Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-09-12


We often hear the doctrine enunciated: 81
don't vote for measures; vote for men," Then
we hear the opposite: II don't vote for men; I
vote for measures" Half truth is always the
hardest statement to analyZe. The whole truth
should be put together, and the American clti-
nation of men and measures" In that case you
have something to go by.
There is wonderful power in leadership. A
wonderful power i'll leadership. Have you ever
meath your own following of leadership, or 1T
will be the result of blind following. Turn back,
for instance, to the great war OF the rebelllon
What was it that precipitated nine millions OF
people into the slough of despond," secession
What was it that took that
vast number of people and dashed
them as against the very bulwark OF destruction,
against the buckler, you might say, of Ameri-
can thought, American sense and American
Judgment and finally precipitated that whole
nation almost into the nlire and dependency
ment? What did that thing? blind follow
ing of leadership forgetting fthe principle OF
patriotism; craftsmanship that was placed before
patriotism. Partisanship first was their motto.
And what was it lead those men in this bind
way? A lack of knowledge. When l think of it,
that marched for a hundred and fifty miles,
the Oldest portion of the continent al
most, and never school house, could
wonder then, boys, that those people were taken
and led as by a fate that dashed them III pieces?
l remember looking over the muster rolls of
thirty Confederate regiments and finding in
those muster-rolls the signatures of the private
soldiers there. All there was told the story
From 50 to 50 per cent. of the men that signed
those muster-rolls did so with the mark. That
is the key to the fact that those men were led
blindly from 80 to so per cent of those names
were signed with the cross Do you suppose If
those people had been intelligent if they had
been given to study, if they had had an 1ntell1-
could have been taken by that false leadership
and led in this manner? All, no.
THE PEOPLES COLLEGE.
In 1878 gentleman came up from the little
in Jefferson county. He had never visited the
North before. He was engaged in trying to Sc
cure certain commercial relations as a commits
sion merchant. He wrote me he wished to visit
the North; and / wrote him in reply that should
be pleased to receive him. He came, and for one
week drove him in my buggy over the fertile
fields of Jefferson, Walworth and the eastern
portion of Dane counties. We stopped at the
farm houses. The people knew me; and at din
ner time l would say, eve will stop at this
house" AT another meal, "At this house." At
the different meal times | would stop at different
houses: and / would say to the good wife. IT
have friend here from Louisiana; he never Wis
tied the North before; will you allow me to step
into your parlor?" Of course permission was
given us. The man was full of wonder. And
every little ways, every quarter or half mile,
we would come 10 a school house what is
this ?' he would say answered. "The peoples
college, sir 1t is the little college from which
graduated. 1t is the little college from which
place where we rear citizens, sir, and teach them
~ F F1'Gy he s1oRs out
My God sir how far does this state of affairs ex-
tend?' 1 said, "From Omaha to the Atlantic
ocean," Then he replied No wonder you
came down upon like the wolf on the fold.
Why, my God, sir" he says. you have got men
here every quarter of mile; here is a home;
here is a school house: here is civilization"
Then l said to him: II have been quietly seek
see now the meaning of free institutions? Do
you see now the meaning of happy homes? Do
you see now the secret of that bulwark, Ameri-
can patriotism, which held you by a vice-like
grip, from which you could not escape, and fin
ally taught you the lesson that you so sadly
Iearnedy' 81 see It," he says; 81 see IT," lap
plause
Well, my friends, I had marched all over
Louisiana. The philosophy of their life
false one. The philosophy of their culture
a false one: The philosophy of their existence
in all particulars, political and everything elSe
was a false one; false to the American idea. /
have marched over that state for miles. Once
in five and ten miles a plantation; but never
school house. Never through the whole South
could be found such thing school house.
I speak of this, boys as an illustration of the
fact that you areN living in the full blaze of
American intelligence, and that you come here
in a manner indicative of the condition of
American civilization in its best sense; and you
are the product of it; and know that we all feel
one of the proudest products of all this ciyilza-
ton.
THE POWER OF LEADERSHIP
/ have often thought when I consider the
power of leadership of the character of Stephen
A. Douglas. Stephen A. Douglas was beloved
and favorite leader of the Northern Democracy.
partisanship and patriotism, Stephen Douglas
lost no time in saying on which side he stood.
Applause How unfortunate was 1t for
the political standing and of
Stephen Douglas died. know myself, am clearly
confident that had he lived, he would have
saved hundreds and thousands of Northern
Democrats from being placed IN the doubtful
position in which they were in after their ex-
perience. They forgot to analyze the questions
that were before them. They submitted to blind
partisanship and they were let into the devious
paths of copperheadism. And finally those men
found themselves arrayed against the patriotic
instincts of the people. Had Stephen Douglas
lived he would have saved them from this dire
fate That illustrates the power Of leadership;
and wish these young men to study and canvass
these ideas, and remember that no matter who
the man IS that essays to lead you, that you must
be guided by principle in all things. Allow no
man to come to you and claim the right to your
conscience in politics. [ApPlausel
opinion. Remember that. What is popular
opinion to-day, crystalizes tomorrow into
law You have only to turn to the
history of a very few months in your own
city, to realize the power of popular opinion.
But short time ago you were confronting here
an incipient rebellion. A revolution. Popular
bu1wark, and before popular opinion that up
rising, that anarchial state of things, went down
as goes the snowflake before the morning sun.
[Applause] This is a government of popular
opinion, and therefore it becomes us as young
men to study well the foundations of popular
opinion. Whether we young old men,
we must realize in this particular that it is very
essential that popular opinion be put upon an
enlightened basis.
ALL LABORING MEN
We are all laboring men. There is not man in
this audience tonight that is not a laboring
man. If there is, he will meet with the fate OF
Burns daisy and be plOwed under, Laughter
and applause] and doubt vely much whether
he be immortalized in poem either We are
all laboring men: and 1 have not the very great
est patience with that idea that to-day arrays
men in classes. with the idea that some
men laboring men and other
men are not Why [ tell you the whole
warp and wool of American society, boys is one
of labor. We are all laboring men.
An 1riShman in my own town, the
other day, struck the very center of
the question as regards the makeup of Ameri-
can society, when he uttered this thing A
Democratic friend of mine was striving to in
fuence him. and he says pat, the tariff has
nothing TO do with your wages" Now this is
not a tariff argument, but | want you to see how
wisely that man went to the center of things.
''Oh, is that SO % says Pat. ''No, it has not it
simply enriches your employer" With that keen
Celtic understanding, that like a fash often
rea ches to the very core of question, Pat says,
A i Iz1l It'll 1,1T ~ %kl.NI4%