Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-04-05

river referred TO was in Colorado and
not our four-mile creek, but through
the horrible. bungling carelessness of a
printer this fact was left out. However,
we trust that such of our readers as
have built golden hopes, and visions of
mining excitements and wealth in our
peaceful community, will not feel piqued
when we remind them that the last
issue of the HERALD covered the first of
April.
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Fixing Things
We hear great deal politically now
a-days about fixing things. When
ever there is an opening in the shape Of a
nomination for an office, somebody
whom the people would not think of
nominating on account of his merits or
ability, works upon the feelings and
pockets of the local ring politicians and
gets them to "fix things" for him.
Sometimes if he has an unlimited
amount of cheek and a smooth tongue
he can get things fixed for himself
without using much money. but gener-
ally money is very potent persuader
Superiority in merit and ability is not
usually very important factor in se-
curing nomination for office if the
seeker is not encumbered with an over
abundance of modesty and is not dis
posed to split hairs in the choice of
methods. An entire lack of modesty,
a very blunt sense of what is straight
forward and honorable, together with
superior power of scheming in ''fixing
things" are quite often the sole quail
iications of the successful politician,
This condition of affairs is humiliating
but unfortunately it is true. The ques-
ton arises. Whose fault is itp 1t is idle
to upbraid those who promote their
own selfish interests by means of these
qualifications, for the logic of events
has taught them that thus, and thus
only can they be successful. Some,
who are blessed with superior merit
and ability, and are also ambitious,
having discovered that they can be
successful only by suppressing all in
clinations to gentlemanly modesty and
by counter-scheming in fixing things"
have reluctantly smothered trouble
some conscious scruples, buried ideas
of the eternal fitness of things in gov
eminent by the people, and entered
the arena of political warfare under
the humiliating conditions imposed.
Imposed? Ay, and by whomp Vent not
your spleen upon the banker, the law
yer, or the capitalist who has political
ambition! Spare the professional pol
itician and upbraid him not for being a
schemer. a trickster, a fixer of things
n worker behind the scenes, a smooth
tongued adept in the '.still hunt!'
Heap not your curses and maledictions
upon the political parties! Smear not
at the man who votes with bis party
aftes the candidates have been picked
out for him! However much we may
look upon these elements of government,
with disdain, they are simply the nat
ural consequences of the avaricious sell
fishness and criminal apathy of great
part OF the -office-seeking, the nom
political, the business secluded, the
home-staying class, who pay little or
no attention to the local caucuses and
primaries where the real work of rep
resentative government begins and
where the destinies of the nation are
held in the balance. Ii our official po-
sitions are held by adventurous and cap
italists of mediocre mental abilities, the
dear hoodwinked people, and not the
self-constituted local politicians, are
really to blame for not sufficiently at
tending 10 the local primaries where
the men are chosen who make the NOM
nations and who promulgate political
principles. If the people attended the
caucuses as faithfully as they do the
elections where they have only choice
between two or three nominees, who
may have had things fixed for them
selves, then the self-consiituted caucus
manipulators, and "fixers of things
would be in a hopeless minority and
would be comparatively powerless to
do evil, Il is the merchant who is look
ing after the shekels behind the counter
on caucus days, who is to blame for the
very name of politician being odious;
it is the mechanic who "has no time"
to attend the primaries, who is to blame
for the success of the political "fixers;"
it is the farmer who is not sufficiently
interested in politics TO 60 to town and
take part in the causus, who is to blame
for the decline in patriotism and for the
power of the few over the many; it is
the minister, the doctor, the teacher,
who usually contemplate with contempt
the political caucuses and disdain TO
dignity them by their presence, who
are to blame for the great power of the
local '.fixers" who are mere parodies on
the original pure and unadulterated
Specification of the term politician. Not
until the great non-politicil class of
people are thoroughly awakened as to
the extent of predominating disgraceful
methods of fixing things, and not
until they fully realize the immensely of
their power, which at present is but
great potentially that only requires
action in order to be felt, will the NOM
nations to office be effected in accord
ance with pure patriotic motives that
will cause genuine republican enthu-
siasm. BoETHIUs.
April 2. 1888.
Died.
The funeral of Mr.. David Day occurS
red at his home March 20. A large num-