Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1910-03-08

1lican crusaders who seek Democratic
is being led off after what he believes
writes to Colonel George w. Bird:
cannot come from republicans of
pseudo independence, or through
democrats who persist in voting for
republican candidates. These re-
publican insurgents, however much
they may be commended for their
tardy repentance, cannot repair the
mischief they have done. Demo
Gratis and republicans who have lost
faith in the republican party cannot
reform tidy voting for its candidates
any more than an American patriot
could have aided in bringing about
the surrender at Yorktown by fight
ing in the army of King George.
When these insurgents repudiate
their own party by abandoning i,
they will have the right to seek
democratic votes, and not before.
Democrats can only bring about
good government by voting for
democratic candidates when they
are fit men.
Another reason for maintaining
party integrity in this state is that
under Chapter All. Laws of 1909. if
it be valid law, a candidate who
does not receive twenty per cent. of
the vote cast for the nominee of his
party for governor at the last gen
eral election cannot have his name
put on the official ballot as a party
candidate.
Democrats of Wisconsin have an
other immediate duty that calls for
party loyalty. The republican ad-
ministration in state affairs has gone
from bad to worse during the last
ten years. Expenditures have un-
reasonably increased and extrava-
gance and maladministration have
become so common and habitual as
to hardly excite comment. The GER
tainty of party victory has begotten
a sense of responsibility to the
| people. | believe the great mass of
citizens in Wisconsin feel that
the cause of good government
would be advanced by the
success of the democratic
party, not necessarily because
republicans who are seeking Office
are more unfit than democrats who
oppose them, but because of the
abuses that always arise from long
continued power New men would
feel that their tenure of Office was
! dependent upon what they per-
formed. Make the democratic party
strong and it will make the cause of
good government strong. 1t will
even strengthen the republican
party to do better than it has in the
past.
| know that in Washington there
is vast amount of extravaganza
and illegality IN the expenditure OF
public money. Even Senator Aid
rich has said that governmental
affairs could be conducted at very
large saving in expenditure. But
neither IN state nor national gov.
eminent has any of our reformers
given the slightest consideration to
the matter of economical govern
ment. Things of this kind seem too
trivial to engage their attention.
They have exploited the people and
taken up Legislative fads; have
ranted and ramped about the cor
porations and railroads, and Wal
street, and the money power, and the
predatory rich, but not one OF them
! has attempted to bring about eco.
nomical government. With the
spirit of reform at it's meridian in
this state, the reformers have scat.
tered the public funds with spend.
thrift hands. And yet some OF
these reformers are begging for
democratic support. They base
their appeals upon the fact that
they think that tariff duties of 10C
per cent. are too high; at the same
time 80 per cent. would meet their
approval. The fact is, as to this
question, the difference between the
Payne Aldrich class of statesmen
and the Follette-C ummins kind
is the difference between grand lar
ceny and petit larceny.
| want to say that / am not can
didate for any Office, nor will | be.
| write this because | have become
somewhat exasperated by the con-
slant appeals that are being made
for democratic votes by republicans
who occasionally escape from the
party reservation and indulge in a
little pretentious independence and
then allow themselves to be herded
back into the party fold, | cannot
take this political see-saw seriously.
A united democratic party may
not be able to achieve victory in a
day, but it will gather strength and
must finally prevail. No political
party can survive any long contin-
ued betrayal of public confidence and
the republican party has sinned
past the day of grace. Already it
seems to be conceded that the next
house of representatives will be
democratic. But it is only by I'M
firing effort that we can destroy
that special privilege that is throt-
ting free government. The situa-
ton ought to act as call to
arms with every democrat aud
with every republican who smarts
under the oft-repeated party be-
trayal of his hopes. | think we
ought to plead with every democrat
and with every independent repuG-
lican to aid US in bringing about
democratic victory. With many
regards.
Yours truly,
MEAT, BROWN