Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-03-22

Milwaukee, March 19.-The work of
the city republican convention passed
off remarkably smoothly today. There
was just enough antagonism in the
contest to make matters interesting
but everything was done in a friendly
manner.
Mayor Koch had a clear field and
was nominated by reclamation.
w. L. FiebrantZ was nomina ted for
comptroller, G. W. Milbrath for treas
urer and G. H. Hamilton for city at
tCrney.
The following is the text of the plat
form adopted:
The republicans of Milwaukee, in
convention assembled, send cordial
greeting to their fellow republicans in
all parts of the state and cOngratula-
lions that the people of the country,
if we may judge by recent events, are
already resolved to restore our party
to power.
Never in the history of the nation
has a partisan victory been followed
by such overwhelming disaster to all
the business interests of the people as
that of 1892, nor by such manifest in
capacity of those entrusted with power
to meet the eXigencies of the situation.
For almost a third of Il century
our people have enjoyed unparalleled
prosperity under republican rule; the
laboring classes have been constantly
provided with work at remunerative
wages; new industries have sprung UP
in all parts of the land, and old eStab-
lishments have been enlarged and inn
proved to the great advantage of en-
ployer and employed; our trade and
commerce have been vastly eX-
banded, and during all this period the
national treasury has been amply sup
piled with revenue to meet all require
ments and leave a generous surplus to
apply on the public debt
unfortunately all this has been
changed widespread and depressing
paralysis has overShadCWed the land;
stagnation has taken the place of bus
mess activity and enterprise; thousands
and tens of thousands of our labOring
people have been thrown out of work
and constrained to seek the aid of
charity, and others to accept reduced
wages as the condition of employment
"In the face of these new and I'M
happy conditions, the leaders of the
party in power have been and are still
engaged. not in the attempt to provide
a demand for the labor of the unem-
ployed, but to open our markets to the
manufacturers of Europe and thus to
crowd our warehouses and shops with
the products Of cheap labor. to the
fearful disadvantage Of our own wage
workers; and while we wait in vain
fer the increased prosperity which free
trade theorists promised restitution
and suffering prevail to an extent hith-
erto unknown to our people.
"Under these circumstances, the re-
publicans of Milwaukee affirm and en-
phasize their answering adhesion to-
the great American doctrine of pro-
lection to our varied and important
industries under which the people have
prospered as never before. They con-
fidently appeal to ali voters who wish
to see our own marvellous resources de-
ve1oped and cur idle machinery again
in motion to contrast the prosperity of
the past with the condition which now
confronts us and act as they believe
the best interests of all classes require
"The republican party believes in a
sound national currency, with dollars
of equal value and equal purchasing
power. It believes in protecting -.mer-
lean markets for American manufac-
lures and wage workers. Tt believes in
a tariff which shall produce revenue,
rather than a tariff which shall pro
duce deficit.
"It believes in the absolute separa-
ton and independence of church and
state; in the absolute and unquali-
fed rights of conscience and personal
liberty; and as in all it's glorious his
tory, so now with wide open doors it
invites and welcomes to its ranks on
terms of absolute equality all citizens
Of the republic of whatever creed or
sect or nativity who accept the princi-
pies of the party. And we denOunce
the democratic party for attempting to
divide our people in their political &C
ton on lines of religious belief.
LAS representatives of the republican
party Of the city of Milwaukee, we
heartily endorse the doctrine of mInici-
pal reform in the broadcast and fullest
sense. We believe that our city is en-
titled to better and more economical
government; we believe that only men
Of approved integrity and character
should be elected to the common coun-
Gil and to all the elective offices Of the
city.
'1n this connection we recall with
pride the fact that our fire department
and our police department were taken
out of party politics and placed on the
plane of personal merit through the in
strumentality of the republican party,
and we believe the time has come when
this policy thus inaugurated should be
extended as far as practicable TO every
department of the city government.
eve believe that the interests Of the
taxpayers require that more of bus
mess methods and less of partisan
politics shall henceforth be employed
in the affairs of our city, and that no
substantial improvement in this re
gard is to be expected until this is ac-
complished.
TN view of the large number of our
people now out of employment, we
favor the vigorous prosecution of our
public improvements as sound public
policy in the interest of both the tax