Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-06-05
Oil UpOn the Troubled Waters.


Dear Herald Il fondly hoped, as |
dropped my pencil after subscribing
Republican" TO my last article, that
/, at least, was done with the contro-
versy; but | am again "called to the
scratch by a writer on the other side.
| should not deign to reply, nor would
have ever undertaken to criticise his
Harmony" article, did for moment
entertain the belief that | was doing
anything TO promote factional strife in
the Republican party IN Grant county.
But |, for one, recognize no factioss,
but believe the grand old party is a
unit on all vital issues. True, there are
few individuals, laying around loose,
whose claims, if correct, would consti-
tute them something of faction.
There are few who have but one plank
in their political platform, and that is
hatred of George c. Hazelton; and who
fondly hope, and unjustly claim, to
embrace within this platform all who
voted against him at the last election.
But | do not believe that intelligent
voters who bolted the ticket as rebuke
to bossism in politics desire a mere
change of -Dusses. There are few men
who pin their political faith to the skirts
of the editor of their paper, but these
are the exceptions and not the rule
The mass of the voters in the party are
intelligent, independent men, and are
not fit subjects for the boss, the dem
agogue or ring The essayest on
Harmony in his last article says,
"Hazelton owed his election in 1873 to
the work done through the Grant Co.
HERALD, then in the hands of the writer
of this article" That year Hazelton
had 81 per cent of the vote cast in
Grant county, running against the
fusionist, King In 1880, he ran against
Cothren and got 90 per cent of the vote
cast, but there were then no side shows.
In 1882, he got 81 per cent of the vote
east for him and the Democratic can
didate and AS per cent. of the whole
vote, including the Prohibition and
Greenback side shows.
Now, confess | don't see what great
results are going TO be achieved by the
" civil service reform progressive Re
publicans" providing they succeed in
holding the few disaffected and kicking
the rest out of the party. But the
Harmony man calls the disaflected
the Republican party and the others the
Hazeit0n party, and assures us " the
Republican party has no more use for
the Hazelton party than for the Demo
cratic party" and for his individual
choice he ''would prefer the latter, and
most Republicans here, by their talb
and by their votes two years ago, seem
to have similar preference.
Doubtless in his exclusiveness he hears
great deal of such talk; but if be
thinks it over will he not find it a repe-
| tition of the same talk by few indi-
viduals ? II seems TO me to be hasty
catching on" to conclusion without
comprehensive view of the situation,
or else a superb exhibition of ''cheek. y
From his last article, we are led to be-
itNC JIINtG - u iiltit anu buAAti
mixed up in his mess of anti HazeltOn-
ism. He claims it was through his eff
forts in the HERALD that HaZelton was
elected in 1878, and the very month
of the election the Hazelton pets per
fected an intrigue by which they took
from the HERALD several hundred dol
lars worth per year of official printing
that it had always had before Had
he kept the official printing, would his
! sentiments have undergone such radi
cal change? Let see. The HERALD haC
for years monopoly of the printing
then? And breaking that up was "anti
monopoly" the present war cry, WASH
/ it? 20. consistency, thou art a jewell
/ The change was perfected at the
meeting of the County Board that month
but had long been talked over, as other
editors claimed they we're unfairly
treated He takes it for granted | an
| fighting the battles of Hazelton and tn,
HERALD, when, in fact, am doin.
neither. have not even said ] votet
for Hazelton When thought the in
terests Of the district demanded it,
have perhaps fought him and his meth
DDS rs ardently if not as ably as did th'
/ writer himself But that was when b.
was an active, vital factor in Gran
county politics dead issue. Hi
warfare reminds me of the Irish soldier
who after the battle claimed he haC
gone boldly up to one of the enemy anC
cut of his foot When asked why h,
did not cut off his head instead of hi
foot. he said, "Be jabbers, that was al
ready off.
! | am not champion of the HELALD
but let it fight its own battles. He il
not willing while referring to the HER
AID, that | should stop with ''the eide
Cover but wants me to follow TIVE
names farther down and tell what
Thought of the Dear HERALD wher
/ the last of the two was associated witt
/ its history" He offers advertising
rates for two or three squares of tina
opinion. 1t was through feeling O
delicaey that | stopped where / did
but to satisfy his cravings | will foregc
that delicacy and follow two names
farther down As he seems tc
center his interest in the second, viii
cast the mantle of charity over the first
As to the second | will say in all candol
that think it was ably and far more