The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-06-28
DEMOCRATIC \LETTER.
THE REIGN OF CORRUPTION
TAKES A RECESS.
Shameless Profiigacy of the Republican
Administration = Starving the People
to Fatten the Purses of Political Heelers
of High and Low Degree.


sues upon which the presidential cleo
ton is to be fought in November have
been Joined. Three years of McKin-
ley's administration have proven that
the Republican leaders are drunk with
imperialism, mad with militarism,
prof1igate with government funds,
reckless in foreign relations, and cor
rupt in their dealings with corpora
lions. True only to the trusts, the
Republican party has abandoned the
constitution and the principles on
which this government was founded.
The Democratic party will appeal to
the country to bring the government
back to the paths of truth and sober
ness, to stop the radical and reckless
expenditure of public funds, to give an
| honest and impartial enforcement of
| the law, to bring the nation out of it's
entangling foreign alliances and wars
OF conquest into condition of peace
and open-handed friendship with all
the world, to take steps toward remov-
ing the dangerous control Of the ma
tons finances from the national
banks, to pass laws that will curb the
| trusts and take from them the special
privileges whereby they have grown
SO great, and last, but not least, to
turn the rascals out" On such a
| platform, and under the leadership of
Bryan, the Republican party can be
swept from power in every branch Of
the government by combined, united
and harmonious opposition.
The most important and patriotic
duty of the Democratic party will be
to defeat the Republican ticket next
November. The details of reform in
administration can safely be trusted
to Bryan and Of reform in the laws Of
the congress which shall be elected
with him.
The country is more concerned in
bringing the government back to safe
and sound principles of administration
than in any single law which might be
enacted, however important such law
may be to the welfare of the country.
Honest administration of the govern
ment on constitutional lines is the
foundation upon which reform of the
law must be erected. No law, however
good and salutary, can be of avail I'M
less it Is honestly administered. There
are good laws on the statute books
now which have become dead letters at
the hands of the present administra-
ton. The Kansas City convention will
give earnest of it's purpose to meet the
demands Of the country.
Every honest and patriotic citizen
wants a clean government, whether he
be Republican, Democrat or Popu-
list. He wants an impartial applica-
ton Of the law. He wants an econom-
zeal expenditure of public funds. He
wants the public service to be free
from scandal and corruption. He wants
an equitable adjustment of taxation.
He still believes in the constitution.
He is opposed to huge standing army
and to entangling foreign alliances.
He is opposed to trusts and the spe-
cial privileges which have created
them.
Mckinley has not given clean adj
ministration. Hanna's political bench
men have filled the public offices, have
openly and flagrantly violated the civil
service law and have stolen public
funds. The Cuban scandals in the pos
tai service, in the customs service and
in the army are merely the surface in
dications of corruption as wide
spread as the government itself.
Millions have been taken from the
public treasury under the flimsiest
gloss of regularity and legal form. No
one who knows will attempt to deny
that political favorites were permitted
to make contracts for army and navy
supplies at prices out of all proper
ton to the value of the articles fur
nished. Scores of vessels were sold
to the government at three times their
actual value, with commissions to DO
litical favorites quite equal to the price
which. went to the actual owners of
the vessels. Worse yet, legislation was
forced through congress, like the ar
NOR trust grab, for the sole purpose of
furnishing Mark Hanna with a Re-
publican campaign corruption fund Of
millions. This notorious and fragrant
misuse Of legislative power is alone
enough to condemn to political de-
struction the party which has permit
ted it.
Taxation has been so adjusted as to
fall almost entirely upon the shoulders