Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-07-14

before such a body, tore the claims OF
the republican prosperity makers to
pieces in a mastery way. Among some
of his leading points we're the following:
This is an appropriate place and time
for a democratic convention.
The place is st. Louis, the chief city
of the most populous state carved out
of the Louisiana territory acquired by
the father Of democracy. The time is
the centennial anniversary celebration
of the acquisition Of that territory, a
vast area of contiguous territory whose
possession was necessary for self-de-
tense and which was fitted in climate and
soil for ~homemaking by the sons n
daughters of the republic-the ami
versary of real and not pseudo expansion
an expansion Of our population, our
industrial life, and our free institutions,
over uninhabited lands, or lands sparse
ly settled by savages, whose tribal in
dependence we recognized by treating
with them, or settled in spots by white
men easily and willingly a~ssimilated;
not a so-called expansion by mere
superimposed force of our flag and our
military authority. The democratic
party afterwards guided the country to
further expansion of this real, free
character in the acquisition of Florida,
the admission of Texas as a state and the
acquisition from Mexico of a magnificent
far west fit to be made states in the union
and governed under the constitution.
The most important quadrennial
event in the world is the election by the
American people of their chief execu-
tive. Before the great election takes
place, at which all men are supposed
to arrive at a choice by ways OF hon.
esty and intelligence-would to God
they did-at least two minor elections
of a different character are held. There
have always been two great parties
which. since the first national political
conventions. have elected delegates to
conventions for the purpose OF select
ing a candidate and promulgating q
platform. One of these parties has gone
through it's party election of delegates
has selected a candidate and announced
a platform. 1t was one of the quietes1
and most unanimous occasions thai
the muses. of history have recorded
Everything seemed to have been fixec
beforehand.
The address of the temporary chair
man of the republican national conven'
ton was, in one sense, historical. Il
dealt much in history at any rate, mos
of it ancient history and a great dea
of it bad history. There was a laboret
argument to prove that the party O
Roosevelt must, by something like evo
%lutionary process, act as the party O.
Lincoln and Mckinley. This was neces
sary in order to disguise the palpabl'
fact that it Is not so acting. Not with
out reason then this labored argumen
by this great and ingenious lawyer. l
was to draw away attention from
R~ooseveltism and its volcanic, eruptiv'
and reckless character, by dwellin,
upon the fact that, at some period o
its history, the republican party ha
been "a party which did things" AM
did them safely. The orator hoped t.
have the country lose sight of the fac
that it is now in both of its legislativ
branches a party of passivity, of non
action, of obstruction to reform an
progress, in a word a party whose OIL
sacred precept is the %shibboleth whicl
maketh them known, one of them t
the other, a shibboleth drawn from tn
gamblers table, stand pat" a precep
born of cowardice and fear to move.
have heard that in October, 1902, MI
Root made a political speech in Coope
Union, New York, in which he used thi
language:
'If a tariff law has on the Who'll
worked we'll, and if business has pros
pered under 1t and is prospecting, it
better to endure some slight %inconver
fences and inequalities for a time tina
to incur the uncertainty and disturbanc
of business which necessarily result
from the process of making change
The mere fact that a different rate {
duty would be better than the rate fixe
in statute does not settle the questio
whether the change should be made no
or should be deferred. Every tart
deals with duties on a vast number
articles and involves a vast number {
interests often conflicting and whenevt
the law is taken up by congress for col
sideration with reference to one chang
every schedule in that law is going
find some one urging a change in tn,
schedule; and all the business interes
of the country are going to be left du'
ing a long continued discussion In
state Of uncertainty as to what will |
the outcome of duties upon the thins
they are producing, and therefore in III
certainty as to what competition fro,
abroad they will be obliged to meet
And I have heard that the president
his political tour through the west,
the spring of 1908, made a speech
which he used this language: "If a ia
if law has on the whole worked we
and If business has p~rospered under
and is prospecting, it may be better
endure some Inconvenience and il
equalities for a time than by makir
changes to risk causing a disturbap,
and perhaps paralysis in the industri
and business of the country. The ia
that the change in a given rate of du'
may be thought desirable does not Sc
tie the question whether 1t is advisa5
to make the change immadiatel
Every tariff deals with duties on tho
sands Of articles arranged in hundre