Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-05-01
GARRISON AND THE PRESS,
Political Contest TO be Fought in the
Arena Of Discussion and
in the Newspapers.
Torch-lieht. Red-light and Brass
Bands RELOCATED to the Rear.

PITTsBURG. April 26.-The annual dim
ner of tie American republican club in
commemoration of the 6Sth birthday of
General I. S. Grant was given tonight.
Our Guests, absent" was responded to by
Col. J. M. Shoonamaker, of this city,
Grant by Governor James A. Beaver,
and 1.-The Republican Party" by Hon.
Thomas B. Reed, speaker of the house of
representatives. Reed spoke at length on
the election frauds and the ballot box
stutfing III the south. The remedy, he
said, was the passage of the senate bill en-
larging the powers of the United States
supervisors over state elections.
Assistant Postmaster General Clarkson
spoke to The Republican Press
Brice was much derided for his phrase
in 1888 that the campaign of that year was
an intellectual one, yet his statement was
true. Political contests, said the
speaker, ARE coming more and more to be
fought in the arena of discussion and in the
newspaper press. The torchlight and
the red light as political arguments are
being superseded by intellectual discussion
of the press. The campaign of 1892 Will
be a newspaper campaign and 1t has al
ready begun. The democrats saw this be-
fore the republicans, for any close OBJ
server must have seen the marvellous man.
ner in which the democratic
party has been strengthening
its. lines in newspaper or magazien
In the large cities of the east they have
captured nearly all the magazines and
illustrated papers. All mercenaries of
the press and literature have been lured
into their service. The reinforced demo-
cratic press is startling thing for the re-
publican party to face, and it must face it
with courage and wisdom. In New York
city 100000 copies of daily news
papers are printed daily. Less than 10000
of them are republican. This means
two-ffths of the republicans of New York
city and its environments are reading
democratic papers and taking democratic
version of things, and the young people of
the households are being educated uncon-
sclously against the party of their fathers.
In Boston the papers of greatest circula-
ton are also democratic. The same is true
of nearly every large city in the country
Democracy has also pressed its conquests
to the agricultural press, and in the last
four years many of our farmers papers
have become advocates to free trade. 1t
was largely through this line and that of
the farmers alliances that the democrats
first baised their claim that the northwest
was for free trade and changing to the
democratic party. Even as good organi-
cations as that of farmers was utilized and
farmers alliances established systematic
ally, with all the democrats and weak
kneed republicans in the neighborhood
gathered into its folds Then they were
supplied with free trade literature, Sc
cretly and constantly. Such propaganda
has never been known in America as
that of democrats in their hunt in secret,
and through changing press in behalf of
free trade in the West, to-day | submit to
you, as republicans, that it is time for
our party to take notice Of what the oppo-
sition party is doing by increasing and
strengthening its press"