Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-10-21

sole motive that prompts this letter.
Since your affidavit as president of this
nation, the heralded leaders of the
democratic party in Minnesota have
been the Hon. P. III. Kelly and
only that your ear could be reached, and
the democrat who sought other ways to
draw your attention to him was marked
at once for their disfavor. They have
been the dispensers of federal patronage,
the sources of bounty, bestowing grace
and the alI-powerful factotum of this
state. They have openly boosted of their
influence with your excellency, and de-
fed men to secure from you that which
they desired to be otherwise bestowed.
That is the position they have occupied,
one so offensive to the brain and genius
of the party in this state that, rather
than suffer the personal humiliation of
contact with these usurpers of power
that by all human rights belongs to you,
they have withdrawn from public life and
sought more cOngen1al pursuits. [ beg
to refer you to the fact that these gentle
men, in assuming this power, did SO by
no authority of the party, but through a
state central committee, nine-tenths Of
whose members were personal friends of
and under personal obligations to Messrs.
Kelly and Doran. beg also to refer you
to the fact that since this power was Civ
en- to them the democratic party has been
in turmoil that has threatened dissolu-
ton. The harmony that existed in its
ranks in the past has passed away, and in
it's place has come sickening feeling of
disgust with the machine" that now con-
trolls every movement of the party.
TOUCHING UP THE DOCTOR.
We have, as democrats, for candidate
for governor this year man who is per-
sOnally repugnant to every loyal demo
crat who is father or has a home. 4
man whose personal character is so low
that the back bone of the party will not
support him. He was nominated at the
dictation of Messrs. Kelly and Doran.
We have federal officeholders who are &C
lively working for the success of the can
didate. These officials were appointed
by you but obey Messrs. Kelly and Doran.
Scandals, dissensions, foul rumors, inter
necine conflicts, are all rife in the party
at time when we should be united. All
this, thanks to Messrs. Kelly and Doran.
[ do not ask you to accept these state
ments as bona tide from me, but L cordi-
ally invite you to visit Minnesota or by
other means to acquit yourself with the
situation here. If you do not find what
say to be true, then I am willing to be
publicly branded as falsifer. There are
hundreds of honorable, loyal, brainy
democrats in Minnesota, but Messrs. Kel-
ly and Dorac do not belong to them.
These two gentlemen are politicians
professional politicians whom the
doctrine "to the victor belongs the
spoils," is sacred creed. They repre-
sent that element in the democratic party
that has sought to defeat every effort that
you have put forth to conduct the govern
ment on purely business principles
WHAT is the democratic party or you to
them? They are cunning dissemblers
and most extraordinary political poten
tates but they represent the worst princi
pies of partisanship, and are therefore
your common enemy. That element OF
the democratic party in Minnesota that
most cordially indorses you hopes to see
your first triumph over the men who
would ruin the party. This element, in
Minnesota, has been more loyal to the
party than Messrs. Kelly and Doran ever
dare to be. These two gentlemen are do
ing you most grevious harm, and their
party an irreparable injury. I beg OF
you to consider this as information fo1
your own good and to use it for the guild
ance of your hand in directing the affairs
of this nation