River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-04-22
MADISON LETTER.

Alt AE0AAAN VI NAAN AHtN1 AAAAAAAANA ftNA
election, which places Hon. f. w.
Reyes, Republican, in the Mayoralty
of this Democratic city. does not, as
might he assumed by the uninitiated,
evidence a complete political revolu-
ton, nor does it demonstrate the
supreme personal popularity of the
old-time Republican BOSS. 1t is
simply the efferyescing of Democratic
protest against the very UNI Democratic
method of administering the "public
trusts" which here centers in the
pOstOllice. Mr.. Gregory, the new
postmaster, has been in possession of
the office whole month. and had only
displaced three employees out of fifty,
paltry six per cent, which troubled
the patriotic rank and file TO the very
depths of their loyal Jacksonian hearts.
Turn the raScals out!' means very
much more to the average Democrat
to-day than it did when it was Haunted
upon their banners last November.
Then its loftiest purpose was to catch
the eyes of the fearful Mugwumps,
who saw in their imaginations mine
of corruption in every Federal office,
only awaiting the clear light of an
opposition investigation to reveal a
depth of official depravity which
should forever condemn the Republi-
can party to a detested obscurity. TO
the Democrats who carried the
delusive banner it meant possible
exchange of places with one of the
officials so pleasantly characterized in
the legend which the banner bore.
And now, after the successful issue
of his ruse, he finds that it is only the
big "rascals' who are to be sup.
planted for the benefit of the big
Reformers" OF the Democratic
party, and that the humble but patri-
otto banneT-bearers are to be left out
in the cold, metaphOrically speaking,
he rises in revolt and VOWS vengeance
upon the "kid-glove aristOcracy" who
thus disappOint him. Such seems to
have been the feeling here. 1t was
openly avowed that if only the intlu-
entail and aristocratic members of the
party were to be made exceptions in
the enforcement of reform" that
they would try to demonstrate, in a
small way, the power of the ballot in
the hands of the disappointed and
revengefuI masses of the party. The
experiment was favorable to Mr..
Keyes' election, and he receives a
majority Of four hundred in city
usually giving eight hundred Demo
cratic majority. II is the open boast
of the rank and file that if the policy
Of the administration is not changed
for the benefit of the humber men,
bers of the party they will give it
something stronger to consider next
fall. The party was very unanimous,
great and small. for reform during
the campaign. It's equally unanimous
for spoils now, and there is both
reason and justice in the proposition
that the ''refOrm" should include the
humblest and hungriest of the party
us we'll as the leaders.
4 good story is circulated in Madi-
son at the expense of Mr.. Gregory,
the new postmaster. As there were
several candidates for the Office he
thought that a little good Republican
backing would not be amiss, especially
in petitioning neutral administration
such as the present one presumably is.
He therefore approached Hon. Har-
low S. orion to give him a letter of
recommendation. This the Honorable
Justice consented to do, and after
having written the letter he induced
all his colleagues on the Supreme
Bench to sign it with him. Mr..
Gregory was appointed postmaster.
Some time after his appointment he
was called upon to write a brief bio
graphical sketch of the personnel ofthe
Supreme Court, which he did, append
ing at the close of the article his own
private and unsolicited opinion that
they-the members of the Court
were "a lot of old women OF
course so pertinent remark as that
got out and got into print, to the
intense discontinue of Mr.. Gregory.
Mr.. Orion called his attention TO 1t in
friendly sort of way and Gregory
plead guilty to its preparation, but
excused it by saying that "he didn t
mean to have it made public. The
palliation was worse than the offense,
and the offender is suffering agOnies
every day for fear of meeting any one
of the members of the Court, all five
of whom, with a keen sense of humOr
scintillating through their usually
sedate judicial brains, delight in
meeting and greeting their dis
tinguished critic. Needless to say he
does not enjoy it, and it is said that
he will 60 around two blocks any day
rather than face one of them.
The circuit court for Dane county is
in session. One of the most interest
ing cases set down for trial is that OF
a saloon.keeper who has sued prom
inent temperance advocate for defain-
alton. setting his injuries at the cash
price of five thousand dollars. 1t is
interesting to learn that the guild
contains member possessed of sensi-
bilities susceptible of such acute
laceration by mere verbal conclusion.
1t has long been held by the most
observant students of the genus bar
tender that bung-starter was the
most efficient weapon with which to
| conduct a debate with a member of
that usually tough-headed, class
When they begin to succumb to stump
oratory the disciples of st. John may
/ take courage and initiate their lungs