Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-09-04
Democracy and Its Mission.

Some men seem to think that De-
mocracy has no meaning or purpose
except to get offices for few rich men
who have exhausted the prime and
manhood of their lives in accumulat-
ing filthy lucre. They seem to think
that the business of the rich man is to
hold Office in his superannuated years
for social and ornamental purposes,
and in his effort to secure the orna-
ment he should distribute a few $40
bills, or few 800 bills, and here and
there check for 500 or more among
three, or four, or five ring politicians
in each county seat. Each State is in
tested with few such rich Democrats,
who have no conception of Democracy
except as it promises immediate re-
turns to crafty the vanity of the
would-be rich office-holder, and i'm
mediate cash to the machine politicians
who have no other occupation and no
visible means of support.
Let us get into the midst of things.
Why nibble constantly at the edges?
Why not have plain understanding?
Why not recognize that Jeffersonian
Democracy means "equal and exact
justice to all and special privileges to
none" Why not recognize at the out
get that Abraham Lincoln was a good
Jeffersonian Democrat when he said:
81 believe this country with its insti-
tutions ought to belong to the people
who lnhabit it," What would Lincoln
mean by such an expression as that
to-dayp What would Lincoln mean
to-day if he were to speak OF "a gov
ernment of the people, by the people
and for the peopleP" if he did not
mean governmental ownership of a
postal telegraph, if be did not mean
public ownership of public utilities, II
he did not mean initiative and refer
endum, if he did not mean that the
trust-made commodities should be put
ON the free list, if he did not mean that
on the money question the people
should govern the banks rather than
that the banks should govern the
people?
There is entirely too much talk
about the candidate for President in
1904; entirely too much editorial space
and news space wasted by the differ
ent machine politicians in their efforts
to select Presidential candidate who
will do the bidding of Wall street al
ways and of the people never. 1t is
all misdirected effort.
The Democratic Democrats are a
class of men who believe that a great
political party ought to do something.
And now what do these editors who
are harping about harmony propose to
do? Do they propose to place in the
White House an executive, and in the
capitol Congress that will hear no
other voice except that of the masses,
or do they propose to put there men
who shall be the tools of the privileged
classesp There is no other question
before the Democratic Democracy.
This is no time to consult those who
established Hannaism in the land.
This is no time TO confer with men
who betrayed the Democratic party
when there was an opportunity to
place Mr.. Bryan in the White House
and install a genuine peoples govern
ment in the national capital. Let US
devote our time and our energy to a
discussion of the needs of the people
and to the legislation which will rem
edy the evils of the day and bring this
government back to the time-honored
ideals under which it developed not
only the number of its people, but the
moral worth and the moral purpose of
every man, woman and child whose
eyes looked up to the stars and stripes
for inspiration, Columbus (O.) Press.