River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-11-18
MADISON LETTER.


much that has entered into the stat
canvass has direct bearing upon thu
national canvass which will next in
wife the attention of our people, give
point and interest to the discussion
which has followed the close of tn,
recent campaign. refer to the ques
ton of civil service reform. upon tn,
phantasm of which Grover Cleveland
now occupies the presidential chair
and of which so much was expected
from reform administration. The
activity of Mr.. Villas and his appoin
tees in the postal service was 81
marked in this state as to attract the
attention Of the newspaper press o.
the nation. Following as it did the
grandioSe proclamation of the Presi
dent that Federal officers were not t.
show "pernicious activity in political
affairs, under pain of instant dismissal
the vigor of Mr.. Villas campaign in
this state, and especially in this Assem-.
bly, district, was SO great that it could
not be ignored, assuming that the
President meant anything by his Of
fetal utterances upon the subject.
The fact that it has thus far been
overlooked 10y the President indicates
that his manifestoes are for the pur-
pose of deceiving the weak-eyed re-
formers of the East, and have no sig
niticance to the stalwart workers in
practical politics such as Villas, Bryant,
Delaney, ct al.
1t is true that one Democratic officer
I'm Missouri has been suspended under
the civil service rules. Forty
thousand Republicans have also been
suspended. The one Democrat was
expected to do duty as a shining ex-
ample of even handed justice In the
observance of the rule-One against
thousands. But even this lame at
tempt of the administration Is liable
to be defeated, Senator Vest, of Mis-
souri,, a friend of the deposed Democrat,
having taken up his case and demand
ed either his reinstatement or the
dismissal of Villas, Bryant, and other
offenders. The President has attempt
ed to compound with Mr.. Benton, the
deposed officer, Offering him a foreign
mission in place of his U. S. Marshal
ship, but Senator Vest has demanded
the old place as vindicatiOn of his
friend, or the removal of the other Of
tenders. So the case stands to-day.
The whole discussion is of inter- est
only as showing that the reform pre-.
tension of the Cleveland regime is but
the outward assumption of a virtue
which it has not, and the pretense is
kept up only to retain the Mugwump
votes by which he was elected. Villas
was the originator of the term ''offen-
sive partisan" the suspicion of which
has been the excuse for deposing, as
Villas said in his Madison speech,
"more office holders than there were Of
fees under Lincoln's administration,
and he himself is the most offensive
partisan" developed in the campaign
just closed. Great is the power of
humbug.
The election of mike" Cantwell
to the Assembly over Phil. Spooner,
in this district is not greatly relished
by the majority of Madisonites of what
ever party. The member from Madi-
son this winter will have the task of
engineering a further appropriation
of one hundred thousand dollars for
the new Science Hall, at the Univer-
sity. The original appropriation for
the work, one hundred and ninety
thousand dollars, was intended to
cover the entire cost of the building.
This amount is all expended and the
building is not yet rooted in. Wheth-
er Sir. Cantwell is persuasive enough
in his eloquence to get the first appro-
priation doubled, or has the diplomacy
to placate the country members who
may argue that the first appropriation
was very large, and was all that was
asked and was deemed amply sufficient
for the work, is yet to be tested.
Certain it is that the methods of the
building committee will be thoroughly
investigated before its demands for
"more" are acceded to. OF course the
building must be completed, now that
it is so far advanced, but the legisla-
ture ought to see to it that the next
appropriation shall be so expended,
and the work so pushed that another
demand shall not be made two years
hence. Madison is noted for its
omnivorousness and a tight grip upon
the treasury purse.strings is the only
assurance of safety in dealing with
her.
Preparations are going forward in
the Capital for the meeting of the
Legislature. The rotunda. legislative
chambers and committee rooms are
receiving a new coat of paint, the
furniture repaired and painted, and
all other necessary work done to rem
der the building and furniture COM
Portable and pleasant Our state has
one of the finest state houses in the
nation, and when in thorough order
for business it is an edifice to be proud
of.
The roster of Wisconsin volunteers,
which has been in process of compil-
alton during the year past, is nearing
completion. The first volume, of nine
hundred pages is running through the
press, and the second volume is well
along. When completed the work will
be one of great interest not only to
soldiers. but the public generally. 1t
viii not be perfect, but it will be as
perfect as the records of the Adjutant
Generals Office permit. Its publiea-
ton and circulation will lead to the
correction of many errors which now
exist in the rolls and reports filed in the
office, and will clear up the records of