The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-03-16
AN OPEN CONFESSION.
4 Reformed Democrat Tells WY He
Joined the Republican Party.

4 Reformsd Democrat Tells WY He
Joined the Republican Party.
A Minnesota Democrat, originally
from the South. has seen the error Of
his ways. has repented. and will hence
forth show his change Of faith by his
works His confession appears in the
Minneapolis Tribune. Inthe South he
grew up . Democrat "by absorption"
His Democracy was not shaken by the
shotgun policy. and II he had stayed
below the Mason and Dixon line he
would have remained . Democrat to
this day. But the disreputable and
criminal methods upon which the Ames
Gubernatorial campaign was conduct
ed were too much for him. He has re-
pudiated the party for the sake Of his
political manhood. and Is henceforth .
Republican. To use his own words:
Ihave been . lifelong Democrat and to my
friends Of that party have NO apologies or ex-
cuses to mako for what now have TO say. In
the inrst place confess 70 IN ignorance Of the
silence Of politics that any Democrat might b
proud Of, and believe II had continued TO TO
side in the South. where was raised, should
always have continued to b . Democrat on
the principle that what was good enough for
my father was good enough for me; but - .
citizen Of Minnesota have seen enough to CON-
vince me that the policy Of the Democratic
party IL inimical TO the vital interests Of the
country, and more especially 70 this immediate
part Of IL. Being an admitted tRuoramus in
political ethics and an ayowed Democrat by sur.
roundinss and Absorption (she most rigid fol-
lowers Of any cause are those who absorb their
sentiments from their surroundings rather than
from logical conyictiousl II will readily be seen
that something yery radically and palpably
wrong must have transpired to upset the calm
of long settled and compliment devotion to the
party Of Jeffersouian simplicity and innocuous
desuetude. During the campaign of 1885 was
in a position to know very intimately the work
ings Of the great cause. and q regard for
decency compels mo to say that I became
ashamed of NV party In the South have
seen some of the workings of the "shot-
gun policy" but in Justice to nv
Southern friends I will aver that their
methods vere respectable compared to those
practiced by the Democrats Of Minnesota q
wear ago last fall Twas prepared u see much
evil done. that good might come Of f. and re.
viewed with complacency the little plots and
schemes in which all elections abound: but
when the saloons and bsvdy houses Of two
cities were turned into electioneering Joints and
all their immoral and corruptinR tendencies
brought to bear on that numerous class whose
ballots are q merchantable commodity; when
the sluice gates of calumny and billinasRste
and filth were turned on men whom knew to
be personally pure. and when nv own party
nut forward a man known to me and ali the
public as personally and uotoriously impure. I
began to question whether should submit TO
the domination of partisanship. I heard the
public speakers of INV own party charging the
Opposition with bribery and Corruption. heard
the leader and candidate of that party state
publicly that he was worth mot TO exceed
200" and vet knew that great many thou
sands of dollars were used for the purpose of
political corruption and bribery by the very
man whose excheouer was so low. saw there
was IN inconsistency, but patiently awaited
DEVELOPMENTS It was q surprise to every one,
and I believe If the barrel had held out the
result would have been still q greater sur
prise in store for the people, for I am sorry
to have to observe there is a large purchase
BILE vote in the State Well. there was great
hue and cry OF fraud. and as usual "the fox
was the finder" Now let sny calm. nm.
prejudiced Democrat view the events of the
last fifteen months and say truly II the Demo-
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