Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-08-25
From the kansas City Times. !

From the kansas City Times.
There are other three-thimble men
than those artful gentry whose king
is n county fair and whose profitable
subjects are the sporting yokels of the
country side
Brother professionals of a larger
growth, who find state none too large
to bound their skilled endeavors, to
whom Office is the substitute for cash
move now the threap shells briskly over
a table that is not the less the appliance
OF a fakir for that it bears the catch
word phrase, stand up for Missouri. -
So deity are the shells moved about
that the pea of truth is not to be found
even where it seems to be put by the
juggler.
Mai Warmers three-thimble speech
ut Sedalia, wherein was authoritatively
defined the issues of the campaign and
the position of the contending parties
with reference to those issues as deter
mined from the republican point of
view. was such piece of jugglery
with figures as might shame the most
finished professional of the brother
hood
The Times in former article pre-
scented the complete REPUTATION of all
that portion of the speech which bore
upon the railroad debt of the state.
Such conclusive evidence was pre-
scented of republican corruption and
nismanagement that in no quarter of
the state has a serious answer been at
tempted. 1t was shown that millions
of dollars of securities held by the state
TO protect it's advances of bonds in and
of railway buildings were looted by the
ring which ruled Missouri from 1865 to
1870 as a robber rules a roOst Rail-
ways were given away as free gifts,
Others sold for the thirtieth part of the
states lien, republican congressman
and republican party leaders in the ma
jority of the cases being the beneficial
ries of this open handed generosity of
thieves on a grand scale. So the liens
of the state were destroyed and the bur
den of the payment of nearly $50, 900, 900
strapped on Missouri's back.
Had wise policy been pursued with
respect to the finances of the state,
every dollar of the obligation of the
roads would have been discharged and
Missouri would have been free from
debt at a time when men who will this
year cast their first vote were sucking
babes That the bonds would have
been paid without the levying of dol
lar of tax on the people of the state is
proved by the fact that the Hannibal &
St Joseph road, the only one which es-
capped the republican fingers, ultimately
squarely met its debt to the state and
paid the bonds in full when Crittenden
sat in the governors chair. Had the
republicans conducted the affairs of the
state with ordinary honesty, the rail-
road debt would have discharged itself.
The Major JuggIer of Figures.
Maj Warmers greatest boast was that
an few short years the republican
party reduced the state debt S14, 419, 92S
An examination of the records reviewed
below shows that the war debt of Sc OOO.-
900, was paid by the general govern
mcnt Another 5000. 900 was secured
by foisting debt of $50, OOO 900 on the
state Two millions more were OBJ
tanned by misapplication of school
funds.
Thus does the apparent reduction of
nearly SIS, 00O, 900 dwindle to an actual
reduction of few hundred thousand
dollars-derived from the interest tax
of 40 cents on the 300. Verify thimble-
rigging is fine art.
The railroad debt did not comprise
the whole of the state debt, nor did
Maj. Warner confine himself to dis
cussion of it when Juggling at Sedalia
with the figures which tell the finan-
cial history of the state for a quarter of
a century. His manipulation of the
three shells as to the railroad debt has
been exposed. The Times submits to
the people of the state the records of
the two parties as to the payment of
the state debt In the examination of
that record it is impossible to wholly
eliminate the history of republican mis-
management of the state school fund,
which it is proposed to consider sepa-
rately hereafter, for the reason that re-
publicaus stole from the school fund to
make some show of progress in paying
the state debt Yet Maj. Warner is
found shouting loudly now because the
democratic state government gave to
the state university the funds received
from the general government on &C.
count of the direct tax.
. The record of the two parties as to
the management of the finances of the
state presents the sharpest contrast.
Republican corruption and mismanape-
mcnt wasted the states resources and
.burdened the commonwealth with in
tercst eating debt The democracy,
through twenty years of patient ser
vice, has reduced enormously the prin-
cipal of the debt, lowered the interest
charges and lessened the taxes; the
while, by its vigilant economies, it fos-
tered education and built up the great |
fund for the children of the state.
Here is the record: 1t is the story of
the struggle of q commonwealth for
~twenty-seven years; it is proof of
what three-thimble methods have done
TO the states great harm; it is recital
of the long work of the democracy to
restore Missouri's financial strength; it
is the triumphant statement OF the