River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-01-28

and of our national life, the prosper
ity of the farmer, and therefore the
development Of existing agricultural
methods in the light Of scientific
truth, to the highest attainable stand
ard of practice, consistent with due
regard and conservation of all the
rights and needs Of other parts Of the
body polite. is the plain. unvarnished
duty Of every president Of I MS mighty
republic.
The true American f. .ner does not
ask, need or wish the pampering touch
of the patronizine hand Of the machine
politician and sectional partisan, but
does need and has a right to demand,
not for himself alone, but for the
whole nation, of which he is part,
that the secretary Of agriculture shall
be one whose devotion to farming in
terests has been tried and not found
wanting. That he shall not only be
capable Of promoting the advance
ment thereof, but have devoted his
life, largely to that end with intelli-
gence and inherent aud unaffected
loyalty.
Such a man is ex.Gov. William ID.
Hoard, OF Fort Atkinson. For quar-
ter Of century his lifes work in this
and many other states, has been the
uplifting of farm life as a whole, the
undermining of methods, the concen-
tra'ion of energy and the prevention
of waste. To him and band of faith
full co-workers Wisconsin owes much,
very much, Of her material prosperity,
as does the nation. Under his direc-
ton and intelligently patriotic guild
ance and inspiration, the good work of
our late distinguished citizen, Gen.
Rusk. in the department OF agricul-
ture will, we are convinced, find full
and perfect fruition.
The Censor believes this question,
like all others affecting national vel
fare, should be handled without at
tempt at trimming" and with the
courage and candor which the people
have right to expect from the press.
In thus being plain we mean to be just
and free from personality.
1t is we'll known that the Sawyer
Spooner- Payne versus the Hoard Hau-
gen. Toilette sections of the republi-
can party in Wisconsin, have long been
struggling for supremacy. They -op-
resent, n the popular mind. the :,
manufacturing and corporation; tLe
latter agricultural interests. True re-
publicanism finds no difficulty in prop
erly conserving the interests of both,
subject always to the interests of the
nation as whole. In uniting with the
former, the latter element, in selecting
Senator Sawyer and H. c. Payne to
the last nationsl convention and with
practical unanimity endorsing the
choice of John c. Spooner as the next
United States senator, certainly threw
down the olive branch. But concilia-
ton cannot be one-sided only. Apart
from higher motives. party loyalty,
pure and simple, would impel the first
named element to support w. ID.
Hoard for the portfolio of the depart
ment of agriculture with the same
unanimity as John c. Spooner is being
supported for the United States SEN
ate. This inteTnecine conflict must
stop; not by compromise candidate,
but by the support of w. D. Hoard as
the choice of the farmers of Wiscon-
sin not only, but of the nation. A
| number of states have already endors-
ed him for the secretaryship through
their agricultural, dairy and industri-
al associations, and it is daily becom-
ing clear that he is the man for the
time and place.
A cabinet position is not, and in no
sense should be, the right or property
of state. If there be any Office where
| the application of the referendum is
admissible, surely it is here. Were
such application possible, we are con-
| WINGED President Mckinley would learn
that for secretary of agriculture Hoard
would be the farmers choice by an
overwhelming majority.
The president is entitled to the high
est attainable ability to discharge the
duties of the department concerned,
| coupled with wide experience and
knowledge on the special lines con
verging therein. That the appointee
shall be able to bring TO the president
wise counsel based ol active participa-
ton in public life and affairs and I'M
questioned and answering loyalty TO
him, personally, and patri tic support
of the basic principles of the Repub
lican party, as affecting the happiness
and prosperity of the nation All this
and more we believe confidently Gov.
Hoard would bring to the president
elect, and therefore, as a worthy sue
cessor to the first secretary of asri-
culture, our own neighbor, Gen. Rusk,
urge, from a national, not party or
state standpoint, the selection of w.
d. Hoard, of this state KeyuOn Co.
Censor.