The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-09-25
WEDNESDAY,, SEPTEMBER s5, 1918.
MIR. GOODLAND PROTESTS.

Editor Goodland of the Racine
Times-Call expresses his panied sur
prise at certain sharp comments on
his appearance at the democratic con-
vention at Madison last Tuesday and
favored that body with a speech.
The surprise at Brother Goodland's
sudden translation of himself to that
convention was doubtless increased
by the fact that there was simultan
eously a convention of his own party
on the premises.
However, Mr.. Goodland thus ad
dresses his critics:
at is evidently the belief of some of
the narrow partisan press of Wiscon
sin that the customary amenities of
social life and the courtesies that are
common among gentlemen should not
be allowed to enter into political af
fairs.
"In the estimation of these gentle
men, W. S.. Goodland, who accepted
the invitation to address the democrat
ic platform convention, should have
refused the request because he is
republican"
1t was not perhaps so much the fact
that Mr.. Goodland accepted the invi-
talon, to improve the occasion, as what
he said to the democrats that made
the incident remarkable in republican
circles
AS we recall the report of his re-
marks, he said:
II have drifted into this democratic
convention to see if there was not
some real Amricanism and some real
patriotism under the dome of this
state capitol of ours"
In fine, Brother Goodland appears
to have been roaming around the
capitol like DiOgenes with his lantern,
in quest Of patriotism, and the unfor-
tunate and, we submit, most unjust
implication was that the republican
convention did not contain any.
Mr.. GOOdland does not like Gov
Philip.
But the fact remains that Gov. Phil
ipp received the nomination at the
hands of the voters, and we fail to see
what course was open to the republican
convention other than to abide by the
verdict and to proceed to frame
platform as patriotic as they could
make it, which they emphatically did
However sharply Mr.. Goodland may
differ from Gov. Philips bygone
views about ctnscription, etc., he
probably will admit that Mr.. Wilcox,
who Loyalty accepts the situation Gre
ated by the verdict of the primary, is
as patriotic as they make them in Wis
consin or any other state.
And Mr.. Goodland and some others
who are SO fercely intolerant about
Gov. Philip because of certain slips
OF judgment, and can see no Offset in
the large amount of patriotic, eff
cient, practical work which he has
done to help put Wisconsin in the van
of patriotic good works in this war,
might reflect that there is a pharisa-
ism of patriotism as well as of piety.
Mr.. Goodland is so patriotic man
himself that he should be able to bet
ter appreciate how keenly a patriotic
man may suffer under what he feels
in his heart is an unjust question of
his patriotism
Mr.. Goodland correctly says that
the great mass of Wisconsin citizens
are loyal to the CORE
Then it is fair to remember that out
OF that great mass of citizens" came
the votes that nominated Gov. Phillip
and the unavoidable conclusion is that
large percentage Of that vote must
have felt that the sweeping condenna-
ton of the governors war attitude be-
cause OF certain mistakes of judgment
as to war measures has been greatly
over done and therefore unfair.-Mil-
waukee Sentinel