Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-08-10
A PARTY OF CONSTRUCTION.


a FAHtI of SONoi n O1 foNs
The People VIII Be Benefited by Demo-
cratic Legislation.
The first congress, democratic in
both branches and acting in concert
with democratic president, which the
country has seen for over third of a
century and the first democratic con-
gress which hundreds of thousands of
democratic voters have ever seen, as
sembles at Washington. The exigency
which brings it together in advance of
the usual date of assembling is inn
portant, but it is not SO important as
the fact that the party of the constitu-
ton is once more about to assume full
control of affairs, and that the people
once more are TO know what demo-
cratic government actually is not by
the professions and promises of its ad-
vocates, nor by the misrepresentation
of its opponents, but by actual expert
ence.
So many years have elapsed since
the party was able to carry out its will
in federal affairs, and SO much of it's
time and energies have been devoted to
checking the dangerous schemes of re-
publicanism that a large part of the
country, especially of its younger vot-
ers, have formed the idea that democ-
racy is the party of obstruction and ne
CATION, and that it is not capable of
constructive craftsmanship. The his
tory of the country bellies this belief,
for the greatest positive achievements
in our national history for many years
were the products of democrats, acting
on the lines of democratic principles.
The periods of our healthiest industrial
growth, of our greatest national ex-
pacsion and greatest contentment
have been periods when the country
gave willing acquiescence to demo-
cratic beliefs and saw them in conse-
quence work out the blessings to a free
people, interested in their observance.
1t is true that the party will have
much to tear down before it can begin
to build up. The present silver law
must be done away with before sound
currency law, adaptable to all times
and conditions, can be enacted; the
tariff laws must be changed thoroughly
to bring them into accord with the
democratic belief of taxation for rev.
enue and public purposes only; federal
supervision of elections must be abol-
ished; the shipping laws must be
altered to admit of maritime growth
proportionate to our inland growth,
and the pension system must be made
a roll of honor. In so far as democratic
policies shall be necessary removals or
notifications of republican policies
they will destroy only to build on a
broader and more durable basis, and
they will insure mole equable and
more general distribution of the nat
ural blessings with which the country
is so richly endowed and of the benefits
that flow from our form of government.
''In most of the great practical ques-
tons of our times" said the late Sam
uel J. Tilden, 1.-THE democratic party
has opposed the interference of govern
mert. even for the best objects, and be-
cause it was solicitous for those OBJ
jects has preferred to trust them to
wiser, safer and more efficient
agencies" Within a few weeks the
democratic party will once more be in
a position to clear the ground for the
development of the country and of the
individual citizen along the lines of the
greatest adapta bility of each. APP
propriately, it will begin to clear away
the encumbrances of republican legis-
lation by repeating an act requiring
the purchases by the treasury of silver,
which is in fiat contradiction of demo-
cratic theory, in defiance of economic
law, and n theory and practical work
ings has proved a failure. more en-
phatically condemned by the American
people than any of the long series of
republic national measures, of which
it and the Mckinley tariff are the last
and fullest fruits.
The democratic party is not only it.
self constructive; it aims to give every
citizen the fullest opportunity, accord
ing to his own judgment and attain
ments, to build for himself.-Albany
Argus.