Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-12-06
From Farmer. y

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elected devising ways to cheat theil
constituents of the measures and re
forms promised, while the gamblers
are paying their bets. We have .
stringent law against betting on elec
tionsin this state; but, like many Other
laws, It is dead letter where there il
a chance to make money by disregard
ing it. 1t Was one of the worst Incl
dents OF the campaign that betting, ii
spite of tie law, was open and above.
board, and much more common thar
mentable lack of respect for law, but
shows Decentralization and degrade
ton OF morals, that augurs badly fol
our conduct of pubic affairs. Disfran-
#chisemept of bettors and Stockholders
at least for the election upon which the
wager is made, or the Pennsylvania
plan of collecting all bets for the poor
fund, would be more eff, ctive than the
fine and imprisonment now imposed.
In few years every state will adopt
the Australian system of voting, as
Massachusetts has now done, and also
Kentucky for the city OF Louisville, and
then will be the time to adopt effective
legislation against gambling on elec-
tons.
We ore beaten. Early in the CAM
paign an intelligent young friend who
is theological student, remarked to me
that the Democrats stoodsa poor show;
for they accepted the principle of pro-
lection and made an issue upon the
policy of five or seven cent reduction.
THAT is SO thin," said he, 'iit looks
like mere pretense to catch votes
rather than sincere effort to effect a
much needed REFORM" / see now, bet
ter than / did then, the force Of his re-
mark. More than once / introduced
speakers TO their audiences and then
felt ashamed of the arguments they
made. Some of them were men of some
repute, and judges on the bench; but
all, after laying down the principle that
1T "was robbery under the forms Of law
for government to put its hand into
one mans pocket and take cut money
to give to another man." gave it away
by protesting against beirg free trad
ers, and saying, in effect, that they
were willing to rob one man for the
emclnment of another, provided you
would take ~ per cent. or little less
instead of II. Your writer was in the
hands OF the county committee and
found himself in awkward position; as
in order t6 be consistent before his aud
fences, he had TO disclaim any intention
of committing the committee to the
same consistency. A tariff was design
ed, primarily, to favor one class at the
cost of another; and i'srevenue feature
is rather incidental than princi al, and
serves as cloak to it's real nature and
purpose; atd no party can fool with it
successfully that does not propose to
knock it square!y in the head. But
before we propose to abolish the tariff
better system. For this course it is
necessary to give close attention to any
and every system of taxation proposed
as an Improvement upon the present
ones, aud then. choosing the best, base
the next platform upon principle and
not mere policy. This is the only
course, or the Democratic party must
make a square back down and crawfish
out Of the position it has assumed on
the question of protection, or protaxa-
fion as the New York World terms it,.
Prejudice had much to do with the
past election. There were tens of
thousands of voters who regard the
name of Democrat as only another term
of rebel; and the speeches of some of
the southern speakers, in which they
still seemed mourn the "lost cause"
gave excuse and color ito his feeling.
We must get on new ground, by advc-
eating. new and radical measures, and
stop these silly references to apast that
both parties have more reason to be
ashamed rather than proud of. 1t is
a shame that any party could have ex-
listed a single decade and the declara-
tion of mans natural rights should be
such farce as it still is. For God sake
stop all references to a pact. in which
not a single effort has been made TO
carry out Jefferson's immortal declara-
ton.
The soldier racket was worked by the
protaxtionis,s for all it was worth; and
the finger of shame was pointed at
every soldier who voted the Democrat
ic ticket. Many G. A. r. men made a
mighty poor fist at spreading Liberty
and Justice every rywhere," as their obli-
CATION binds them to do. Brazil freed
half as many more slaves as we did
and consummated the even. with nat
ional feasting and rejoicing; we had a
terrible family throat-cuttlng over the
of our slaves and many
seem to think it a patriotic duty to pre-
serve the prejuf.ices, antipa.hies and
hatreds that strife engeDdered. After
the campaign just past your writer, for
one. will consider every man enemy
to his country Who will not try to put
awav such cursed heirloom. It IS
time to forget war and the methods of
violence and appeal to those higher
and better faculties that lift men above
and distinguish them from bruies. 1t
is only by such an appeal that true