Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-10-02
FROM THE PEOPLE.
An Open Letter From the Rev.
r. M. Hatfelds on the
Two Parties.
The Inconsistency of Carl Sclurz' Rec
ord Shown by Extracts From
His Past career.
OPEN LETTER TO THE REV. J. s.
From the Inter Ocean.

of the claims of the prohibition party
you assume certain positions which
seem to me untenable, and to which L
desire to take exceptions in frank AID
brstherly way. When confronted with
the fact that you arc giving the demo
cratic party such aid as may lead to It's
success in the approaching election,
your reply is that such result would
cause you little or no sorrow. You tell
me that the republicans have been in
power nearly a quarter of century.
and that during this time they have be-
come so corrupt that there is little to
choose between them and the demOcra-
cy. You go further, and say there is
now no great issue before the country
except that of prohibition, and, as one
of the old parties IS about as good as
the other, q change of administration
might prove a blessing rather than q
calamity. You hold these views hon
estly, and it is your undoubted right TO
proclaim and defend them. You, of
course, do not expect them to pass un-
challenged, and will, [ trust, give can
did consideration to the objections that
are urged against them. AS honest
men we have a common interest
in rcaC hing the right conclusions
on this question. What, then, is the
CHARACTER OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
whose elevation to power we conten-
plate with so much cOmplacency? We
do not forget in this connection that
every party numbers among its mem
bers individuals who are better men
than the majority Of their associates.
Still, every party makes for itself
record that is an open book, san epistle
known and read of all men," "a tree
is known by it's fruit" What kind of
fruit has this democratic tree yielded?
To 90 no further back, you and know
that the annexation of Texas and the
war with Mexico was a democratic
measure in the interests Of slavery. The
Kansas and Nebraska outrages were
foul blot upon the escutcheon of our
country, placed there By the democratic
party. This same party taught Seces-
sion, and advocated treason for years,
and finally plunged the nation into the
horrors of civil war. The leaders Of the
rebellion were for the most part demo
Gratis, and those of them who are now
alive are generally active members of
the democratic party. An overwhelm-
ing majority of the men who at the
breaking out Of the rebellion, made
haste to clothe themselves with perjury
as with a garment, anG who threw
themselves heart and soul into the war
for the destruction of the government,
were democrats. When rebel armies
were preparing to capture Washington
and dismenaber the nation, these same
men denied the right of TIE government
to take up arms in Self-defense.
THEY DISCOURAGED VOLUNTEERING
for the war and denounced the draft as
oppressive and tyrannicaL. This was
done with such effect that their demo-
cratic friends in New York and else
where organized mobs that burned
orphan asylums, murdered patriotic
citizeEs, and threatened whole cities
with destruction. The organs Of this
party denounced Union soldiers as Lin
coins hirelings and dogs, who wore the
collars he had fastened about their
necks. The president of the United
States, one OF the grandest men ever
born of woman, was followed by per
sistent abuse, and scoffed at as an imbe-
Gle fanatic. During the four years of
the war, while the Southern wing of the
party was moving earth and he'll to de-
stroy the government, their allies in the
north were extending them aid and
comfort in all practicable ways Their
sympathy with the rebellion protracte.l
the war for years, and led to the sacri-
flee of thousands of lives. This same
party was furious against employing
colOred men in the army, and resisted
with all its power the emancipation of
the slaves. When in spite of their op-
position the slaves were declared free,
the democracy, true to its instincts and
its traditions, opposed enfranchi6ing
the freedmen. Since the close of the
war,
TEE RECORD OF THE PARTY
has shown little or no improvement.
DuriBg all these years it has been a
''dreadfully hungry and thirsty party, )"
having ''seven principles, five leaves,
and two fishes" 1t was ready to sup
port an old-time abolitionist when doing
SO promised to give them access to the
public crib. Failing in this, the party
was equally ready to vote for patriotic
Union General when there was q pros
pect that under his leadership they
might secure the spoils of effice.
The managers of the party have made
themselves infamous by their traffic in
''mules, the use they have made of
''cipher dispatches" and forged docu-
mcnts like the "Morey letter." The
essential meanness of the party was
never more clearly revealed than in con-
nection with the election of eight years
age. The republicans believed that
Hayes was fairly elected, the democrats
doubted, or affected to doubt this, and
insisted that commission should be
raised to decide whether HAYES or
Tilden should be inaugurated. The re-
puhlicans assented to the arrangement
with reluctance, but wisely, in view of
the disturbance with which the country
was threatened. When the commission
decided otherwise than was expected
By the democrats, and they found
themselves
''HOIST WITH THEIR OWN PETARD,"
they fell 20 abusing the majority of the
commission, and have been whining
about the stealing of the PresiGencv''
ever since. To show that there has
been no improvement in this party we
have only to refer to its treatment of
the colored people in the south. The
whole population of the country is
c0untea as the basis of ConornScio,,1