Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-03-07
upon our present governor, the honor
Of nomination by reclamation.
Platform Committee

Platform Committee.
The platform committee, composed
Of one man from each congressional
district, met and unanimously agreed
upon draft Of the platform and re
ported the same to the body of the
convention which adopted it without
dissenting voice.
Those men knew what they had
been delegated to do and the duty en-.
trusted to their hands was discharged
with a zeal, ability and propriety
which left nothing to be desired.
In compliance with the pledge Of
that platform, and the expressed will
Of the electors, this bill has been pre-
pared and submitted to you for adop.
ton.
The electors are waiting to see
what your answer shall be.
What The Voter Wants.
They want to ascertain if you will
subscribe to the doctrine, that party
pledges, solemnly made, and over.
whelmingly approved, are uttered as
empty platitudes to deceive the vot-
ers, and when by them ratified and
approved are to be observed, or dis
carded, at the whim or caprice of
those servants whom the voters have
chosen to carry such pledge into eff
feet. 1t has ever been the proud
boast Of republicans that they OBJ
served party pledges with scrupulous
fidelity and the assertion has not
been made without warrant. Are you
gentlemen to be the ones to place a
stain upon that proud record? The
people of this state, aye of the
country, are waiting to hear your
answer to that most interesting cues
ton. l want to say, in language so
plain and vigorous that no man can
fail to understand, that in my humble
Judgment that pledge in our platform,
when you consider the events that
lead up to the convention, the manner
of its adoption, and the subsequent
ratification by the voters of Wiscon-
sin, by more than one hundred thous-
and majority, imposes upon every
member of the legislature the moral
duty of redeeming that pledge, and
that refusal, SO to do, in letter and
spirit, will be a scandalous breach OF
good faith.
Will 1t Oisfranchise the Farmer.
A charge that is laid against the
proposed bill is, that it will practically
d1senfranchise the farmer voters Of
the state. The poor farmer, ever the
object of tender solicitude at the
hands of the machine politician, he
must be saved from the baneful Ell
fects of this wicked bill. He shall
not be overwhelmed by the votes of
his wicked city brother who would
take unto himself all the offices to be
filled. He shall not be deprived of
the civilizing and educating influences
that come from association with the
city bred voter. His offspring shall
not be denied the opportunity of
sWaying, with his silver tongue, the
aesthetic susceptibilities of his CITY
cousin.
For how many more years are we
TO be nauseated by all this silly cant
about the poor farmer, the poor
laborlng man or the poor some other
class who, for the moment, become
the object of tender solicitude at the
hand of the sympathetic political
boss.
Farmers the Backbone of the Nation.
II our history teaches anything, it is
that to the farmers, more than any
other class belongs the credit and
honor of winning the independence of
the. Nation. They were responsible
tor adopting the constitution, and
when the great Chief Justice who. in
the infant years of the Republic. pre-
sided over the remarkable tribunal
or justice which they had created, had
by his clear logic and convincing rea-
son fliled in and rounded out to full
completeness that immortal document
and the time came when it's integrity
was submitted to the stern arbitra-
ment OF war, the farmers were again
to the fore and to them more than anv
other class, is due the honor of saving
the republic, and in this achievement,
the farmers of Wisconsin bore an
honorable and conspicuous part.
Farmers Require No Guardians.
How ridiculous to say that this
class of our citizens are wards re-
curing the guardianship of politi-
clans. But they need no defense at nv
hands, they are quite capable of TAX
ing care of their own interests. When
1t is asserted, however, that they have
not sufficient love for country and in
terest in good government, to take
one day out of over seven hundred
IN which to see that good men are
nominated for Office, reckless asser.
ton would seem to have reached a
limit, and II we concede that they
may be relied upon to do their polit-
ical duty, it becomes interesting to
know how forty per cent. of our popu-
latlon is going to outvote sixty per
cent. and take from it all the Offices
in the state. Under the complicated
and extended caucus and convention
system they take L any days every
other year to discharge these i'm
portant duties, and if that is true
under the present conditions, for how
much greater reason will It be true
under a simpler and less cumbersome
system when they know they can ex-
press their individual preferences in a
way that will count. Are the farmers
mere demanding that you betray your
party pledges by refusing to enact
this legislation? Have they expressed
a fear that if you pass this bill they