St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-21
IOWA DEMOCRACY.

The Cedar Rapids convention was the
largest and in every sense the most respect
able political gathering ever known in Iowa.
All of the ninety-nine counties of the state
were represented by large delegations COM
posed of the best representatives of Demo-
cracy in the state. The convention was
marked by spirit of earnest devotion to
principle and a unanimity of sentiment
rarely witnessed on such occasions. There
must be meaning in all this. This is an
otf-year in politics. Iowa is Republican
state, and has been from time when the
memory of man scarcelyrunnetht to the con-
trary. This army of earnest, devoted Dem-
ocrats was not brought together because of
the interest felt in an approaching national
canvass. They were not drawn together,
as the eagles congregate around the carcass,
for the purpose of dividing local spoils.
There were other elements at work TO arouse
the Iowa Democracy to a sense of the great
possibilities which lie before them. The
people of Iowa have been victimiZed by the
party in power. They have seen their
state government corrupted and perverted
to the uses of rings and corporations.
They have seen their courts closed against
honest officials, who were turned out of
office at the point of the bavonet because
they struggled to protect the state from the
rapacity of the leaders of the dominant
party. They have seen their statute books
numbered with laws intended to abridge
the personal liberties of the citizens of the
state and, under the guise of legislation in
the interest of good morals, have opened
wide the flood gates of crime and lawless-
ness. Processing to be the friends of tenn
perance, the Republican party in Iowa has
enacted prohibition laws which have re-
suited in the sale of more whisky than ever
known in the previous history of the state,
and that too without the restrictions and
safeguards which ought to be thrown
around the traffic. A notable Illustration
of the abortive results of prohibition was
displayed in the city of Cedar Rapids, where
the law is said to be more stringently en-
forced than in the majority of the towns of
the state. Before the prohibitory law was
passed there were forty licensed saloons in
the city and none without licenses. Now
there are over one hundred which pay no
license tax to the state or city, but which
are run right along in defiance of the state
law. And what exists in Cedar Rapids
exists in greater degree in other cities in
the state. 1t is no wonder, then, that the
people Of Iowa are tired OF Republican rul e
and seek a change of parties.
There is no question but that the platform
of principles put forth by the Cedar Rapids
convention embodies the sentiment of large
majority of the people of the state. There
is no doubt about the popularity of the
ticket which was nominated. And yet
there are reasons why the Democrats will
have to fight for victory if they gain it. The
leaders of the dominant party are going to
make a desperate fight for continued
supremacy. They will not want to
relax their grasp on the spoils of office nor
yield the power with which they are invested
without struggle. They will not be
scrupulOus in the use of means to hold their
dominion. Consequently the Democrats
must expect hard fight and bitter con-
test. But they have everything TO encour-
age them in the canvass. They have
platform upon which party could afford to
stand forever. They have clean-limbed
candidates to make the race. They have
the majority of the people in sympathy
with their principles. They are fighting for
pure government and the unrestricted lib
erty of the citizen.
The issue between the two parties on the
liquor question is well defined. The Demo-
cratic position is tenable because it proposes
to deal with the subject in a practical
way. The Republican idea has had
one years trial and is found to be
not only impracticable but the most
abortive scheme ever invented to promote
temperance. Under pretense of prohibi-
ton the liquor traffic has been made free
and the state has been cursed with a car
nival of lawleSsnesS.
The Democratic candidate for governor
is a man thoroughly indoctrinated with the
ideas which suit the people of Iowa. He is
farmer, and has always taken an active
interest in all enterprises to benefit his
class. He is a man of extraordinary intel
| ligence, has broad and liberal views on all
matters of public concern, has had expert
ence in public affairs. and is as honest as
the day is long. He is just the man that
the people of Iowa want at the helm at this
time.