Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1916-08-23
TRUTH HURTS BETRAYERs

IL is seldom that the CENSOR or its
editor has occasion to thank the
Westby Times for political bouquets
thrown our way We are pleased to
acknowledge that we now have. We
congratulate the readers, too, of that
troubled and uneasy political quanti-
ty over the fact that they now have
opportunity TO read some real repub-
lican doctrine, although a little old.
The Times is doing us the favor to
quote copiousls from editorial ex-
preston given in the CENSOR a dozen
years ago. 1t matters not that it does
this in spirit and intent to discredit
our present position toward men and
principles. Nothing could better con-
firm our constant and consistent atti-
tude than the republication of those
articles. A dozen years since the
CENSOR condemned spendthrift meth
DDS in state government; pointed out
men and organized Hobbies that trihed
with the rights and interests of the
common people. Then we did not
fail to name the men that were the
peoples betrayers, just as we always
have done, and do now. Then we
warned our readers and the people
against men who had and were liable
to misrepresent them in the legisla-
tlre, just precisely as we have done
the past year and are doing today.
From our viewpoint legislator who
forgets his obligations and betrays his
constituents today is no more to be
trusted and his unworthy acts condoned
than the man who did the same thing
dozen years ago. The men who do
so as stalwart, as progressive, as dem
ocrat or socialist are on the same lev
el. The fact that some may belong
to our party has not made any differ
ence with the CENSOR.
During the last legislative session
the CENSOR commented upon the
votes cast by Assemblyman Henry
Rentz = not in personal, fa otionai or
political vein, but candidly and plain
ly. 1t was duty we owed the public
as newspaper that cares for reputa-
ton, for stability and the public veal.
1t was not our fault or wish that his
record was such that we could not
commend it. 1t was innimical to the
public interest and not in harmony
with the good promises made to the
people in his campaign two years ago
when he solicited their support for
the honorable position-and there is
no capacity that one can serve the
public through with such good or evil
results as when entrusted with the
peoples suffrage to enact honest and
just laws, To be realrepresenfatiYe
is to be Just aud keep ones pledges.
We have said or written nothing
edltorially regarding Mr.. Rentz' rec
ord that is not borne out by the re-
corded proceedings of the legislative
journals. The issuing in his behalf
of many pages of meaningless, irreve-
lent tumble that he knows nothing
about, in effort to cover up his ex-
pensive official acts, can make no diff
ference or drown the facts. With few
if any exceptions his vote was cast
with crowd that wanted to keep ex-
listing and increasing tax burdens up
on the people. They seemed not 10
care what the taxpayers desired or
interests we're if they could but make
political capital against the admins
tration then in power. Notwithstand-
ing the fact that most of these legis-
Iators were elected on economy plat
forms, just as was Mr.. Rentz, the fac
tional political bosses and lobbyists
that infested the capital gave orders,
even before the legislature convened,
that Phillip must be downed, right
or wrong" no matter how serious the
consequence to the burdened tax-pay-
ers. These latter day professional
progressive" pursued the same tao
tics as did the old stalwarts of a doz-
en- years ago. One was as reprehensi-
BILE and opposed to the public interest
as the other. Knowing these facts of
the past and present, the CENSOR
does not hesitate to tell its readers. |
And we extend to the Westby polite
al mongrel an invitation to give its
readers a chance to read these truths
along with the truths of dozen years
ago.