Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1888-03-22
REPUBLICAN, DECAY.
A Mugwump Papers Impartial Survey Of
the Political Situation.

a veteran hepu0Iican SENATOR Is
quoted as saying to a friend in Wash
ington recently: "I can not discern a
ray of light. Blaine is certainly out of
the question. John Sherman's nomi-
nation does not seem to be possible
ity. There is no movement for Alli-
son, or Hawley. or Harrison or Gull
lom. or Hiscock. or any body else on
the list, any more than there was four
or eight years ago. / doubt if the
winning man in QUIZ convention has
been mentioned yet by any one. Yet
the man may come to us in our hour
of need. Such things have happened
to us before in our political history"
publican situation. There are at
present about twenty Republican
leaders who are mentioned as possible
candidates, yet in the whole lot there
is not one whose availability can not
be seriously questioned. This is a
very curious situation for great party
TO be in. and it is worth while to in
quire into the causes which have led
up. or rather down. to it.
1t is noticeable that as one man after
another is considered, he is barred out
as undesirable because there is that in
his record which will offend certain
"votes. Thus Senators Sherman,
Harrison, Hawley and Allison are all
thought to be excluded because they
voted against the Chinese Restriction
bill, it being part of the party be-
lief that no Republican candidate can
carry the Pacific Coast who has voted
in that way. He would not get the
anti-Chinese vote" Judge Gresham
is believed to be barred out because
of his prompt and fearless decisions
against turbulent strikers, which
would cost him the ''labor vote"
These are the party's strongest men,
and with them set aside the field for
choice is narrowed to such aspirants
as Foraker, Alger. Oglesby, Cullom.
Hiscock, Depew, Boutelle, Blair and
Phelps, none of whom would give as
surance of any thing like close con-
test with President Cleveland.
1t is not difficult to see why it is that
this question of '.votes y has come to
| play so important part in the Repub-
lican calculations. The whole policy
of the party for the past few years has
been directed to the creation of pre-.
cisely such obstacles. Take, for ex-
ample, the Chinese question. What
gave that lasting Importance was the
| conduct of Mr.. Blaine in writing a let
| ter on the subject in which he made a
bid for the Pacific Coast vote. That
letter not only gave him the support
| of the anti-Chinese element, but made
| it necessity for every candidate for q
| long time afterwards to have the same
magnet. If Mr.. Blaine had not raised
the question to the dignity of an
tissue" it would have been forgotten
| long ago, and the party would moi
now be deprived of the leadership Of
| four of its most competent men. Sc
| it is with the "labor vote" If it had
not been persistently coddled and per-
sistently lied to about the effects Of
protection in keeping wages high. there
would be no fear of hostility to Judge
Gresham.
But not only have the leaders of tn,
party been thus disabled by this truck
ling to "votes," but the rising genera
ton of voters has been so displeaset
by the performance that the number O
able men turning towards the Repub
lican party each year has been rapid,
diminishing. The departure of tn
Independents, or Mugwumps, howeve
arrogant and "big-headed" they ma,
have been. was not the only loss tn
party has sustained because of its pet
ty vote-angling policy. Howeve
earnest the veterans of the party ma.
have been in urging that policy, il
seeking for the anti Chinese vote. nov
for the labor vote, now for the Irisl
vote, now for the soldier vote, ant
first, last aud all the time for the igno
rant and prejudiced vote. the men o
talent in the rising. generation coult
see nothing attractive, nothing offer
ing promising field for their ambi
tions, in party given up to such aims
They have therefore been going over
in steadily-increasing numbers durin.
the past few years, to the Democratic
party. There can be no doubt abou
this. They belong to new era ant
can not be frightened by mere part.
name. They see the Republican part,
every day more obstinately opposed Il
progress, clinging to war memories TO
quarter of century after the war
over, and standing in the way of an,
attempt to legislate in the interests o
the changed condition of the presen
time.
What inducement can there be for
young man of intelligence and ambi
ton to enter party which makes
great man of such ridiculous person
as Governor Foraker? The mere fac
that man of that caliber is mentioned
as very probable Presidential candi
date is striking evidence OF the intel
lectual decadence which has fallen up
on the party. The veteran Senator
whom we have quoted above says thu
man that the party is looking for ma,
yet come to it in its hour of need, as ha.
happened before in it's history; but the
hour of need in the Republican pas
was very different one from what i
is now. The party had not only ,
moral purpose, but moral character
1t had men of convictions and brain
at the head of it and in the offices o
its newspapers. 1t was not fishing TO
snti-Chinese, labor, Irish or any othe
"votes," but was seeking to do wha
was best for the country, and wa
trusting the intelligence of the coun
| 4 "A "a r