Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1901-11-07
LETTER from SAM COOK.
Corruption as He Sees Il Respon-
sIhility of the Minority.

Corruption as He Sees l. Respon-
sIhility OF the Minority.
ST. Louis, Nov. THE Republi'
published the following letter yester
day:
To the Editor of the Republic:
jefferson City. No., Nov. I'm YOU
editorial this morning, calling atten
ton to the fact that the democrats il
the last campaign got rid of severa
of their most d~isreptuable members
of the former legislature, you might
have gone further, and, with equa
truth, said that but for the practical
~ unanimous cooperation of the re
publican members of the general as
sembly-both house and senate-witf
the few dishonest members of The
democratic side, the lobby would have
been powerless to have accomplished
anything in this states for years past
/ do not wish to be understood az
saying that the republicans in Mis-
souri, do not elect any honest men tc
the legislature, but l do say, anG
the records of both houses will dis.
close the fact, hat the republican
members have solidly voted and co.
operated from the opening to the
close of these sessions with the cor.
rupt democratic minority.
Anyone at all familiar with political
parties in this state knows hat this
condition has existed for many years
If the republicans would elect the
same percentage of honest men to the
general assembly as do the democrats
the corrupt lobby would promptly GO
out of business.
Equally vicious with the lobby, how
ever, is the s~andbagging member who
undertakes, and too often succeeds, in
levying tribute on legitimate business
interests of the state. The legislature,
of which both Cardwell and Lyons
were members, contained entirely
too many sandbaggers and boodlers,
and the records will show that the
republican members in both house
and senate yotedpractically solid with
the lobby and the sandbaggers.
Both Cardwell and Lyons made rec
ords that were a disgrace to the
party that sent them to the legisla-
ture. Their statements to the effect
that the democratic state committee
received contributions from corpora
tionS with the understanding that
these corporations should be protect.
ed against hostile legislation are alb
solutely and UNANIMOUSLY false.
These men are to-day being used as
willing tools by the chief lobbyist OF
this state for the purpose of electing.
if possible, the corporation candidate.
Col. Richard c. Kerens, to the United
State senate. The attack on the dem
~ocratic state committee and on the
democratic state officers is simply q
part of this scheme.
Before the coming campaign shall
have been begun in this state, II,
real character of these pretended
democrats, who are now having such
ready access to the columns of the
Globe-Democrat, and the real pur-
pose of their pretended anti-lobby
talk, will be well understood all over
Missouri.
For years the Globe-Democrat has
DETAINED its own state, and it is but
natural that it should take under it's
sheltering wing, men who are notori-
Gus boodlers and sangbaggers. So dis
reputable mas it become in it's libelous
assaults on the state administration
that it has become powerless for
either good or harm. Its false, mali
cious charges concerning the manage
ment of our state fiscal affairs have
been both persistent and u~nscrupu-
lous. -.
1t has charged dishonesty and the
criminal misuse of public funds, when
it knew its statements were absolute
~ false. The report of the state au-
ditor and the experts who have with
such great labor and care gone over
the books and accounts of the state
for the past thirty-five a will be
ready for the public in a few days. 1t
newspaper has juggled figures and
lied, in the hopes of damaging a rival
political party.
From a partisan standpoint, it is
gratifying to all democrats that the
Globe-Democrat should continue this
species of warfare. Nothing helps so
greatly to swell democratic maiori-
ties as the libeIous methods of this
old whisky-ring organ. There is an
affinity between this paper and the
boodlers and sandbaggers who are
now having ready access to its col
umns. 1t would rather cooperate
with the sandbaggers of St. Louis
than to uphold the hands of an hon.
est, resolute, clean democratic mayor.
1t prefers % be on confidential rela-
tions with state boodlers and lobby
lists rather than be fair with an hon.
democratic state administration.
If the decent, honest republicans of
Missouri will make half the effort to
send honest men to the legislature
that the democrats have been making
years, and will make in next
years campaign, there will be no
trouble in putting both the libby and
the sandbaggers put of business. Very
truly yours,
SAN B. COOK.