Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-11-05

Our Washington Correspondence.

Our Washington Correspondence.
The coming fall elections are
important as showing the drift of
public opinion on political issues,
and especially how the voters of
the States in which elections are
held view the erratic course of the
Republican Administration. If
the Republicans hold their own, it
must be taken for granted that the
majority of the voters of the United
States are satisfied to continue
the extortion of the trusts through
the protective tariff and the con-
tinued high prices of the cost of
living. By endorsing the Repub-
licans, the voters will sanction the
program that the leaders of their
party have agreed upon, of allow
ing Congress to take no action
other than to pass the appropria-
ton bills and adjourn at the earliest
day practicable.
That would mean the transconti-
mental railroads have sufficient in
| fluence with the Republican lead
ears to prevent the building of the
Panama or Nicaragua Canal; that
no action will be taken upon
treaties which President Mckinley
so ardently wished to see ratified,
to ward off the inevitable reform
of the tariff, which he foresaw
must come unless some relief from
monopoly was granted; that the
much-agitated labor legislation is
again to be postponed, and that
the promises made in the Repub-
lican platform are again to be
broken; that no investigation of
the frauds in the departments is to
be undertaken; that the financial
Legislation that has been declared
so necessary to prevent a panic
will not be attempted, and that
Secretary Shaw can continue to
loan the surplus, without interest,
to favored banks and continue to
|
disobey the law for the protection
Of the United States by receiving
doubtful security in place of United
States bonds, which the law
lplainly commands. Why is this
Republican Administration afraid
to legislate on these and other
matters? Being in league with the
trusts and combines, they dare not
legislate against them. They fear
the people.
| If the Democrats show gains in
the elections this fall, it will in
dicate that the voters are deter
mined to turn out the Republicans,
with their numerous scandals, and
Iinaugurate the reform that is so
necessary for the public welfare.
"Equal rights to all and special
privileges to none" is the Demo-
cratic slogan, and as the voters are
beginning to see that trust pros
lperity means the piling up of
millions in the pockets of the
favored few and no fair share to
the many, it is only reasonable to
expect the voters will demand a
change in political conditions.
That the Republican leaders are
frightened to the point of despera-
ton is plain enough or President
Roosevelt would not have author
lied the speaking members of his
Cabinet to take the stump for
Hanna in Ohio and to bolster up
the rotten Lodge machine in
| Massachusetts, and to aid the dis
reputable crew in Kentucky that
call themselves the Republican
party in that State.
The disagreement between Russia
and Japan and the utter break
down of the much-heralded "open
door" in Manchuria has alarmed
the export merchants of the United
States, and they have sounded a
note of warning to President Roose.
velt and the Republican leaders,
that instead of aiding the enlarge
ment of our business in Asia, they
have virtually closed the door that
was at least partly open. That
Russia will ever withdraw from
Manchuria is not within the realm
of probability; she owns the rail-