The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1904-12-03
WHY MISSOURI HANGED
Republicans Won Through the Indif-
ference of Democratic
Voters,

Drunk with the joy of q Butler vic
tory, the Globe recently empt1ed this
cornucopia of craziness upon the repub-
lican banquet tables:
"All hail, republican Missouri! 1t is
no longer poor old Missouri, but a state
that stands erect with its face to the
light and marching in company with
New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio
and Indiana. Missouri has cut loose
from bourbonism," ETC., etc.
Yet the fact is, says the st. Louis Re-
public, that the result in Missouri was
o determined by republican, but by
democratic voters; as everybody who
has followed the figures knows. Re
turns, printed in the Globe as well as
in other newspapers. show that demo-
cratic indifference and not republican
gains determined the election. The
democratic voters stayed at home and
permitted the republican voice to speak.
1t was a default; not a defeat.
1t was the fact that democrats would
not accord full support to the national
and state tickets which caused the re-
verses. No sane man doubts that there
were enough loyal democrats in Mis-
souri, to swing the victory, had they so
desired. Missouri is potentially demo-
,ratic by a preponderating majority.
and there isn't a reliable republican au-
thority in the state who will g%ainsay it.
The election went by default, and
nothing else. The democracy which
has held it with ase for a generation
can retake it at will. The very returns
of the election support this proposition.
The result afforded the Missouri re-
publican party, from general down to
the smallest private in the rear rank, the
greatest surprise yer occasioned. The
average republicans eyes the mex day
could have been knocked off with a
stick" 1t will require some time for
the republicans to recover their breath.
But they will not be surprised when
democracy promptly RECEIVERS the state.
That democratic voters should go fish
ing on election day was amazing. That
they will speedily reassert themselves
in full strength is natural and inev-
liable.
Crying "All hail to republican Mis-
souri," is the mere drOol of %doddering
imbecility overtaken by the shock of
the unexpected.
At first the Ananias exponent of poor
old Missouri" was struck dumb. Then
from its obmutesence it fell into a state
of transports and tremens, from which,
doubtless, it will e recover. To
the profound shock of the result in the
state was superadded the intOXication
of a Butler victory in St. Louis-alto-
gether too much for the starved and
emaciated party organ, which had not
tasted victory for so many, many long
years.
What can old Ananias mean when it
.rejoices that Missouri has cut loose
from "bourbonism?" Missouri was
never afflicted with b%ourbons, except
once and that was in the days of the
bourbons and ryes and old crows and
tom gins of the reconstruction days
when the republican party was last in
power. Is Ananias ironical? Does it
mean that in reality we have come
again into the thrall of the b%ourbons?
To be sure, the imperialism and ring re-
pu%blicanism of to-day do smack of the
old federal gang rule which was the
h%igh-proof and only genuine blown-in-
the-bottle bourbonism ever enjoyed by
Missouri.
To toast the feast tables with "All
hail, republican Missouri" is the sheerest
delirium in old Ananias. The old
cracked voice that has carped so long
has a crazy ring-an uncanny ring like
the SONG of a senile swan; and like that
song it bears the suggestion of dissolu-
ton. Sing, Ananias; sing once. There
will never be another opportunity. Mis-
souri,, so sure as the sun continues to
rise and set, will return to the demo-
cratic power which has defaulted, and
republicanism's short dream will be at
an end.