Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-02-25
DOWN WITH THE BOSSES.
Milwaukee German Paper Scores tn.
Bosses Organ.

Bosses Organ.
From the Germania, Milwaukee,: If
the democratic party of Wisconsin is desir-
Gus of being right speedily bounced out
again it is only necessary to let the Mil
waukee Journal manage. That sheet long
ago exceeded in its personal attacks upon
political opponents the bounds of what is
permissible; but the way and manner in
which 1t discusses the latest appointments
Of university regents by the governor
must excite the disgust of every decent
man.
With one stroke the governor has ap-
pointed five new regents Of the university.
Against that of itself nothing is to be
said-the governor has the right so to do,
and he evidently proceeds upon the prin-
cip'e Of reconstructing the entire board of
regents. That has not heretofore been
customary in Wisconsin. Our former
governors proceeded in a conservative
manner in the appointment of regents
possible the men who had worked them
selves INTO the business. And this system
has proved brilliantly successful-the uni
versity has fiourished wonderfully.
That the regents, who enjoyed the full
cooperation OF the faculty. were able to
accomplish so m Ich that is good was due
partly tothecircumstance that under the last
republican governors politics had no in
Huence whatever upon the university af-
fairs. Capable democrats were appointed
ard re-appointed by republican governors.
Gregory, Paul, Villas, Parkinson, Raymer,
Kuehn-all 9emocr ats-have under repuo-
hcan administrations acted on the board.
or, like Paul land Ravmer, stood at it.
head. Paul died in Office; Villas resigned
when he became postmaster-generai. Par
kinson. too, of his own accord, gave up
the Office. A republican governor hardly
would have thought Of supersedipg SUCH
men with republicans.
But we do not complain of this, though
it would be deplorable if our democratic
administration in reality appearances
are against it-had dragged party politics
into the administration of the university
It is, however, shameful that The Journal
in the most scurrilous manner Whites the
departing members of the board of re-
gents and seeks to represent matters as if
the departure of these men-their ''invol-
untary departure, saws The Journal-had
b9en demanded by the interests of the
university. That simply is not true, and
The Journal very well knows that it is not
true
We have not a word to say against tue
appointments by the governor. The men
whom he has appointed regents, as far as
they are known to US stand pretty near
equal to the former members. But we de-
plore deeply that our new state admins
tration has broken with the system which
prevailed under preceding administrations
had justified Itself One thing, how.
ever, is certain. If the people of Wiscon-
sin become convinced that democratic
party politics must be carried into the
state university the democratic party will
soon be ''played out" as our old friend,
Fred Horn, would express it.
Heretofore it has been the custom to
have the German element represented in
the appointive offices, among them the
board OF university regents. For the first
time, as far as we know, the governor has
departed from that custom.