River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-07-02
Some Convention Echoes.

Olu 40llele SdWyer SJlll EeuldlHs
the Old Man of the Sea with his death
grip about the neck of the republican
party in Wisconsin. At the late St.
Louis convention he forced III. G..
Payne upon the delegation from this
state as member of the national COM
mittee against the earnest protest of
Gov. Hoard, Il. NJ. LaFollette and
of all the delegates from Milwaukee
except Mr.. Elliott. Mr.. Hoard charg-
ed Mr.. Payne with having used his
position as chairman of the republican
state central committee as lobbyist
for the oleomargarine interests when
that subject was before Congress, and
stated that Payne had told him that
he received S., 600 for his work. Payne
was defended by NJ G. Ring of Neils-
vile, who has himself been a lobbyist
for the railroad interests on small
scale at Madison. and who took the
position that Payne had a perfect
right to serve Phil. Armour & Co. for
pay if he deemed it to his interest.
LaFollette, TO our mind, answered
this argument conclusively in the in
terest of pure politics and honest leg
/ islation, when he called attention to
the fact that it was Payne's relations
| to the republican party as its chair
man which gave him standing with
| the members of Congress, and when
he was hired as lobbyist, it was not
| because of his superior knowledge Of
| the subject under discussion but be-
| cause of his official relations to the
| party and the pull he was supposed to
have with the members; that he &C.
| cupied a position of trust and honor,
| and had no more moral right to abuse
| that trust than "A legislator would
have to sell out his constituents for
his own personal ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
This was supplemented by objections
to his election by the Milwaukee dele
/ gates, who called attention to Payne S
unpopularity with the laborers of that
city. how he was suspected of having
surreptitiously lobbied through the
last legislature bill TO reduce the
| assessment Of the street railway COM
1 pany of that city, and how his cleo
| ton would cost the party the support
| of the laboring class. They wen so
far as to say that Milwaukee cOuu ~
would be lost to the republicans next
| fall. if he were elected. But all TIN :
fell upon deaf ears. Payne has been
a SubServient tool of the Sawyer ring
at all times. That element in the
party does not answer arguments, it
does not need to; it has private inter
views. counts noses, and calls for a
vote. The danger to the republican
| party inthis state this fall lies in over
confidence. The leaders seem to
1 think that the ticket will be elected
no matter how utterly and absolutely
they disregard and trample upon pub
lie rights and public sentiment.
| Mckinley is pure able and near the
| people and can carry Wisconsin be-
! cause the rank and file of the party
] believe in him. But he should not be
| handicapped by Sawyerism or Payn-
ism. If left to popular vote of the
4 party these worthless would not com
mand a corporal's guard in this part
of the state, although we must admit
that we were surprised at the position
of our delegates in the national con-
vention on this question. That this
agricultural portion of the state
should send delegation to the con-
ventiOn to endorse as the highest rep
resentatiye of the party the very man
who said when the oleOmargarine bill
passed that he "would vote for Cleve-
land, if he would veto that bill, " is in
deed surprising, but Stout, Anderson
and Taylor all voted that way. Let
the farmers make a note of it, and
all other republicans who discounten-
ance a corrupt lobby and believe in
pure politics aud fair dealing.