River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-04-03
MADISON LETTER.
March 90 1900

EDITOR Journal: 1t has been SO long
a time since | last found a place in
your columns that | shall no doubt
need an introduction to many of your
readers. The propensity TO scribble is
one that may be suppressed for season
or 1t may be depressed by stress of
other work or play; but it is sure to
| come To the surface again sooner of
later, and thus, after several months
silence, again knock for admission to
the ranks of your admirable corps of
correspondents.
And speaking of "local correspond
ents," permit me to say to the public
that which you have no doubt long
known, but which mOdesty has for
hidden you to assert, that the JOURNAL
is alone and singular among WiscOn.
sin country papers in this particular.
Other papers, it is true, have some
correspondents, and retain certain
ones for time; but among all that
come under my observation l find none
that maintain so strong a corps of local
correspondents, all the time. year
after year. 1t is conceded by all news
paper men that it is good feature,
but success in that direction is seldom
Il luC 0OIhNAls SttiIc ~ ltdNt
learned the secret of success.
Madison has had small River Falls
colony during the past winter, the
members of which find much of pleas.
ure in recalling old times aud familiar
friends. in the which occupation the
JOURNAL plays no inconsiderable part
in its weekly chronicles of marriages
and deaths, business changes, remov-
ais, visits and visitors, and all its
weekly record of the coming and
going, its meeting and passing, of the
people of our little town. Prof. and
Mrs. Parker, Prof. Thayer, Mr.. Chas
Putnam, Mr.. George Keyes, Mr.. and
Mrs. Merrick and Miss Thronia Mer-
rick | believe comprise the present
River Falls cont ngent. Mr.. William
Cairns represents Ellsworth in our
fellowship meetings. | think there
are one or two more Pierce county
young men in the University, but
have not had the pleasure of meeting
them.
This being the political center of the
state we have enough to engage atten.
ton in the issue which has been raised
by the opposition to the Bennett
Law" | observe that you have re-
Gently given very clear and concise
statement of the provisions of this
law. A few added points may be of
interest. The law, which is chapter
$40, laws of 1889, is named after Mr..
| Michael John Bennett, Member of
| Assembly from Pine Knot, Iowa Co.,
a school teacher when at home. of
Irish descent, and said to be Catholic
| in religion. Mr.. Bennett does not
claim the paternity of the bill, how
ever. He introduced it by request,
and urged it to its passage, and it thus
bears his name. Mr.. Robert LascOmbe,
assistant city attorney of Milwaukee,
drew the bill at the suggestion of the
North Side Tanners Association. II
was designed to correct the great and
growing evil of child labor, as a first
result, and to stay the flood of ignor-
ance flowing from the employment of
children in shops and factories when
it WAS their right, and the right of
the state that they should be in school.
The Turnverein Societies are composed
of Germans who believed in education
as the only sure means of advance
ment. This being America, and not
Germany, they believe that knowl-
edge of the English language is requi
site for the equipment of any child
who is to live and labor in the United
States. These two principles underlie
all that inspired the Bennett Law.
There was nothing political and moth
ing anti-religiOus about it.
Gov. Hoard has been assaulted i'm
some quarters as the putative father
of the bill, and is now bearing the
brunt of the battle, 81 far as the at
tack has been directed against persons
rather than against the bill itself
The governor had nothing TO do with
its inception, yet il may be alledged
with great measure of truth, that he
inspired it. In his first message he
directed attention to the prevalence of
illiteracY in the state, and pointed out
the evils and danger to be feared from
it, and urged the adoption of legisla
ton to meet it. He saw the bill be-
fore it was put upon its passage, and
approved it. After its passage he
gave it not only his signature but his
god speed, and when it was savagely
assaulted he became its champion-nOt
its only champion, but, by viz tue of
his position as governor, its principal
|
he will remain.
Its enemies are whom! Those whom
we would least expect to find opposed
ministers of the German Lutheran
churches and priests of the German
Catholic church, The conclave of the
German Lutheran churches was the
first organization to formulate its OBJ
jectiOns. These were long, but the
substance of the objections was that
the law interfered with the parochial
schools I'm which the Catechism is
taught, but no English), and they
pledged themselves to vote for no can
didate, for any office, who was not
opposed to the law, and pledged to its
repeal. Later the Catholic Bishops of
this state. who are all Germans, fol-
lowed with a manifesto in which the
law was denounced as ''mercenary,
offensive and unjust" and all Catho-
lies were commanded to work and vote
for the repeal of the law.
An analysis of the protests of both
Germans and Catholics, stripped of all
the verbiage with which they clothe
the law in order to give it a meaning
and import which is not in the law at
all, and but two elements remain
enmity to the public school system of
the state. and the desire to foster the
German language as the only language
of the ''children of the church, that
they may be, in their ignorance and
helplessness, the more pliable material
in the hands of the priesthood, Lu-
theran and Ca tholic alike, for the up
building and maintenance of the
churches to which they minister, and
from which they draw their susten-
ance. The truth of the first PROPOSE
tion is easily proven. One of the
leading German Catholic papers of the
state quotes, with approval, the advice
of the Louisville Ky hdthotik Elan
beuSbOfe: Seek oficeS-eSpecidHy IN
the legislature. Fight against that
Spartan, GespOtic, heafheRish, anti
christian, aRti-cdthoiic state shoot
system.''
There IS no room for doubt what
they mean herei Is there any room
to doubt how this proposition should
be met by the friends of the public
schools in Pierce county,
The Menom0nie Nord Stern. Ger.
man paper published in our own dis
tTict, says: I'm the first place we
don't think the public schools a neees-
i. NO