Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-05-20
Principle Or Nothing.

1t is announced through the columns
of the Republic that Mr.. Bryan will not
take any part in the campaign in eth
er Maryland, Ohio or New York this
fall, for the reason that Arthur p. Cor
man desires to be returned to the SEN
ate from Maryland, and John r. Nc
Lean wants the Senatorial toga of Mark
Hanna in Ohio. while Senator Murphy
of New York is anxious to retain his
seat as Senator from that State. These
gentlemen. it seems. do not want the
"silver question" injected into this
years campaign in their States If
they own the Democratic party of their
respective States. their wishes should
be regarded. If they desire to play
Hamlet with Hamlet left out, this
amusement should not be denied them.
In personal campaign of the kind
they propose too make. IN which Dem
ocracy will have no part and Demo
cratic principles are to be ignored, the
rank and file will take about as much
interest as in a horse race in which
there is not cent bet upon either nag.
Democratic voters will be very Impair
tial spectators at the show, and moth
ing more.
1t is perhaps the beginning of an at
tempt to retire the Chicago platform.
Let those engaged in it unmask their
batteries as quickly as possible. When
the rank and file of the party get a
chance at them, there will not be
enough of their political corpses left
to hold post mortem over. If these
men think that the party can be ma
nipulated like ward meeting, and that
Democratic voters care nothing for the
principles for which they fought last
November, there should be nos time
lost in teaching them their mistake.
John L. Mclean can place himself
side by side with Jim Campbell,
among the has-beens, if he adopts Jim
Campbell's policy and gets off the plat
form his party prepared for him. We
hope he will not do this.
Whatever these gentlemen may con-
clude to do, in Ohio or elsewhere, the
people are in earnest. They mean to
stand by the Chicago platform. Any
man hitherto training with the Demo
cratic party will find his political grave
by the side of Cleveland, Carlisle, ct al,
when it becomes known that he is
seeking to subvert the fundamental
principles of Democracy as set forth
by its last National Convention The
REGISTER believes that the election OF
either Mclean, Murphy, or German,
on any platform that is not thoroughly
in accord with the Chicago platform,
would be misfortune to the party.
The party pledged its faith to the sup
port of that platform when it put ii
forth. Let the men who turn their
backs upon il be driven from the ranks.
No man is greater than his party. and
the sooner men who seek to clog the
onward course of Democracy are turned
down and retired to private life the
better it will be for it. If Mr.. John
r. Mclean seeks to play any franks
with the principles of Democracy, or
seeks to cast any slur upon VIM. j.
Bryan, Ohio Democrats will see to il
that Mr.. Mclean remains in private
life. 1t is sufficient to say that Mr..
German is Protectionist. Whether
he is elected to the Senate or not, is
not a matter of moment to Democrats.
Mr.. Murphy is-well, Mr.. Murphy-is
not a very savory or interesting person
from any point of view.