Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-04-02
SALSr1AN ON UPHAM.
Says Governor Has Lost Hold on Peo=
pie; Can't be Reelected.

always riSnl. w men lIley, do
body, are found to be opposed to
the political pretensions and am
billions of a candidate for office, it
may be safely assumed that there
is good reason for it. And that
they are 50 opposed at the present
time to the denomination of Gov.
Upham there is not the shadow of
doubt. This being the fact, the
politicians would do well to con-
slider calmly whether it is wise to
put the party machinery into
operation to force such renomi-
nation.
Travelling about the state con-
stantly as | am, have an excellent
opportunity to ascertain the sentl-
ments Of the republican voters on
this question, and | have been sur
prised at the developments in this
respect. | have been aware for
some time that there was a strong
opposition, but when | came to
investigate the matter thoroughly
| found that the feeling was far
greater than | had imagined it
could become. In fact the objeC-
tors are in an overwhelming
majority i'll most localities. and in
some the feeling is intense and
almost unanimous. This is es-
pecially true of the county of
Wood, where the governor has his
home; there the people say that
one of two things must be done;
either Gov. Upham must refuse to
be a candidate or else he must be
defeated in the convention, or IN
all probability we will lose the
state in November.
There is good reason for this
feeling. The republican voters of
the state say that Gov. Upham has
repeatedly violated the sacred
promises made to the people and
they cannot support him for an
other term. This opposition is
far more general than the strongest
opponents Of the governor within
the party could have believed. 1t
is not among the politicians, the
leaders, so-called, but among the
rank and file, the men whose votes
win political battles That this is
the case in Rock county | know
to an absolute certainty; that it is
true of many other localities |
have good evidence; and that it is
true of the state at large | have
the best of reasons to believe.
The people are slow to move in
such a direction, but are rather
inclined by reason Of their party
affiliations to pull straight and
vote the party ticket. This being
true there is all the more reason
why there should be exceeding
care taken in the nomination of
the state ticket this year when SO
much depends upon republican
success
While there is yet no organized
opposition to the denomination Of
Gov Upham, the feeling Of dissatis-
faction will become SO intense by
the time the convention meets that
it will extend to the whole body of
voters. There is at present scarce
ly republican paper in the state
but is opposed to his renomina-
ton except those whose editors
or owners are chained to the gov
crnor by the ties of patronage and
dare not oppose him. There could
not be such wholesale detection
without a sound basis. That it is
personally directed against the
governor and is not in the interest
of any opposing candidate, is
proof that there is something
wrong and it would be mere party
madness to ignore the signs.
The people hoped for great
things from the Upham admins
tration. They gave him the lars-
est majority governor ever had
in the state, They furnished him
with a platform SO plain and eN-
plicit that there was no possibility
Of misinterpretation. And now
they find him wanting in almost
every respect. He has ignored
the platform promises of the party
and thus disgraceG both party and
people. He has been recreant to
every promise and to every public
and party interest. AS an execu-
tive he has proved not only unde-
srrable but also destructive, inefi-
cient and absolutely incompetent
to conduct the affairs of state.
Every indication tends in this d-
rection. When the Milwaukee
Sentinel interviewed republican
members of the Legislature during
the special session and published
those interviews on Feb. 24th, it
furnished an object lesson which
should be needed. Of seventy
four members interviewed ffty-siX
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