Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-11-06
SENATOR SPOONER.

Senator John e. Spooner demon |
strated, last Wednesday evening, at |
the opera house, that he could make |
speech without devoting it all to the
abuse of democrats. His former visits
here have been characterized for the
large amount of vitrol which he scat
tered about and which left scars not
soon forgotten. Senator Spooner is
one of the greatest leaders in the repub-
lican party; he is also one of its great
est orators, and that he has ever found
it necessary to descend to billings gate
is to be regretted, for he might as well
have the good will of his opponents as
their i'll will and at the same time do
his party infinitely more good.
On Wednesday evening his voice
showed the effects of hard campaign
ing, but as he warmed up to his work
there was an Improvement in this re-
spect. He paid high tribute to many of
the great men of our country mot few
of them being democrats) and his
flights of oratory along lines of patriot
ism were enjoyed fully as much by
democrats as by those of his own party.
His denunciation of yellow journalism,
that kind which attempts to embitter
the poor against the rich; the people
against those in high positions, and
which incites the minds of the weak
and depraved to murder, was none too
severe and received the hearty sanction
of every law-abiding liberty-loving cit
izen present.
Senator Spooner admitted various
| things which he would have scorned to
do in his younger days. He said that
| there must be a revision of the tariff,
| but the time in which the revision ought
| to take place was placed so far in the
| future that we fear that it places the
senator in the "stand patter' class.
1t was his opinion that it could not be
done at the next session of congress,
| because it was a short session, only
three months; that it could not be done
the year afterwards, because it was
presidential year. He also admitted
that there should be more democrats in
both houses of congress-a stronger
minority party; such a condition was
necessary to safeguard the nation.
There was many measures emenating
| from democrats which he favored, and
which would lead one to think that he
had gotten out of the barren republican
limits and was foraging in democratic
territory, which is so rich in good
things.
Fully one-half of the speech was in
standardization; to brand as falsehoods,
charges which have been made against
him, and in unmercilessly faying his
colleague in.the United States Senate
Robert LaFollette. While he did not
mention LaFollette's name, still there
was not man in the opera house who
| did not know at whom he was aiming
his shots Among other things Spooner
said:
"There is one thing certain, the pri-
mary election law has proven its efficacy
as a machine destroyer and a boss
| buster"
"The people can see no good in the
| self-seeking of a politician who thinks
everything in this country is wrong and
always will be wrong until he is made
| president"
"Gov. Davidson has been criticised
for want of strength; but his integrity
no liar even has ever dared to impeach.'
democrat could not expect to go
and listen to Spooner speak without
hearing his party denounced, occasion
ally, and this can be tolerated so long
as the denunciation is not continuous
and something is said along other lines
to relieve the monotony.
John Okoneski, chairman of the re-
publican county committee, opened the
meeting and said that Spencer M.
Marsh, republican candidate for state
senator, would preside at the meeting
and he introduced that gentleman, who
made brief speech and who introduced
Senator Spooner. The opera house was
| flied to its utmost capacity and the SEN
ator will continue to be greeted in this
way and make friends, even if they do
not believe as he does, so long as he
| does not fall back into his old ways of
vituperation and abuse.