Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-08-18
POLITICAL THOUGHTS.

Gilbert E. Vandercook, staff cores
pondent of the Milwaukee Sentinel,
was in the city few days the past
week and in an interview with Hon.
Neal Brown secured the following,
which appeared in Sundays issue
ITO tell you the truth the political
crop seems little unripe and not
worth gathering. Bob is industriously
sowing tares among summer folk who
politely tolerate his merry go round.
La Eollettism is a fine tit of Mysteries
for state to have. One can not really
view IT with alarm or point to it with
pride. 1t is somewhat prostrating
while it lasts, but after all, it is dis
ease that has well defined course We
are not without many precedents upon
this. Sober and normal citizens must
possess their souls with patience until
the allotted time for convalescence
comes. 1t is consoling to know that
the more furious the attack the sooner
over with. After all it is not an un-
mixed evil. lit furnishes us who are not
responsible for it an infinite deal of
comedy
when it is over in Wisconsin, our
political army of graft will dissolve
away. Few of its recruits will be any
thing but political derelicts thereafter
They have grasped the skirts of happy
chance in the delusion that LaFollette-
ism would be perpetual. When the pie
is gone there will be many weary Will
les turned out to grass. Unmoved by
the mouthings of polite al takers and
montebanks or the detection of demo
Gratis who have been caught with the
sugared words of our Wisconsin pOliti-
cal Dowie, the democratic party in this
state should present consistent, con-
sentative policies in appealing to the
people. We should not wantonly at
tack the business interests of our state
or seek to excite class prejudice. We
should advocate full and complete sup
ervision over railroads, not by the cree
ton of new officials, but by insisting
that the present laws, which give the
railroad commissioner power to inves-
tigate and correct all excessive or dis
crimlnative freight rates, should be en-
forced. The railroad commissioner
now seems to be only bright ornament
in the profession of officeholding.
IF the governor, instead Off disturb
ing the peace of Chautauquan circles
with empty congratulations would di-
rect the railroad commissioners to in
Vestigate unreasonable or discrimina-
| lOI dLCS WHiCh Cldliilo buC
railroads are imposing on the people of
this state, and bring such abuses be-
| fore the courts for correction, he would
do the state some service. But this
practical, sober method of dealing with
| public affairs is not his forte He pre-
fers the dress parade defamation OF
| public platforms where ne can throw
aside his official respol sibility and win
| the plaudts of the back benches.
HE wants new officials to enforce
laws which his present office holding
force do not enforce or attempt to en-
| force. The state is cluttered up now
| with bureaus, boards, commissions, in
spectors, special agents, and vast
equipment of expense breeding, admin
istrative machinery. In Wisconsin par
| ticularly, the government has degener-
ated into a bureaucracy, without the
| accomplishment of any good results
New officials are constantly added 10
either do the work of offic .als already
created, or to watch them do their
work.
I'VE should demand legislative inves.
| LEGATION of every department OF the
state government, in order to lOp of
useless and unnecessary offices and to
| determine whether the public moneys
| diSbursed.
eve should bend all our energies to
the defeat of the primary election law,
which will be submitted to the people
at the coming elections. For one,
would have been satisfied to support a
conservative and reasonable primary
election law, one that would give the
system fair trial, but | do not APP
prove the drastic and sweeping law
now before the people. 1t would cor
rect no old abuses; it would furnish
large opportunities for the infection OF
new abuses by selfish, power loving
| politicians. Our caucus and conven-
| ton system has never been more pros
| tituted to further vicious purposes than
| under the present state administration.
This office holding force has'constantly
used the per diem and expense account
to carry on and cover up political
thimble rigging. 1t illustrates the AK
iomatic truth that no! political party
can be trusted with an unlimited lease
of power.
"The democratic party never had a
better opportunity to demonstrate the
| extravaganza, misgovernment, and
official prostitution now existing in this
state, and to point out the remedy
There can be no remedy, except by a
complete change in state government,
for no political party, especially party
that claims prescriptive rights to
government control, can be expected
| to purge or reform itself from within.
THE only treatment that will accom-
plish this end is terrify into decency
| through defeat. | think these are the
lines of contention that democrats
should adopt.
"The degeneration of political
party through long continued power is
! illustrated in the administration OF
national affairs at Washington. A
thousand abuses have grown up in
nearly every department of the public
service, and horde of grafters and
official criminals are now being ex
| posed
LET it not be supposed that one-hali
of these offenders will be brought to the
| bar of public Justice. There will be 3
| tub of whitewash for many of them.
do not claim that under like environ
ment and circumstances any political
| party would produce different results
but l do say that the only salvation OF
| good government lies in holding potti
| cal parties to the stricteSt accounta
| bility and in the constant renovation oil
the public service by frequent changes
| of administration.
| AnTlnC