Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-08-22
THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY.
Mast Always include in Its platforms
Reforms That the People Are
Crying For.

A vast deal of space has been given
by republican newspapers to their
proposed reorganization of the demo-
cratic party. OF course the talk of re-
organization is all rubbish; the party
is as well or better organized to-day
than it was in 1875 before Samuel j.
Tilden was elected or in the year pre-
ceding the election of Cleveland.
There is hardly a township in the Unit
ed States that has not its committee OF
democrats who are ready and willing
to undertake another fight with the
party of trusts and plutocracy. The
trouble with these republican newspa-
pers and some that pretend to sail n
der the democratic banner is that they
wish to disrupt the party of the peo-
pie. They decry Mr.. Bryan as a popu-
list, they caricature and distort the
other democratic leaders so as to
lessen their influence, that the people
may be led where they would not.
1t is not the money question that
they fear except they want to continue
the system they have set up and pre-
serve the millions they have wrung
from the people, democrats and re-
publicans alike, by controlling legisla-
lures, state and national, to pass laws
hat have allowed them monopoliess
and privileges over and above heir fell
lows. They see that if the people rule
their days are numbered and the re-
distribution of wealth will begin and
go forward with a rapid pace, almost
amounting to a revolution. The reor-
ga~nization talk is from those who hope
to see the democratic party controlled
by the same noxious influences that
have the republican party by the
| throat, the trusts, the corporations
and the m~onopolies. This will not be.
Democracy is anti-monopoly and can
not be otherwise; it has always been
so, unless when once or twice 1t has
been betrayed, and then how quickly
it reorganized, and would do so again.
The democratic party cannot become
less radical to suit a small minority;
indeed, to be vigorous it must include
in it's platform the reforms that h
people are crying for or it would net
be democracy.
The crusade of Tom johnson in Ohio
for equal taxation expresses one of the
fundamental principles of the party
EQUALITY u ali dldCl II law ohat ~
railroads, the corporations and the
rich and powerful must pay their share
of taxation, which under the long
reign of the republicans they have
been allowed to dodge, thus adding to
the burdens of the great majority OF
the people. Plutocracy, aristocracy,
imperialism and militarism cannot ex-
ist where democracy is in power.
All the signs of the times point to
a great reaction towards democracy,
because the people are waking up to
the fact that the democratic party is
! sincere and earnest in the reforms tina
must prevail. or the rule OF the people
would be a sham, as it is fast becom-
ing under republicans with imperial
ism, strong central government and
organized wealth. The Signs of their
decadence are multiplying, the unrest
of labor, the scandals and rascalty irr
all departments of the government
the breakdown of protection, all show
that this republican orgy has reached
its climax and the day of the people
draweth near.