Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-08-29
PARTISANSHIP IN ITS NARROW
EST GAUGE.

PARTISANSHIP IN ITS NARROW
EST GAUGE.
The Milwaukee Sentinel exhibits
the narrowest gauge to which farti-
sanship can shrink itself, by bitter
and unwarranted attack upon the state
agricultural society, which appeared
in that organ on the 18th instant.
IN that editorial it was charged that
the society lis now an annex Of the
democratic party, and works iii har.
mony with the democratic state com,
mittee;" that the president and secre-
tary are active and violent democrats
and that it was bit of political STRAIT
egy on the part Of Messrs. Fratt and
Babbtt to secure the attendance OF
Governor st. John, as a speaker at
the September fair. 1t also lnsinuates
that Mr. Frat is being groomed for
the course" this fall, and that the
fHnds of the society might possibly
be diverted TO encourage a prohibi-
ton campaign in the interest
of tie democratic party.
The utter faIsity of this article, is
cqualled only by its stupidity. Its
slandcr upon the president and secre-
retary Of the society is completely
ovorshadowcd by its insult to the
managing officers of the society. So
little has politics entered INTO the Soci-
ETY. or been matter Of notice among
It's officers that it was with some dif
iiculty that the DEMOCRAT could asccr
tain the politics of the officers who
control the affairs of the society
After careful inquiry, 1t is found that
the officers of the board of agriculture
which controls the society's $ affairs, is
composed as follows. President, N. d.
Frat, Racine, democrat; vice prcsl-
dents, G. l.. Martin, GAINESVILLE, rcpub.
lean; Ii. s. Hit, Oaktield, republi
can; r. b. Ogilvie, Madison, demo
crat; u. L. Pilgrim, West Granville,
republican, j. Nj. Smith. Green Bay,
republican j. Byron Olcott, Oshkosh,
republican j w. Wood, Barahoo, repub-
lican; A. A. Arnold, Galesvilie republi-
can, S. l.. Mason. Nashville. repubh-
cen, secretary Clinton Blbbitt Bcloit,
democrat, treasurer Cyrus Miner,
Jauesvillc, republican, OrriS Pratt,
Spring Prairie, republican, l. c. Sloan.
Madison, II. j.. Newton, Beaver Dam,
j. IL. Hicks, Oshkosh, II. J. Blair,
Milwaukee, Geo. b. Shaw, w. \.
Johnston, GaleSvillc, all republicans
fourteen republicans and three
democrats. The Sentinel's grievance
is that Mr.. st. John, the nominee of
the prohibitionists for president, has
been invited to speak upon the fair
grounds on one of the days during
the fair and has accepted. The organ
of ring politics can sec nothing but q
political motive in this, and IN the
narrowness of partiSa"ship il seeks
to destroy the soCle because it has
dared To invite man to speak who is
not n republican.
The facts are that the secretary has
most urgently appealed TO Gen. John
A. Logan and to eX Gov. Hendricks
To come ard help the society draw us
large an attendance as possible When
the Sentinel untruthfully gave out
that Roscoe Conkling was coming te
this state TO deliver republican speech
eS, Secretary Babb,tt also wrote TO that
gentleman URGING him to come and
Spo tx on the fair ground, and got sew
cral republican gentlemen to JON with
him in the invitation. Mr.. st. John
was invited in the same connection
with Logan and Hendricks, and the
officers OF the society would be de
lighted if all these gentlemen could
be present There was simply de
sire on the part Of the officers TO get as
many people to attend the fair as pos
sible; and they would be only too
glad If the republicans would get
Gen. Logan to he ON the grounds and
to set every Blaine club and every
Grand Army post in the state to turn
out and give him an ovation, precise
ly as the prohibitioniSts are of their
own accord and At their own expe,Sc
seeking to give their man greeting
The society is after the crowds and the
gate-money, but not the politics; ard
no one, but those who never act from
any but partisan motives, can see any
political strategy in such action.
With Blaine and Logan constantly
engaged in visiting non partisan pub
lie gatherings, and doing it, as every
one wells knows, for vote-catching,
electioneering purposes, this attack of
the Sentinel upon the state agricul-
tural society is the narrowest gauge
partisanshlp, and will be denounced
by every friend of the society, no
matter how he votes. The charges
and insinuations that the society or
any of its officers are grooming Mr..
Fratt, are merely the morbid fancies
of a panic stricken organ. The so
ciety and its officers are simply doing
their best to make their annual fair a
success, and their forts, with favor
ing weather, are certain to be re-