Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1899-06-01
Gall" Inimltable.

Says the Poplar Bluff Republican:
The main point in being good
Democrat is to believe whatever you
are told to believe"
This is as refreshing and unique as
was the Father of All Lies when he
preached set sermon on the Virtue of
Veracity. But as great minds often
differ in premises and conclusion we
trust it will not be held unseemly in US
to-fiippantly, perhaps-point out a
few people who will hardly adopt the
Republicans automatic rule. Grover
Cleveland, John G. Carlisle. John Nj.
Palmer, VIM. c. Whitney, Dave Fran
els, and several others of greater or
lesser note. know through sad exper-
fence that Democrats do not always
believe what they are told to believe. J"
Even our own preferred VIM. j. Stone
has learned tie same lesson during
the past twelvemonth. He told Dem
ocrats to believe in Expansion, but
Expansion, with its consequent heresy,
Imperialism, lies dead on the thresh-
old of Democracy, and Dick Bland Is
better loved and trusted to-day than
before he was overridden by sound
and fury in an unprepared convention.
No, no. The history of the Demo
cratic party proves that its rank aud
file are not the creatures to have the
dicta of leaders crammed down their
throats against the stomach of their
sense.
How about the party to which the
Republican bears blind, loving allie
glance? How its rank and file evolute
to the will of their leaders! Take
them on the money question and the
Monroe doctrine. In 1888 their plat
form denounced Cleveland for "his eff
forts to 6emonetize, silver" and the
following dutifully echoed and re-echo-
ed the wickedness of his so doing. In
1892 the platform affirmed that ''the
American people from tradition and
interest favor bimetallism," and re-
affirmed ''our approval of the Monroe
doctrine" Again the Republican rank
and file applauded and went to work
once more .'in full accord" In 1896,
the platform was still in favor of BIZ
metallism. but it had evoluted to
bimetallism by International agree
ment. 1t again reasserted 1.-the Mon
roe doctrine in it's full extent" AS
usual, all the followers modified their
views in accordance with the interDa-
tional agreement clause. applauded
the Monroe doctrine to it's full ex-
tent" and shouted ''Hosannahi" to
Mark Hanna of the new dispensation. |
Why, Mckinley. himself. who had a |
two or three years before, bitterly de- |
nounced Cleveland for his hostility to
money of the poor"-he
not only gracefully recanted his con-
victions and accepted the new dogma,
but so fearful had he been for several
months OF believing something he
might not be told to believe, that no
of opinion upon the great
est question at issue could be extracted |
from him. His belief waited upon the
dictum of the bosses. and when that
came he recklessly FASTENED to ''be-
lieve what he was told to believe"
How stand the rank and file of the
party upon the Monroe
doctrine to-day? Do they still advo-
cate It Ito its full extent? Have not
their leaders also thought out this
matter for them, and have they not
accepted the latter day doctrine OF I'm
perialism? Whitelaw Reid at Chicago
declared that the Monroe Doctrine,
the Declaration of Independence, and
several other revered and time-houor-
I'D things were back numbers to this
age of progression. III any Republic
can paper, city or country. If any Re-
publican follower, big or little, has