Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-03-28

Gov. DoCKERY, properly declining to
preside over or take part in q Merri-
weather gathering in st. Louis. says:
..There are few men who have not
at times doubted the wisdom of party
nominations. I have shared this feel
ing, but | have eve undertaken to
override the will of the majority OF
my party when regularly declared
through convention or primary"
Most excellent doctrine where Dem
ocrats and Democratic principles alone
are concerned. But %supposing, through
the manipulation of the machine guar
anteed to further the wishes of the
bosses, regardless of party faith and
party principle. a recognized enemy is
put up for the SURFACES of the rank
and file? This is exactly What has
been done in st. Louis, and there
is no use mincIng words about it. All
the fine words and accepted platitudea
evolved from political history cannot
butter so gross a parsnip. Mr.. Rolla
Wells flew the Democratic track four
wears ago because the common people
in their honest might declared to the
ssfuancial" robbers, ''thus far shalt
thou go, but no farther" He voted fol
Mckinley then, and in 1898 supported
the Republican nominee for Congress:
in his district, and did so openly,
In 19OO-but four short months ago
he again ignored the party dictum 81
sacred to Gov. Dockery. and not only
voted the Republican ticket but gave
up his good money in contribution tt
Mark Hanna's' slush-fund: to defeat thu
party whose members loyalty is nov
demanded to make him the World
Fair Mayor" of ST. Louis at the behes
of Dave Francis-another peach" VIII
saw fit to ignore the will of the part.
which had greatly houored him-wh'
saw more virtue in the word of the rec
reant Stuffed Prophet than in the unit
ed voice of all the Democratic people
Perhaps Mr.. Wells and the fine-haire,
gentlemen having him in charge ma,
succeed in convincing Democrats tina
the virtue of ignoring party dicta i
the one instance becomes a very wick
ed thing when exercised by the unlet
tered throng; yet it seems to the REG
IsTER that not a little gall" is require
in putting such theory into practice
To our limited understanding part
faith can extend no farther than tn
limits of the party; that outside h
party bounds every man Jack of US
free as the wind, which bloweth wher
it listeth; that a Democrat cannc
adopt a privilege for himself and den
it to others; and that the party itse
is better rebuked than furthered in s
palpable a wrong-doing. When
party becomes so poor in virtue an
ability that it is forced to go into th
enemy's camp for leadership and dire
ton, death should quickly follow d
cadence. Is such the status of Il
great Democratic party in this Stat,
The REGISTER will never believe it u
til it has to; and not all the Wells
and Franchises and Haweses and RepaI
Tics that ever were eventuated a CO
vince it that such q deplorable conc
ton now obtains. There is no par
contest in st. Louis spring electi'
this year; the machine has eliminate
party, and the question at issue b
resolved itself into of men. Th
being the case, Lee Merriweather
us is .sas good as the ave of them
and a better Democrat than Rol
Wells, Dave Francis and Ed Butt
combined.