River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-10-28
MADISON LETTER.
Madison. Wis. Oct. 90. lgl

Chairman Walker of the Democra
tic State Central Committee has re
Gently sent out secret circular tC
postmasters and other Federal office
holders, which is worthy of attention
by voters who are not Federal office.
holders, as showing the transparency
and hollowness of the claims made for
the present Democratic administra
tion rs an exponent of civil service
reform. Mr.. Walker calls attention
to the Presidents recent proclamation
forbidding any display of offensive
partisanship by Federal ofIlce-holders
as follows:
"ln his recent proclamation the
president warns public officers against
"obtrusive partisanship. but declares
that individual interest and activity
in political affairs are not to pc con-
demned." We appeal to you, as well
as TO all good citizens To exhibit their
interest and activity thus approved,
and necessarily belonging to all free
men, to the end that good government
may be promoted in the country and
| state"
The point of this caution is badly
blunted, however, by the liberal con.
struction given it by the chairman,
and by the injunction with which it
is followed, and which is italicized,
that its Importance may not be miss
understood, or its requirements un.
needed. Mr.. Walker says:
BE kind enough to see personally that
no vote as unnecessarily lost to our can
diddtes. The result an the state mag
depend upon your personal action and
influence. Please also report 10 this
committee, at once, your estimate of the
probable result IN your torn or 1odrd,
and other Information necessary for
the undersigned TO know."
In short, the chairman demands
in unmistakable language. that every
postmaster, United States marshal, or
other Federal appointee shall totally
ignore the Presidents proclamation;
and not only so, but shall hold him.
self personally responsible for the
success of the Democratic ticket in
his "town, ward or precinct. This
is more than was required of Federal
officers under Republican administra-
tion which made no speciality of civil
service reform, and illustrates more
fully than argument the shallowness
of the reform pretensions of the Cleve-
land administration, of which Mr..
Villas is the exponent in this state
This circular cuts the ground from
under all the so-called reformers, and
leaves no valid excuse for the whole
sale decapitation of Republican post
masters for "undue activity in poll
tics, showing that political opinion,
and not political activity, is the real
and only cause for such removals.
There can be no objection to such a
course if candidly avowed; and we
do not wish to give the Democratic,
or any other party, credit for virtues
it does not possess.
The clause of Mr.. Walkers circular
which is of greatest interest to the
people of Wisconsin is the one in
which he seeks to arouse the cupidity
of hungry Democrats, on the one hand,
and to excite the suspicious of doubt
full voters upon the other, by reference
to the financial prosperity of the state
under Republican rule. To the hun
CRY Democrat full treasury is an OBJ.
ject of supreme interest. In anticipa- |
ton he revels in the delights which |
the dissipation of such boards afford,
and his Imagination is taxed to origi- |
nate schemes by which the funds may
soonest be ''put in circulation among
the people" The history of this |
state teaches that this is truth and |
not mere assertion. To the sus-
picious doubter the suggestion of a |
full treasury conjures up visions of |
Republication peculation and extra
vagance which are magnified rather |
than belittled by the inuendo by which |
the covert charge of corruption is |
preferred. The circular says:
The biennial receipts of the Wiscon-
sin state government exceed three and |
quarter millions in money. For
many years the disbursement of this |
vast sum has been committed exclu. |
sively to the leader of one political |
party. 1t can not be denied that a |
change in the state administration |
now would be not only just, but pru-
dent and wholesome.
Perhaps, even at this late day. COM |
parison of Republican with Demo
cratic methods may not be foreign to
the subject matter preached by Chair |
man Walker. Reference to the print
ed report of the Commissioners of Pub
lie Lands for the year 1862 shows that
during the last years of Democratic |
rule in this state the monies of the
School Fund were stolen or squandered
with a recklessness unequalled in the
history of political peculation. Under
the system of personal mortgage loans
which obtained with the Democratic
state officers from 1850 to 1857 any one
who was in their interest could secure
loanifrom the school fund upon real
estate security" approved by the
commissioners. A door was thus left |
wide open for frauds which, had not |
the people driven the Democratic party |
from power would have bankrupted |
the school fund of the state. One of |
the most common methods of robbery |
was to buy from the state 40, so. or
100 acres of land at Sl.25 per acre,
cut off all the timber, and then mort |
gage it to the state at the rate of $500 |
per acre, certifying to its Improve
ment," the improvements consist.
ing in general in stealing the timber. |
4 few of the more conscientious |
thieves erected log hut or barn when
there was danger that their honesty |
might be questioned. At maturity |
the state was compelled to accept the |
worthless stump-patch in settlement |