Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-10-22
OVERWHELMING DEFEAT.
The Only Result Hoped for by Honest
Democrats.

1ne only Result Hoped Tor by honest
Democrats.
The Chicago Herald pours another
broadside into the rapidly demoralizing
ranks of misled Democrats in Wiscon-
sin. 1t says:
When the little ring of ''kid Democrats"
so called in Milwaukee, took up the educa-
ton issue six months ago, the Herald
urged the party throughout the state TO
beware of them and Of it. The Milwaukee
demagOgues had everything to gain and
nothing TO lose. They had failed in all
legitimate attempts to secure the local
render of vital principles and by catering
to an offensive fOreignism to succeed at
last. They triumphed at the polls, and
forthwith sought to faSten upon the De-
mOcracy at large responsibility for course
that is un-demOcratic and un-American.
but under the spell of Milwaukee foreign
ism and demagOgy it followed in the wake
of the absurd young ignOramuses who are
now in command. 1t was warned of the
consequences. 1t cannot now complain of
defeat and disgrace.
leaders make it. The party of Quay, Dud-
ley and ElkinS is not the party of Lincoln,
Chase and Seward. The party in WiscOn-
SIN, bossed and bullied and betrayed by
foreign ecclesiastical, journalistic and pOlit-
ical magnates, Is not the party Of Jeffer-
party is not to defeat Democracy. 1t is to
defeat the foes of democracy. The Demo
cratic party in Wisconsin had an OppOr-
tunity to cOndnct Democratic campaign,
but it SubOrdinated democracy to offensive
foreignism. 1t drew from the Black
Mountains inspiration for campaign in
America. 1t gave heed to the frOWn of
foreign potentateS rather than to the adj
mOnltiOns of American patriotism and
Self-reSpect. Democrats can Go themselves
no higher honor than to defeat by their
own votes the characterlesS pretenderS
who have assumed in their name to destroy
one of the attributes OF American sover-
eighty.
All opposition to the Bennett law is dis
honest. On the part of the ecclesiastical
sOvereignS who have decreed its repeal
the opposition is dishonest, because they
do not give the real reason why they op.-
pose it. They are against it because it
asserts the proper and necessary principle
that the state is above everybody and
everything within the state. That they
deny. On the part of the deprayed journal
iStic and political bosses who demand its
repeal the opposition is dishonest because
they misrepresent the law. The Bennett
law does not interfere with parental
rights. Its vital principle is the provision
that the state itself shall determine
whether pretended school is school or
not. This is function that the common
of the bishop of Milwaukee, the puny
political bosses of Milwaukee, the pompous
conductors of foreign newspapers or the
paternaliStic pastor of a church.
There are race and religious demagOgues
in every state in the Union who only seek
an opportunity to force upon the Ameri-
can people just such issues as that which
now abstracts the people Of Wisconsin.
They are not Americans. Their profit lies
in preventing their followers from becom.-
ing Americans. They manage churches,
schools, newspapers, and tribes of voters
on the European plan. AS AmericaniSm
expands, as American nationality strength
ems, as foreign languages, customs and
ideas vanish, their Importance diminiSheS.
Their interest lies in the direction Of such
agitation as that now in progress in Wis
cOnsin. The interest of true American
ism demands their defeat and discontinue.
LII the Democratic party. is TO remain
force for good it must not be involved with
such reactionistS. 1t must be above them.
First ut all, an American political party
must be American. If it sacrifices that
distinguishing characteristic then all that
follows after it must be tainted. 1t is be-
cause the Wisconsin Democracy has made
this fatal mistake that it deserves to be
abandoned to its fate. 1t is on the wrong
track, and it's prOteStatiOnS of devotion to
this, that, or the other purely American
policy are of no more avail than was the
sympathy of Russia during the war of the
rebellion. That sympathy would have
been dearly bought it the price had been
our accession to the Russian form of gov
eminent.
AS now conducted the Wisconsin Demo
cratic campaign subordinateS all that is
distlnctively American to an issue that is
wholly foreign. There may be time even
yet to plant the organization on Demo-
cratic platform. but such change is UNI
likely. The only result to be looked for
the only outcome to be hoped for-is over
WI lInirn dQfpaL