Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-09-17

Blaine 1t is folly, therefore, for Re-
publican organs to attempt to make
political capital out of the period of
business depression. Albany Argus.
THE CORY vEsTMENT.
Some Interesting Reflections Relating 70
Senator Sherman's Late Speech.
Readers in the South are perhaps not
as familiar as are the people of colder
climes with the mystical Northern
legend of the red flannel shirt. The
shirt was originally made for some fat
and rheumatic god or hero, and when
it was new formed an ample covering
for his stalwart body, even descending
to his lordly feet. Through frequent
washings, however, this capacious gar
ment shrank and shrank, until having
been passed to the elder boys and then
worn by the young children, it con-
tracted so much that the tradition leaves
it doing duty as a bandage around the
babys sore throat.
In respect of color and of ability to
shrink into the humble proportions of
despised and unclean rag, the ebloody
shirt" of American politics has shown
itself more than the peer of the red
flannel shirt of New England folklore
We all remember when it was big
enough and CORY enough to flap around
the ears of the whole country; now it
is SO attenuated that there is hardly
enough left to paint the moral or adorn
the tail of Senator John Sherman's
speech prepared for the Ohio Guber-
material campaign. As we have some
reason for believing that even in Ohio
the bloody shirt is making its farewell
appearance on any stage, there is
poetic justice in the personality of the
standard bearer selected to give the
stump-stained old garment its final
wave. 1t is an interesting coincidence
that the Sherman family, through its
brothers. Tecumseh and John, should
have held up the two poles of the titan
ic struggle against the South. Tecun-
sch, otherwise General William T.. used
his end as club against the old South
under circumstances which may render
history comparatively lenient to him.
He was at war when the States were.
and since that time has been as much
at peace as the best of us. Senator
John, on the contrary, was'very much
at peace while Tecumseh and the boys
on both sides were fighting. The broth
er in the toga never condescended to
smell the powder that the one in the
blue coat with brass buttons was burn
ing-in addition to other conflagrative
operations not SO clearly justified by
Vatel. But. perhaps to show his popu-
larity to the military Sherman, grim
visaged war had hardly smoothed his
battled front when John straightway
became remorse]essly militant, and mil
L.. &C. L. t. g. h. g.
shining exemplar of the noble class of
patriots who are ''invincible in peace;
invisible in war;" Hence the ''bloody
shirt" shrunken to the dimensions of q
red necktie, is in his hands not such an
inappropriate ensign.
All the waving of it now that Sher-
man. cheered on by Halstead and his
kind, may indulge in will hardly
derision of the united and fraternized
American people, North and South.
Antique remarks upon the past of the
representatives of Southern States in
the National life of the present will
hardly amount to news and still less to
argument when addressed to citizens
who have determined long ago to for
get the old discussions, and to work to-
gether to make the New Union
glorious triumph to themselves and an
honorable heritage to their children.
To these, the honest masses of the
country, the real reunion of the great
family of States does not involve dam
gers to interests born of jobbery. The
people have no fear that party changes
will cut off dishonest revenues which
are said to have made millionaires of
public servants. If the peace and
brotherhood of the Nation held such
terrors for them, perhaps they, too,
might feel like shaking the ''bloody
shirt" AS it is they will not, but win
take substantial satisfaction in laughing
at the few who do.
The Geographic report of the speech
with which Senator Sherman opened
the Ohio campaign has been read by
pretty much everybody, and is hardly
worth serious comment There is only
one thing in it that at all entities it to
consideration. That single redeeming
feature is contained in the dismal wall
in which the ex-Secretary mourns the
fact that .'this country is now repre-
scented abroad by men who, within
twenty-five years, were in arms to over
throw it!'' Judging from the ancient
flavor of his other remarks, it is alto
gether probable that Mr.. Sherman had
not yet heard of the recall of the Re-
publican Confederate General Long
street, or of the arrival home of the
radical ''rebel" Colonel Mosby. Assum-
ing that he was referring to these dis
tinguished instances of representation
abroad, we are forced to join our tears to
the Senator's, and with Artemus Ward
to exclaim: TOO true, too true; it's
scandalous fact!'-N. o. Times Dem.