Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-08-30
Letter from McCOrd.

written by Myron H. McCord. 1t con-
tains the true Republican ring and will
give Myron's old friends here pleasure
to know that he has lost none of his
former interest in the Republican
party. Read it:
PHOENIX, Aug. s, 1894.
Hon. H. C. Hetzel, Merrill, Wis.
Ny DEAR HETzEL-I never wanted to
be anywhere quite so badly as I do at
Merrill on the 10Th inst. at the meeting
of your Congressional convention. The
last three conventions held in that dis
trict have unanimously nominated me
for their candidate and thus conferred
honors upon me for which | am pro-
foundly thankful. While two of the
nominations were but forlorn hopes
and while the district is, or has been,
reliably Democratic, yet | believe that
if harmony prevails and a wise selection
is made, that the man nominated will
be elected. | am not unmindful of the
fact that the district is supposed to be
reliably Democratic, so have been the
cities of Merrill and Wausau, yet at the
recent municipal elections in those
cities, the Republicans standing
shoulder to shoulder, working harmoni-
ously and enthusiastically, elected their
entire ticket from top to bottom, and
to-day those cities are Republican. So
are the cities of Ashland, Hurley,
Rhinelander, Marinette, Oconto, Shaw
ano, Neillsville, Meiford and poor
stricken Phillips. If they have not
moralized condition of affairs over the
fn hoy
prepared the minds of thousands, yes
millions of voters who heretofore voted
the Democratic ticket to desert that
old banner that has had such an I'M
hallowed charm, for the folds of one
that has always been the harbinger of
prosperity and good government.
If your convention shall nominate
either Fifeld, Ring or Stewart, and Il
name them in alphabetical order, and
without wishing to indicate a preference
you will have a strong and popular
candidate, and, if elected, represent
ative that will accomplish something
and be a credit to the district, instead
of fgure-head.
Republicans certainly have reason to
expect success in the approaching
election, for when we contemplate the
changed condition of the affairs of our
country | do not see how any intelligent
man can longer vote for party whose
success has brought this great distress
upon the country. 1t is said COMPARE
sons are odious, but in politics they are
legitimate; but whether legitimate or
not [ notice the Democratic papers lose
no opportunity to ring them upon the
Republicans. Let us therefore compare
for moment the condition of our coun-
try now after having been under
Democratic control for eighteen months
with what it was during the proceeding
eighteen months under Republican
rule. Then nearly every manufacture
ing industry was being operated to its
fullest capacity, and with profit to it's
owner and the labor engaged therein.
Now the aggregate product is less than
one half what it was then and they are
being operated with profit to nobody.
Then the furnaces all over the land
We're blazing with fires lighted by happy
contented and well paid labor. Now
many of them are banked, cold and
dark, and those who were wont to find
employment therein are standing idly
by with gaunt hunger staring them in
the face.
Then employment was plentiful at
good wages everywhere; now million
men, not tramps, but good honest
artisans and laborers are marching up
and down the land unable to find work
at any price. Then the revenues of
our government were thousands of
dollars day more than it's expenditures
Now the expenditures are nearly two
hundred thousand dollars day more
than its revenues. Then the pension
list was increased by nearly 400 claims
being allowed daily, now very few are
allowed, and nearly as many suspended
as are allowed. Then the old soldiers
who went to the defense of their
country in its hour of peril was fairly
and Justly treated; the pension bureau
was under control of a veteran eX-union
soldier, the pension committees Of the
two houses of congress were largely
made up of veteran soldiers of the late
war. and many just claims that could
not be reached by existing laws were
passed by vote of congress; now the
pension bureau is controlled by Hoke
Smith, of Georgia, the two committees
on pensions are composed largely of
southern brlgadiers, no pension claims
are allowed to pass congress, and the
south is in the saddle
During the four years BENJAMIN
Harrison was President the national
debt was reduced nearly 800 millions of
dollars and an annual saving of interest
of between II and II millions of dollars
affected; during this administration the
public debt has not been reduced a
single dollar, but on the contrary it has
been increased by an issue of $5O,OOO,-
600 of bonds bearing five per cent.
interest when everybody, except
Grover Cleveland, knows that the
government ought not and need not
pay to exceed three per cent. for all the
money it needs. During the preceding
administration the one hundred million
dollars of gold reserve was kept intact
according to the national promise
| implied i'll the resumption act of 1877
which promise was to the creditors of
the nation. Under this administration
this reserve fund has beer trenched
upon until it now barely exceeds fifty
millions of dollars.
A Democratic administration has de-
stroyed silver and thereby paralyzed
every industry west of the Mississippi
river. By its success aud threat to
destroy protection it has paralyzed
every industry east of that river. That
party is and always has been menace
to the industries Of the country and it
ought to lave been dead and irritrive-
ably buried years and years ago. It
has been buried, frequently buried, but
1t seems to have as many lives as cat,
and like Banound's ghost will not down
at bidding. The only thing to do with
1t IS to bury 1t beneath a mountain of
ballots as often as it hobs up. To do
that is, or should be, the first object of
Republicans everywhere. And as MANY
democrats as prefer prosperity and