River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-11-11

overwhelming victory scored by the
Republican party in Wisconsin. the
defeated are casting about for the
causes. which led to results which
they so little expected. However cor
rect may be the conclusions arrived at,
we are of the opinion that the vital
reasons are being either purposely
avoided, or entirely overlooked by
them. In the first place, both the
Democratic and Prohibition parties
made a mistake, in their advance con-
illusions that the Republican party
was almost dead in the State of Wis
cOnsin; but besides that. there are
many reasons for the Republican sue
cess and many elements which con-
tributed TO their splendid victory.
In the first place the riot issue" was
real issue. and keenly appreciated by
the people at large, and this issue was
Intensified by the outspokcn senti-
ments of leading Democratic states
men and journals all over the land !;
hence. the effort of Democratic and
Prohibition speakers 10 trifle with this
question and bring it into ridicule, but
caused the people to feel more keenly
its Importance and reality and vote
for the advocates of law and order.
Again, Democratic speakers boldly
declared their free trade sentiments,
and the Republicans. true to their
tariff principles, met that issue with
out finching as they always have,
bursting the free trade bubble with
ease, thus winning not only the APP
plause but the votes of farmers and
labOrers who think more of protecting
home industry and labor than they do
that of foreign countries.
Again, the Democrats dare not speak
Of their record in the past, not even
for the last eighteen months since they
have controlled the government, for,
with all their cry for reform, they
cannot point out a single reform which
they have given the country, and their
every effort to make such showing
reveals the fact that they are but
tolerable imitators of Republican poll
cy; and that the doings of the present
administration in many things are in
conflict with public sentiment, and
opposed to the public welfare; so that
every true showing of the real Demo-
cratic history but depleted their ranks
and made votes for the Republicans.
Again, the Prohibition vote did not
weaken the Republican party as was
predicted by both the Prohibitionists
and Democrats, but it actually drew
from the Democrats more than anyone
expected; and the open declaration
that the chief object of the third party
was to crush the Republican party,
worked against them, from the fact
that they also proclaimed that the
Democratic party was rum party"
and that the saloons were largely in
Democratic hands, and ruled both the
old parties, while the temperance ele-
ment was largely in the Republican
party, so that their voting to crush
the Republican party was virtually
voting to give the whole temperance
cause over into the hands of the sa-
looms and Democrats, by their own
logic, and the good temperance people
revolted at this by the hundred and
voted the Republican ticket, and will
continue to do so until the new party
shows itself to be temperance party.
The leading Prohibition speakers
said that prohibition" did not mean
Temperance" but political reform"
and this declaration according with
the logic of the situation drove many
from their ranks, because they were
unwilling that "party" should defeat
temperance work, or temperance
methods. There are thousands of
Prohibitionists in Wisconsin who only
disagree with the third party in
methods, and they are an overwhelm-
ing majority; and now that the meth
DDS of the third party are clearly
wrong. it is to be hoped that by some
means there can be a uniting of forces
for the grand cause of temperance.
We have thus noted some of the evil
dent causes of our victory, all of which
may be condensed in the following
few words: Ali things combined to
send the Republicans home to their
first love and show their real strength.