Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-01-21

uecellIul party press, the lOrceS VI ne
p~ublicanism in this city we're a des-
perate foe. The daily Democratic and
independent newspapers boldly charged
that corruption existed and called upon
Republican officials to unearth and
punish it. The scandals connected
with the North and South bill, and
other legislative steals, were discussed
at great length by tie newspapers at
the time of their passage.
But despite the protest of the press
and the demonstrations of citizens
with ropes, the scoundrels in Office
boldly continued their robberies. An
afternoon independent paper went SO
far in its assaults upon the legislation
then pending that it practically re-
ceived a rebuff from a Republican
judge upon the criminal bench because
of its demands for an investigation.
Yet nothing vas done, the steal went
through, the gang grew fat and the
people lost pride.
The remedy for this condition of
affairs was applied at the polls in the
election of 1900 by the selection Of
honest, strong and competent Demo-
cratic officials to expose and punish
this rascality. The Democratic party,
in convention assembled, in it's plat
form charged that corruption did exist
and pledged the party's candidates to
the work of disclosing and furnishing
the thieves. 1t selected men to perform
this especial work, and in every pre-
cinct, in every ward, in the City of st.
Louis, Democratic speakers promised
that If their candidates were elected
they would faithfully carry out the con
vention's platform pledges.
The officer upon whom would fall
the especial work of conducting the in
vestlgations by grand juries had the
pledge made for him, not by himself,
but by the Democratic party, that he
would undertake this work. If he had
failed to do so, he would have violated
the pledge of the convention and the
promises of his Democratic supporters.
For twelve years prior to the cleo
ton of the present circuit attorney that
Office had been held by a Republican.
1t was not the circuit attorneys Office
which exposed rascallty, but the Demo-
cratic party, working through the cir
cult attorneys office, which performed
the work. 1t was the Democratic VIC
tory in 1900 which gave to the City of
st. Louis good government, and not
n of it's agents. Without the assist
ance of the Jefferson Club the City of
st. Louis would still be under Re1ub-
llcan mis-rule, and q Republican cir
cult attorney would now be filling the
place occupied by the present incum-
bent. If he has at any time or from
any source been requested to pursue
any other course than that to which
he was pledged by the party that put
him into office, he owes it not only to
the Democracy but to the general pub-
lie to nane the nan and state the re-
quest.
1t took many days of hard work, it
took many nights devoted to speaking,
1t took great energy and the suffering
of much abuse, to elect our ticket, and
for a beneficiary now to join in with
and lead the Republican press in it's
Islander and abuse Of the Democracy
and it's leaders is objectionable.
ENDORSED from power, the thieves
quarrelled among themselves. Their
quarrels produced evidence. Acting
under the direction of the platform
which nominated him, and carrying out
the promises made for him to the peo-
pie by Democratic speakers and Demo-
cratic newspapers, the circuit attorney
presented the evidence furnished him
to the grand jury, indictments were Sc
cured, and then ordinations and re-
ordinations of the indicted brought
out the whole sad story of dishonesty
in official life which had been going on
for SO many years in st. Louis.
Shocked and appalled, at their oase
betrayal by public servants, our citi-
zens grew indignant. Enormous sums
Of money were raised to assist the
prosecutor in his work. Newspapers
We'd with each other in searching out
and retailing at great length the dis
closures which came each day.
Concentrations, congratulations and
loving cups followed each other in
quick succession to the house of The
Democratic official who had been Sc
lected by his party to do this work.
AS the rascals became more frightened
at the general popular indignation, they
began to inform on one another until
each day was thrownin into the lap of the
astonished circuit attorney some new
story of crime. The pulpits Numbered,
the press issued extra editions. the
picture fiend was busy, the people were
aroused, and from all hands ana from
every source, except from those Grim
inals Immediately under fire, zane
quick and ready assistance to the
officers of the law.
Those caught in the meshes of the
law belonged to merbers of both par
ties. That the major portion of them
were Republicans does not IN the
leastwise eXcus their Democratic
associates in crime. The one bald .act,
however, that stands out c~onspicu-
ously above the rest IS, that all Ibis
rascality existed and was perpetrated
under a Republican administration, and
that its exposure and punishment were
due primarily to the election of the
Domooratic tickat in tb., , lam