Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1893-08-10
RANK HYPOCRISY.
Republican Doubles Dealings in the Shcr-
man Law Matter.

RANK HYPOCRISY.
| Republican Double-Deailngs in the Shcr-
| man Law Matter.
The one thing of which many of the
republican organs affect to be most
afraid just now is that the democrats
in congress will not vote for the repeal
of the Sherman silver law. Every ex-
preston of opinion from democratic
source which can be tortured into dis
approval of repeal, or even into doubt
as to its expediency or possibility, is
made the most of; and the country-or
that portion of it which the organs can
reach-is told every day that the re-
peal cannot be expected.
These expressions of opinion are
made with every pretense of regret;
but it is very clearly apparent that the
regret is hypocritical. The organs
| wish the democratic members of con-
gress to vote against repeal, and the
wish is father to the thought that they
will so vote. If they are really honest
in their notion that the law should be
repealed-if they agree with Sherman
and the republicans who were fore
most in urging the measure that it
should be done away with at the ear
lest moment practicable-this is a con-
| temptible position to take. They
ought to have patriotism enough at a
time when most important interests of
the country are at stake to put their
miserable partisanship i'll the back
ground and do what they can to bring
about repeal, instead of laboring to
prevent it because they fancy that
prevention means discredit to the
democratic party. 1t is not the
first time, however, or yet the
second or the tenth, that the
organs and leaders of the 6. o. p. have
shown their readiness to sacrifice the
country if they could thereby put their
opponents in the wrong or make par
tisan capital. 1t is not to be believed
that the democracy will aid the hypo-
critical members of discredited party
in their contemplate scheme. When
the Sherman law was passed it met in
both senate and house the undivided
| opposition of the democrats. This was
given, not in the hope of securing Leg
islation more favorable to silver, for it
| had been demonstrated before the
| measure was put on its passage that
such legislation could not be had. The
bill was opposed because it was be-
| lieved to be vicious and mischievous in
| its character and intended solely to
| help the republican party at the ex-
pense of the country. Experience has
| strengthened instead of weakening this
view. The measure has proven even
more vicious and mischievous than was
| anticipated. The very men who urged
| it most strongly have been brought
| face to face with its injurious charac-
ter. They are apologizing for support
ing it and pledging themselves to vote
| for its repeal. Surely this is no time
| for any democrat to take the back track
in the matter. The party stands
pledged to repeal not only by the unan-
| imous opposition which it made to the
| bill when on its passage, but by the &C
ton of the national convention de-
nOuncing the measure as "a cOwardly
makeshift."
A failure to repeal this ''cowardly
makeshift'' will not only disappoint the
just expectations of the country suffer-
ing as it is from the consequences of
this and other vicious enactments of
the republican party, but it will afford
great comfort to the worst and most
unpatriotic elements of that party. The
pledges for the production of such re-
sults.-Detroit Free Press.
STEVE ELkiNS' EXPLANATION.
The Old Business of Partisan Panic
Nursing.
Mr.. Stephen 3. Ell1ins, who has had
long and profitable connection with
public affairs and who knows the
80
any anan in the country, explains that
the present financial trouble is really
the democratic panic of 1897 Mr.. Ell
kins'explanation,l like many other things
that he has given utterance to in times
past, is important if true. If this is a
democratic panic, of course it cannot
be got over until the democratic party
is either driven from power Or reduced
to helplessness by a change in the house
or in the senate. If the dreadful party
should esta blish its ruinous policy of
reducing unjust taxation, stimulating
industry by cheaper materials increas-
ing the demand for labor by broader
markets, and diminishing the cost of
living by taking off duties on the neces-
saries of life, then the panic would
have to go on until the blessed repub-
lican tariff pets could get control again.
Mr.. Ell1ins ought to know this as we'll
as anyone else. 1t may be a stern sense
of duty which impels him to give out
such discouraging views Of the future,
or it may be that his personal and par
tisan interests are so largely involved
in the return of the republicans to
power that he deceives himself as to the
facts and does not perceive that the in
fiuence of his remarks, whatever it may
amount to, tends to mislead the public
and to defer the returE of confidence
which is obviously needed. AS the
tone he adopts is the same as that of
very large number of republican speak
ers and writer's, we fear that he and
they in common are more bent on put
ting the democrats ''in a hole as Mr..
Harrison would say, than on serving
the public interests.
However, this cheap kind of partisan.
ship seems to us much more likely to
injure those who are guilty of it than
to injure the democratic party. The
great mass of the American people,
whatever party they may belong to-
are not fools, and though the partisans
on either side often say very foolish
things, even they do not, as rule, act
much more wisely than they talk, and
seldom follow their own advice. There
will not be very many misled by such
solemn nonsense as Mr.. Elkins and the
party organs are talking. 1t is little
too heavy a tax on credulity to be asked