-time love
of power had died out of the
Southern breast. A foolish thought.
They are by no means so meek as that
They know what they are intent upon.
And what is mere, they have some very
clear ideas as to how to get it, when the
time comes. The willy Ben Butler may
OF may not have rightly scented the
game when, before the Committee on
Resolutions, he fairly o'erleaped his own
shadow in proposing it as a part of the
Democratic policy to secure pensions for
Confederate the same as for Union sol
dierS in the war of the rebellion. The
hero of New Orleans and the Dutch Gap
is an abnormal mixture of cunning and
frankness. The resolution proposed by
Butler was, of course, too blunt and
frank to be tolerated for a moment in
open declaration. But letno one be de-
ceived as to the underlying meaning of
the paragraph of the platform as adopted
relating to what should be done with the
money derived from the internal revenue.
Observe the shrewd indefiniteness of the
phrases used in speaking of 8 the worthy
soldiers. This money, the platform de-
clares, should be sacredly devoted to the
people from the remaining burdens OF
the war, and be made a fund to defray
the expense of the care and comfort OF
8 worthy soldiers disabled in line of duty
IN the wars of the republic, and for the
payment of such pensions as Congress
may from time to time grant to such
soldiers" There is not much in that
paragraph that was intended to make
treason odious."
And what is meant by the assertion in
the same tricky platform that the Demo-
cratic party " believes in a free ballot
and fair count" In which one of the
i z II
true? Nobody who knows anything
about the state of things in the south
believes that the democratic party is
willing to accord {" free ballot and a
fair count for all. So long as the pres
ent practice is allowed to continue, any
pretense of that kind is toe transparent to
deceive Intelligent men. And yet, it is
exactly in keeping with two-thirds of
this miraculously disingenuous party
| pronunciamento.
Nevertheless, there are no men in the