Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-05-07
NEWSPAPER PARTY MAKING.

The business of party making on
paper is never wholly abandoned in the
United States. In some journal, some
where between the Rio Grande and
Portland, there is always an article on
1.-The Future of Parties''; or on 1.-The
New Democracy; or one entitled s.Af-
ter Republicanism-What?" The I'M
RENTING tendency of newspapers to dis
cuss this subject has sprung from an
American fondness for intellectual
speculation and from the availability of
the matter as a topic when news is
scarce. Of late a new reason has arisen
tor resort to such discussion There is
number of detached thinkers who
have papers but who find themselves
men without party. They are inclined
10 make a new party to suit themselves
or to make over one of the existing
parties in their likeness. The Green
back party is not to their taste for
they are sane on finance. The Labor
party does not please them, for it has
so many men of enthusiasm and unin-
formed earnestneSs in it. The Pro-
hibition party is unsatisfactory to them
AoI tIlC SslIilc IceiSDL, ana DcCduSS buCSc
new creators or these persistent re-cre-
ators know good wine and delight to
treat themselves to generous living, as
an offset to acrid thinking. These gent
lemenlhave tried to new make the Repub-
lican party, but failing to do so, doubt
less out of the highest motives, they
left it. The Republican party was after
ward defeated. Whether it was defeated
because they left it or whether their
leaving it was only d coincidence, is
disputed. Probably the former is the
case. Anyway, they do not feel kindly
toward the Republican party. 1t does
not feel kindly toward them.
This is then the situation: A new
party or the articulation of these men
with the Democracy. They are first
discussing that which we have named
as the second alternative. The avidity
OF the American mind for speculation,
the frequent deartn of news and the
partyless condition of these active and
suggestive gentlemen combine to rem
der their propositions for making the
Democratic party agreeable or tolera bic
to them interesting. We have been im-
pressed with the peculiarly personal
character of their reflections. Their
decreasing objection to the Democratic
party is owing to the fact that certain
kind Of men are in it. Their increasing
favor toward the Democratic party is
avoweIly based on their belief that
fewer men of the kind intimated are in
it, and that they are. as these detached
1hinkers hope, inclined to leave it. 1t
is remarkable that this estimate of
parties by groups of individuals should
occur. 1t was hardly ever INDUCED in
before by men who have really made
parties. Party makers in fact never re-
garded the personnel of voters in the
United States but once. The native
American party described itself by its
name. Its name of itself showed what
men it excluded and antagonized. 1t
carried one State in one national cleo
ton. Its adherents have ever since
been magnifying the resources of per-
jury to establish the idea that they new
er belonged to it. All other party
makers or party renoyatorS have here
tofore been very fond of all kinds of
voters, the more the better. They have
tried for votes with principles, isms or
reforms. preferring such as they thought
would be likely to attract the largest
number of voters. The practice of de-
termining adhesion or opposition to a
party, by the fact of whether certain
kind of men support it or desert it, is
almost novel. 1t is a modification of
the old Know Nothing idea, as will be
seen, but it is unique modification.
One of the organs of this movement
Tor admission into the new party, should
one be founded. If not. the test will be
converted into a condition on which the
detached thinkers may consent to join
the Democracy. The organ uses many
words, but what it means is this: .'The
new party, or the renewed Democracy
whichever be the result will make
the membership of Irish Catholic citi-
zens as difficult and few as possible: it
will try to drive them over into Repub-
licanism. That done, the intended re-
crlits will flock in and take their
places" The excuse for this is the be-
lief of the organ that when the de-
tached thinkers ''sidled up" toward the
Democracy a number of the voters to
whom it objects, left 1t. The supersen-
sltlveneSS which resents the fact now is
due to a misconception of the cause
Lit was the nomination of Blaine which
cost the Democracy some adherents-
not the opposition of these detached
thinkers to him. If they decline to fell
lowship with the Democrats who may
return or with their more thoughtful
compatrlots who did not go off, they
are very frank to say so, and they
should be very frankly answered.
The Democratic party is not swap
ping, expelling or soliciting voters. 1t
leaves the citizens free to settle his own
personal relation to parties. 1t is
party of Jeilersonian principles, pa
triotic policy and reform practice. Such
citizens as are satisfied with it on these
accounts will vote with it. Such citi-
zens as favor these excellent qualities,
but who think they can in the long run
be attained by party other than the
Democratic party, make a mistake
Such citizens as are against the prin-
ciples. policy and results of Democracy
ought to vote against it, until they get
more light or more morality into their
politics. The Democratic party does
not regard the secession from Cleveland
referred to as representatively either a
Catholic or an Irish detection. 1t was
principally, not solely, confined to the
membership of some secret societies,
which have no antagonist so marked as
the authorities of the Catholic Church
and no opponents more pronounced
than rational and well informed
Irishmen in every land. The great
mass of worshiping, not nominal.
Catholics determined their political
course by considerations Just like those
operating with non-Catholic voters.
The great mass of Irish born or Irish
descended citizens of the United States,
having become Democrats on principle,