Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1890-10-11

its undoubted prerogatives; that it make o
cowardly and dishonest disclaimer OF q
right and duty which al free soa,ss pntine
and exercise. It is not the state attelilptins
to abrldge the liberties OF its cltlzens, puo
the churches endeavoring to anc:oacn o1
the functions and power OF the state, anu
the issue thus forced upon the people oy
the arrogance Of the German Lutheran ne.
publicans is by far the grayest anu n eauS1
naipn. We have confined our remarks
largely to the German Lutheran Cnurcn,
Init we resent ecclesiastic interference III
state affairs by any church, as DANGEROUS
to the liberties of the people. un-Amerlcan
and un-DemOcratlc.
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM.
Unwise or unfaithful leaders. OF the
great and honorable Democratlc parry
have, by the platform framed Dy tnenn 4; anu
adopted by the recent state convention,
pledged that party to the championship OF
the alleged grievances of the German Re
publican Luthprans and their church; TO
the cause of church against state ON the
question of secular education, TO the ap,
proval of this most unwlse, unnoly ana
unlemocratc amalgamation OF church
t a1,a state state, under ' threat Of the
ecclesiastical lash, of its undouDted
right to demand the education of its chill
dren in the legal language OF the state; 10
the unconditional repeal or the Benne!I
law. The attitude into which the party IS
thus sought to+be forced IS essentlally ui-
American, un-patriOtic and un-DemOcIat-
ic. and is hostile to the best interests OF the
state and of every child within its Dor
ders.
And all this shame has been brought
upon the party merely to gam, Tor tnls one
election, the votes of those who boast that
they are not and will not become Demo-
erals but will return to the Republican
party as soon as (having used the Demo-
cratic party as their tool for that purpose)
they shall have brought it to its knees.
Such course is not only immoral ana I'M
principled, but, like all immortality, 1t is a
stupid blunder as well.
THE DUTY OF DEMOCRATS.
The question now confronting us is shall
we, as Democrats, give our sanction TO
such a base prostitution of the party welove
and revere. Shall we, as Democrats, per-
nit, even by inactiOn, the triumph OF Sucn
a shameful sacrifice of principle and OF the
faith and honorable traditions OF our
party, for the pitiful purpose OF securing
the brief and diScreditable support or the
German Republican Lutherans. 1t is time
that such unclean and laundering leader
ship should be rebuked.
Mere inactive disapprOval can accom-
plish nothing. The only way to free the
party from the domination OF those VINO
sacrifice all principle, all patriotism and all
democracy to a vicious determination TO
gain votes at any cost, is to vote agalnSI
the state ticket nominated on and pledged
to that shameful platform. The election
of that ticket will not be Democratic
victory; it will mean the degradation OF
the Democratic party and the triumph OF
the German Republican Lutherans. De-
feat now will strengthen and purify the
party, not weaken it, it will cleanse IL
from the stain placed upon it by unscrupu-
lous ''bosses''' ~
We who thus address you are Democrats,
strong in love of the Democratic party, IN
reverence for its historic grandeur, and IN
faith in it's present integrity and patriotism
and it's future triumph. We are not try
ing to organize a new party; we are seek
ing no personal political advancement. nor
are we becoming Republicans. We are
neither leaving nor asking others to leave
the Democratic party; we propose to vote
for Democratic congressman ard county
officers. The state ticket only is pledged
to the anti-English teaching, church-state
plank Of the platform, and the defeat of
that ticket will vindicate the integrity of
Democrats on those questions. We are
making no fight against the party, but are
fighting for it, and against the leaders who
have betrayed it. On, all national issues
we. are in accord with the party, and be-
lieve the best interests of the country de-
mand it's success on those. issues
But in our judgment the church
state question is the one issue. of
the campaign SO lar as the, state
ticket is concerned. We believe, and we
think large proportion of the party
throughout the state believes, that Demo
Gratis owe tito themselves, to the party, 20
the state and to every child within the
state, to aid, as Democrats and because
they are Democrats, in crushing out all at
temptS at ecclesiastical assumption of secu-
lar power; to assert and maintain the alb
sOlute right of the state to insist that its
children shall receive a certain amount of
education in the English language: to re-
buke the faithless leaders who have bar
tered principle, patriotism and the party
fair name for Republican votes; to vindi-
cate the Well-earned reputation of the
Democratic party as party of principle
and patriotism. and not of trucking eXpe-
diency and trickery. and to take broad,
enlightened, American and patriotic stand
in the great questions of the education of
our future citizens and state supremacy in
secular affairs. The only way to do these
things is to vote against the candidates fol
state offices who are pledged by
the, platform on which they stand.
and by their public utterances, to
holding of all the heresies involved in that
issue.
To those Democrats who are in sympa-
thy with us ON these great and vital ques-
tons we suggest the necessity for vigorous
action. Organize local Democratic Ben
nett law clubs; urge upon your Democrat
ic friends and neighbors the necessity of
defeating the state platform and ticket, to
cleanse and purify the party and strength
f5fnrp victories 10