Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-07-19
The Trouble With the Party.

The Republicans frequently make the
charge against the Democratic party
that it is too Democratic. They are
fond of quoting the expression of local
leader many years ago that he would
vote for Beelzebub as a regular Demo-
cratic nominee.
The only trouble about the Democratic
party is that its leaders are so often not
Democratic enough.
The masses of the Democracy are
sound and reliable. They attach them
selves politically to the Democratic
party because it represents the rights of
the people of all classes, of all nation
alities, of all colors. Because it OPP
poses oppression in every form. Be-
cause it is, in fact, the upholder of a
Republican Government, with equal
rights for all, as opposed to an dig
archy, whether under the form of mon
archy, federalism, whigism or central
ization.
The people are Democratic enough
because they are Democrats on princi-
pie. They do not live on office. They
covet no political honors. Party sue
cess is precious to them, not for the
patronage it brings, not for the spoils it
secures, but because the principles they
believe in insure the liberty, happiness
and contentment of all the citizens Of
the Republic, whether rich or poor.
We have no wish to do I'M Justice to
the great leaders of the party. Many
of them are as pure, unSelfish and pat
riotic as they are able. But it truism
that the people have been for years in
advance of the leaders.
Since the party. has been in a mi
nority the history of it's managers has
been too often a history of compro-
misses, bargains and ''deals.'' The
Democratic masses have been too fire.
quently sold out by their leaders to
crafty personal ambitions, revenge
personal grievances and satisfy personal
greed. Factions have sprung up with
in the party, and all factions alike have
unfortunately been ready to make COM
binations in a small way with their
political opponents at the sacrifice of
principle. Trades and bargains have
been arranged in the city Government.
in the Board of Aldermen, in the Legis-
lature and in Congress. In all these
the leaders and managers have shown
themselves not Democratic enough.
We have seen it time and again in
this city when Democratic factions have
entered into alliance with Republicans
for the sole purpose of gaining offices
from opposing Democratic factions and
dividing them with their Republican
allies.
We saw it in Congress when certain
Democrats lent themselves to the Re-
publican effort to steal the Presidency,
and when the Democratic Speaker by
~, II; = 10
ans to make the contamination of the
crime possible.
We saw it in the State Government
when Democrats stood up to strengthen
the hands and whitewash the character
of the Blind-Pool gambler who dragged
the high office of Governor through the
mud in order to raise himself from a
bankrupt to millionaire.
We have seen it time and again at
Washington when prominent Demo-
Gratis, having struck the trail of Repub-
lican crimes, have turned from the
track made bargains with the Republic
an criminals and prostituLed their polit-
ical trusts.
The Democratic people have never
been in sympathy with their false
leaders in their betrayal of Demo-
cratic principles. They have repeatedly
manifested their disapproval by absent
ing themselves from the polls. The
leaders and their management have not
been Democratic enough to win the con-
tidence OF their followers. Let the
leaders now be bold and firm in their
Democracy and the Democratic masses
will make a prompt response. Those
masses were true as steel during the
war, when they were subjected to the
cruelest SANDERS and misrepresenta-
tons, and when their political affiliations
placed them in false position. They
have been true as steel through nearly a
quarter of a century's absence from
power. They are. true as steel to-day. !
If. the leaders are firm and faithful to
true Democratic principles-if they are |
Democratic enough-the fidelity of the |
masses will insure the redemption of
the country from Republican misrule.--
~ Y. World.