Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-01-29
WAIT AND SEE; BUT BE FAIR

Lei u.s. dS uDIINdlloJ DC idll
with our democratic brethren who
are now in charge of both branches
of the legislature, and whose rep
resentatives hold ali Of the state
offices. The republican party can
afford to do that. Indeed, it can
not afford to do otherwise. The
democratic party has never been
fair with the republican party, but
that is no reason why the repub-
lican party, composed Of the best
element Of the Nation, a party
based on liberty, right and justice,
the party that has aimed for thirty
FIVE years to be decent in its con-
duct, should be unfair. There are
some little jars and clashings in
the legislature and some Of the
state officers have been criticized,
but they have done nothing up to
date that is very seriously out of
place. Ifthey do in the future SO
comport themselves as to merit
condemnation, singing rebuke and
sharp criticism, mete it out to
them. You will owe that to your
state and to her interests, let alone
owing it to your party. Having
said that much, let us refer to lust
few little matters in connection
with the late campaign. The dem
ocratic party in that campaign did
SO much that was infamous that it
seems a waste Of time to particu-
larize further. 1t was a campaign
of fal5ehood and SANDER from first
to last on the part of the demo-
cracy, and the man who could in
vent the most infamous lie and
have it take root the most quickly,
with democrats and men whom
democrats could lead, was the best
man. In conversation with a
leading republican, who did a
good deal Of stumping during the
campaign, he said: Il never heard
such vile, damnable lies told by
any class Of human beings as were
told by the democrats last fall. L
went to a little town in my county
and made a speech. The next
week there came into my office no
less than sevea men prepared to
give me a thrashing for having, as
they said, made contemplate re-
marks about their Nationality and
their families. In every instance I
denied, with all the emphasis in
my power, that I had made any
such assertions, but do you believe
i I could only convince one man
out of the whole number that had
been misIed? The lie had been
told SO carefully, and with so much
emphasis, that the men who did
not'wish to believe it was true was
finally led to believe that it was
true and will never forgive me. l
investigated and discovered that
upon the very night of my speech
leading democrats in the town col
lectcd all of the Germans and
Catholics that could be found and
took them from saloon to saloon
and treated them with democratic
campaign money Most Of those
who went to the saloons had not
attended the meeting. In every
instance it happened that the
saloon keeper and some of his
hangers on attended the meeting,
at least they said so, and they re-
peated to this crowd of Germans
and Catholics some of the thinos
that | was charged with saying.
These saloon keepers said that
pronounced all of the Germans 10
norant cattle. It was a pure, I'M
adulterated falsehood, and the con-
temptabIe creatures who uttered it
knew that he was telling a false
hood, and he did not invent the
falsehood himself but it was IL
vented BY much viIer, dirtier
Nhelps right in the city Of Milwau-
kee, who were hired at 50 much a
falsehood to tell lies that would be
retailed out in the country in such
way as to exert an influence
favorable to the democrats and
most unfavorable to the republi-
cans. One saloon keeper said that
Il Il, Il =, =.