Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1906-08-23
Mr.. B8bCOCk'S Record.

RaDcock mas given to the press an an
nouncement of his candidacy and his
pleading for votes. He wants the Re-
publicans to elect him, although two
years ago he kicked out of the Repub-
lican camp, at the same time stealing
a Republican S seat in the National con-
vention.
Mr.. Babcock says he would not pre-
sumo at this time to call attention to
his record if it were not for the deliber-
ate Misrepresentation of the opposition
press" Then through several columns
of fine type he gives the string Of his
record. Again at the end of it he says:
II refer to the congressional record for
complete refutation of the misrepre-
sentation and absolute falsity of the
statements made by the opposition press
in reference to my work in the house. I"
But in all that long recitation of him
self he does not mention a single charge
made against him by the Opposition
press" If he does not mention any
charge made against him, how can he
have refuted any? He simply has not
refuted or tried to refute any. In the
long time that he has been in congress
hundreds, or thousands of matters little
and big have been before congress.
When he has been there he has voted
on them. His historic string tells wheth-
er he supported or opposed the different
measures mentioned. Those that have
proved good and popular, if he voted
for them he tells of it. The bad meas
ures that he supported he does not men
ton at all. He tells that he was chair
man of the Republican congressional
committee, and that since he has been
chairman the Republicans have invari-
able had majority in congress. In tell
ing it he means to take the success to
himself. But, admitting that he did it
he makes no mention of how he did it.
Everybody knows it was not by any
great speeches Mr.. Babcock made that
this supremacy has developed. Nobody
has ever heard of any great measures
he proposed and worked through, that
caused the supremacy. If he did it, he
did it with money. That is what has
been charged by the Opposition press. -"
And Mr.. Babcock did not refute it.
Where did he get the money? Rail
roads The insurance companies have
been in evidence. Mr.. Babcock some
time ago confessed to 81, 800 from the
insurance companies, but that is only a
tidbit. 1t has been charged that So, 000,-
900 were collected from the different
public service corporations and trusts,
and Mr.. Babcock's fingers were always
more reported as connected with it than
anybody else's. He did not refute it. He
did not even mention the charge. He
has put it on record under oath that his
own expenses in the last campaign were
nearly 800. Counting senator's there
are 476 members in congress. Limiting
the expenditures to districts there were
3S6 districts. If Mr.. Babcock's was an
average on expenditures it would take
81, 1915, 900, to secure that Republican
supremacy. Again where did Mr.. Bah
cock get the money that he made Re-
publican congresses with? AS he said
he would not presume to publish his re-
cord at this time if it were not to re-
flute the charges against him, why did
he not refute this
Why did he not refute the charge
about filling the mails with old pub
docs. in weighing time so as to make
millions for the railroads. If the rail |
roads paid two or three or five millions
to keep up railroad and other graft SUI !
premacy in congress, and congress paid
the railroads ten or fifteen millions in |
graft, who was it after all that furnish
ed the money to the congressional COM
mittee to keep up the congresses in the
desirable political complexion?
There is not space to go further with |
this now Mr.. Babcock says he is pro-
gressiye. He thinks best to observe the |
changes and adapt legislation to suit the |
changes. He says. The railway rate |
bill and other remedies to meet existing |
abuses and violations of law on the part |
Of the transportation companies and |
similar legislation of far reaching inn |
port&nce met With ny earnest and &C. !
tive support during the tendency of the
measures in the house. This is one of |
the changes" that this progressive"
man fell in with. When the same legis-
lation was before the Wisconsin legis- |
lature it did not meet his earnest and |
active support. On the contrary he
left his work in congress and came all
the way to Madison and worked to help
the railroads defeat it. This charge he
did not 'refute" either.
There is more to say, The voters of
the district ought to know il all but
there is not money to Get the facts to
them. like Mr.. Babcoek has to get his