Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-07-24
THE LODGE FORCE BILL
The Deeadencs of the Republican Party
Under Its Present Leadership.

! - - SOAOA Gill even DIV he
publlcans, that the Presidents course
has not strengthened his party. But it
| Is still! more evident to every intelli-
| gent observer that the course of the Re-
| publican Congress has deeply injured
| the party. The passage of the pension
OIL involves an outlay of the public
money which is incalculable 1t is a
| surrender to the fear of losing mer-
cenary vote, and is defended under
| transparently hypocritical pretenses.
The good sense of the country measures
at their exact value the protestationS
by demagogues of their patriotic graft
tude, while the true feeling OF the
American volunteer is expressed by
brave veterans like Senator Hawley and
President Andrews. The passage by
the House of the Mckinley bill. which,
in the face of a surplus, raises the aver
age rate of customs duties, has pro-
duced what looks now like serious
breach in the party. Mr.. Blaine's let
ter and the reports of his frank COM
| ments upon the bill express not only the
views of great body of Republicans,
but of the American intelligence which
| is not classified by party name
But more disturbing to the public
mind than either the pension or the
tariff policy of the dominant party is
the National election bill, which, both
N itself and in the extraordinary limi-
tation of debate upon it, is a startling
measure, which, the more it is under
stood, can not fail to arouse profound
public amazement and distrust. To Sc
cure a result which can not be attained
BIS the enforcement OF any law. the Re
publican party proposes to overthrow
the most vital tradition of the Amer
lean system Of Government-the local
control of elections. The destruction
of that cardinal condition of our Gov
eminent would be an evil much more
radical and alarming than the suppress
sion of the vote which the measure
Processes to aim to correct. The bill
commits the result of Congressional
elections in any district where a few
persons request it to body large or
small of partisan agents, and TO per-
manent returning board, appointed by
a central authority, in whose honesty
and impartiality the public confidence
will be necessarily much less than in
the present election agencies, while the
local contentment and acquiescence in
the result, which are considerations of
vital Importance to the tranquil work
ing of any election system, will be
wholly wanting. Opposition to this
extraordinary measure is not. as Re-
publican speakers and the Republican
press allege, indicative of DISPOSE ton
to tolerate suppression of the colored
vote. or the wholesale buying of white
voters in blocks of five. Such opposi-
ton rests upon the ground that what
ever the extent of the evil, the remedy
proposed is much greater evil.
The bill changes essentially the pres
ent law providing for National super
visors of election, extending it to a
point which supersedes altogether the
state con troll of Congressional elections.
The State election officers, indeed. are
nominally recognized. but they are sub
ordinated entirely TO the United States
officers. The result would be that the
election of mem berS of Congress in New
York. for instance, upon the request of
few persons in every district would
be con trolled not by officers selected by
the people, but by agents appointed by
National authority. The States under
cline TO take any official part in such
elections. and the blow at the very root
Of our system of local self-goyernment
would be disastrous. If to these acts of
the dominant party be added the gross
violation of executive pledges of reform
in the civil service, and the party acqui-
essence in the silence of Quay, the
chairman of the National Republican
Committee. under criminal charges very
generally believed, which, if untrue, he
could disprove at once, amid general
satisfaction and to the immense benefit
of his party. with the ardent support of
the free silver bill by the extreme
Western Republicans, a party record is
offered to the country which has neces-
sarily radically weakened it among
those whose support is in itself the best
reliance of party. and leaves it in the
position of party conscious of the loss
of its moral hold upon the country. and
desperately resolved by audacious
straining of the forms of law to retain
the power which is passing away.
Those who recall the splendid days and
deeds of the youth and prime of the Re-
publican party can not see the spectacle
which it now presents without remem-
bering Couture's powerful and pathetic
picture of The Decadence of the Ro-
mans "-Harper's Weekly Qnd.).