Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-02-19
A CHECK ON RADICALiSM.
Not Only Brains But Right on the Demo-

CHECk CN HADiSAGtSm. |
Not Only Brains But Right on the Demo-
cratic Side.
With only four more weeks of the
session the radicals must be able to con-
troll the Republican party in the Senate
and willing to prevent the passage of
the appropriations bill if the force bill
is to pass. While it is probable that the
bill will be called up and another siren
uous attempt made to pass it, the condi-
tions are such that ordinary care and
watchfulness viii prevent its passage.
In the first place, the radicals have
never yet controlled a majority in the
Senate for the passage of the bill. In
spite of all that the Administration has |
been able to do in the way of dictation,
the conservative spirit has kept strong |
hold among the Republican Senators, |
even when the majority of them seemed |!
to yield to radicalism. The more cour-
ageous of them have manifested this |
spirit in open opposition, while those
| who did not feel strong enough to
| venture so much against the executive
| power have, nevertheless, hung back
| in such a way as to be Il dead weight,
encumbering the progress of radicalism.
All that the bill has needed for its
passage in the last month has been
radical ma ority, to pass it. Such
a majority could have suppressed
the opposition at once, even though
the opposition had been continued, as
it should and as it doubtless would
have been, up to the point where
majority appeared determined on force,
and using force in the expression of its
determination. Had such majority
appeared, all that would have been
necessary for the passage of the bill
would have been the passage of the
gag rule and a resolution instructing
the sergeant-at-arms to use force in
supporting it. With this violence act
lally used against them in the Senate
chamber, the Democrats would have
been obliged to abandon their attempts
to persuade the representatives of the
Republican party not to pass the bill.
While persuasion has thus far
triumphed, the appearance of a radical
majority in the Senate at any time be-
tween now and March will pass the
bill inside of twenty-four hours.
1t is possible that such majority
will appear, but that it is not probable
is almost as much due to the courage
of a Republican minority of conserva-
tives as it is to the Democrats The
Republican Senators who have boldly
denounced the bill knew that in doing
so they invited the enmity of a faction
which is desperate and unscrupulous in
its methods and which is in power, con-
trolling the far-reaching political re-
sources of tens of thousands of salaried
offices. Nevertheless they spoke, and
spoke bravely, and in doing made a
breastwork for other Republican SEN
ators, conservative but too timid to
openly declare against radicallsm in
Republican administration.
| The speeches on the bill have been
up to the high standard of the last two
or three Congresses. With the Mills
bill debate our Congress in both House
and Senate took the very highest rank
as a deliberative body-higher than it
has ever held before; higher than any
other deliberative body has ever held in
knowledge of political economy and
the science of government. In most de-
Lucrative bodies in American history
and other histories one or two masters
of the subjects in hand have controlled
the rest by force of their superior
knowledge 1t is no longer SO in the
American Congress. There are at least
|
who have more comprehensive
knowledge of the tariff than Clay,
Webster, Calhoun and Benton together.
We do not mean that they are greater
men, but they have had greater oppor-
| tunities forced on them. The man now
/ who reads and who does not OBJ
, / tain comprehensive knowledge of
public affairs is dullard indeed.
| There are a hundred newspapers
and periodicals now where there
were ten in the time of Clay and Web
ster. and they have hundred times as
much in them. In their partisan conten-
lions they dig deep into every subject
before the people. The public man who
works industriouslv in the leads thus
opened. comes continually on rich mines
. of informa ton. but even the lazy poll
tician who viii not work at all eXcepg
to read the newspapers and other peri
Odicals acquires so much information
that he is able 70 make a stand on MS
! own resources thus accumulated and
) maintain it creditably-
In the debate on the Mills bill, on the
, Mckinley bill, on financial legislation,
on the force bill. the American Con-
{ gress takes a place second to none in
+ history. and it rs Il most noteworthy
and significant fact that in the discus.
, sion of the two last mentioned meas
/ ures. the Mckinley bill and the force
bill, the Republicans, or rather their
radicals. have been silenced from the
? start I'VE wiEI7 or 1--WE won't-sC
! what's the use of talking?" is what
they have said 70 the country in then
action of keeping silence themselve:
and endeavoring to- close discussion.
1t has been said sometimes that thi:
is because there is more brains on the
Democratic side. Certainly the party
has as much brains IN its public men a
any party ever TIad- but there is a bet
ter reason: The Democrats have beer
right and the radicals wrong on thes'
issues, and the radicals We're desper
ately aware of it--St- Louis Republic
LOCALIZED ROBBERY.
A Scheme tn, Benefit the Few at the Ex
pense of the Many.
And now che ffuctuating organ which
hau for free trade and is cor