Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-08-27
nBe Consistent.


the cry Of corruption" applied t.
the Republican party, and 50 persis
tently have they dinned upon thai
one key, that many careless, un
thinking men have been Influenced
thereby and caused to regard the
/. Republican party rs a corrupt or.
ganization, without being able to tell
why, aud If asked to give their rea.
sons for their conclusions, could not
do ~, with even satisfaction to them.
selves. If any who read this have
left the Republican party by reason
Of this unjust cry, will they please
ask themselves in what that party
rs an organization Is corrupt, in what
1t has failed in its pledges to the peo-
pie, and see, If on candid, sober
thought they can find any good rea-
son for their desertion OF party
that has done all for the country that
the Republican party has. True, we
have had bad men in our party we
have had defaultGrs and thieves, just
such as are to be found in every par
~, and we ask you to carefully con-
slider the matter and see il their
tracks have been covered up, or If
they have not always been condemn
ed IN their own party first.
VIII you condemn the Republican
party because II has bad men in 1t !?
VIII you condemn 1t because men
high in position have betrayed their
trust ? vii you not find bad men in
in all parties, in all COM
munities, in all churches, In all So
cieties? Can you ask political
party to be better than a church or
immunity? Every few days we
hear Of some petty theft in some
part of Mahaska county; will you
condemn the whole county and all
The people therein, and move from
its limits because one, two or Il dozen
men in its limits steal or would
you not rather commend the honest
portion Of the community for their
endeavors to apprehend the thieves
and bring them to punishment? So
1t 10 with the Republican party. In
power as it Is in nearly every State
in the Union, with many thousands
Of officials In the various Offices, Is
1t any wonder that an occasional
thief or defaulter Is found in the
number? When you come to re-
member the vast army Of officials
elected to Office by tho Republican
party, Is it not rather matter OF
surprise, that out Of so many thous-
and, taken as they are from all sec
lions md from all walks OF life, that
so .fe,o compared to thousands hold
ing position, arc really found wait
ing? And will you better 1t by CIV
ing your confidence to the Democra-
cy? Take the State Of Iowa for ex-
ample, where Republicans have held
away since the organization Of the
party. Until within year or two,
the Republicans have had control OF
81 to 81 out OF the 81 or % counties
in the State, or about is to /. The
whole number of defalcations repor-
ted in many years are less than ten
Of which number at least two are
Democrats, or one In five, leaving
ratio OF three to one in favor of the
Republicans. by the same rule they
apply TO Republicans, they would be
badly whipped.
But we do not think bad men In q
party should condemn the party,
on'ess he party uphoids them IN their
corruption. Show us the instance
where our party by convention or
through its papers has upheld cor
rnpt official in his dealing. Not one
instant after his defalcation became
known. There are in our county
many good men who have had bad
sons. Would you condemn and cut
the acquaintance of the father for the
sins Of the son? No; not even il
the father, in a fit of parental love
should try to shield his son.
Why then denounce party for the
sins Of a few OF its children, when
you know it has thrown them over,
and refuses to shield or extend SYM
patlsy2 Be consistent. Probably
you at one time trained in the ranks
of the Republican party, when the
very men who have proven corrupt,
belonged to the same party. Did
that corrupt you? Did their action
.rrrnpt the whole party, or only
shcl, as defended them in their vii
lainy? Certainly only the latter.
Ifthen sou were not corrupt Mt the