Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-01-24
The Amen Corner i'll Practical Politics.

The Houser element of the Republi-
can party in Missouri continues its eff
forts to discredit the pratlcal element
of the party with a view to excluding
it from its share in the great division Of
spoils til at is to take place after Harri-
sons Inauguration. Said the Houser
organ yesterday:
With some good man from this State in the
Cabinet, and with Mr.. Filley in the soup,the
Republicans of Missouri would be happy.
As to the Cabinet. we have hopes: as to Mr.
Fiiley, the tureen is at hand and the con-
SOnt11le is ready.
For several months during the year
1888 Dencon Houser attempted to be a
practical Republican himself, and one
of the results of his associations during
that period is the enlargement of his
vocabulary with such low phrases as
.iu the soup"-phrases with which he
attempts to let himself down to the
level of the herd. His very use of them
hetrays the Amen Garner Republicans.
They come unnaturally from his lips
as he attempts to lower himself with
them. He succeeds in a measure, but
he does it as ungracefully as if he were
coming down from the sixth story on
hre-escape.
By urging that Boss Filley should be
left sin the soup" Mr.. Houser means
that neither the Boss, nor the Deputy
Bosses, nor any practical r publican
who has served under them, shonld be
rewarded from the public treasury. He
has his little coterie of associates, Mr..
John W. Noble, DIR. Emil Preetorins,
Col. D. p. Dyer, Hon. E. o. Standard
and others OF that ilk. who do not go
on the Levee or on Christy Avenue
hot
grace-proud and culture-proud. All of
them can read and write; they speak
the English language with approxi-
mate accuracy; many of them hand
around contribution boxes and sit in
the amen corners at the churches; they
consider schmierkase vulgar and turn
up their aesthetic noses at the cold po-
tatO salad in saloon lunches.
Take Mr.. John w. Noble, for in
stance-a man whom Deacon Houser
seriously proposes for the Cabinet in
place of Boss Filley himself. Mr.. Noble
lives in Queen Anne house that al
ways suggests fresh paint; that has
cathedral stained glass in the front door.
He has been known to have private
parlor lectures on metaphysics deliver
ed at his house by Concord Philoso-
pliers, and he has not been below being
suspected of yearning with them after
the Unk nova BILE and Unattainabie. He
is also suspected of having Bathroom
in his house, and it is well-known
fact that he has never stuffed ballot
box in his life. What has he ever done
what could he ever do for the Repub-
lican party in Missouri? He not only
conducts himself towards the great
mass of Christy Avenue, Levee and
other practical Republicans as if the
very odor of them were too strong for
his nostris, but he would Immediately
expose the party by his unskilful blum
dering if he were to attempt to manage
a colonization or fraudulent registra-
ton scheme, or to distribute the mon
ey for buying an election among the
Blocks of five.
1t is true that he is constructively
practical Along with Col. Dyer. Gov
ernor Stanard, DR.. Preetorius, and all
the rest, including Deacon Houser him
self, he gave his cOuntenancR and uior-
al support to all that Boss Filley and
the practical element of the party have
done in the last year. But constructive
practicality would never have stolen
the three st. Louis Congressman from
the Democrats. Some body had to do
the bribing, the repeating and the
Irau uleHt registration anu CoioHiIatioh
necessary for Republicans success, and
did it. Now that it has been
done, it Is the height of impertinence
for Deacon Houser and his little amen
corner clique to come forward, claim
ing all the rewards and saying: I'VE
did it all because we cOuntenanced 1t
all; if we had not barmonized with the
practical element and allowed the prac-
tical Boss to dictate our action; if we
had exposed his schemes and denounc-
ed his crimes against free ballot,
nothing could have been uone.'
This claim for the spoils is character
istic of the claimants, but 1t is bogus.
If Harrison entertains it, he will do it
to his cost. The practical Republicans
of Missouri did not coloniZe and repeat,
did not give and take bribes, did not do
everything it was possible To do to elect
their mentor nothing. They expect
public office under Harrison to be
private snap, and if the Houser crowd
is allowed to control the snaps for Mis-
souri, there will be trouble and plenty
of it.-Repu6lic.