Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-10-11
A Word With You, Benny!

From out that pool of falsehood,
the Enterprise, in whose depths you
Turk with your daughters skirts as
a shield between your individu-
atty and the accusing light of
day, I fish the following:
We are sorry for the Ozark Ban
ner. They have been the tool for
the ring, and continue to hold their
own. They we're paid to come
here two years ago to print the
official ballot. They got $50 for
the work and the REGISTER got
about $3.50, the balance for the
work. Mr.. Thornton, editor at
that time, did it for the eason that
he was in need of bread. Was he
now living he would spurn with
contempt the assurances that are
now being put forth in the name
of the Banner. He was too manly
a man to have tolerated such
bigotry. We are sorry that his
wife will drag so noble a name in
the dirt and filth which she knows
belongs to the ring, and to it alone
and to her we would say, arise
with the spirit of your departed
husband, and say with him,
"render unto Caesar the things
that are Caesars, and to God the
things that are Gods.
You and the Republican ''ring"
behind you are indeed very tender
of the memory of Mr.. Thornton
and extremely solicitous for the
welfare and good name of her who
is left to battle alone with the
world. So tender, SO solicitous,
that, in order to prevent the con-
summation of the wickedness you
so deplore-the printing of the
ballot in the Banner-she was even
offered the munificent sum of fifty
dollars for her plant, and, when she
refused, was notified to look out
for another dwelling-that the one
she then occupied was needed"
Could tender gearing for the re-
pose of the dead and the welfare
of the living go further? Oh, what
a seraphic band is the Republican
s'ring" of Iron county, and at it's
head Bonny Benny, the Archangel!
OF course when Jesse Hawkins
butted in and assisted the widow
in her desire to continue her pa
per, even going SO far as to guar
antee the rent to the owner of
another building, thereby aiding
her in her wicked scheme of con-
tinuing in her vocation as pub
Usher, he was guilty of the I'M
forgivable sin; hence, you have
righteously scored him and heaped
maledictions upon his unregener-
ate head. For this | commend you,
but you ought not let over-zeal
u away with your discretion.
Now, zeal is a fine horse, and will
carry you a long and arduous
journey and land you safe at it's
end; but over-zeal is much of the
nature of an unbroken broncho:
he will rush you along with the
speed of the wind, but alas! pres
emily he "bucks" and where are
you? The two chief aids to over
zeal are lying and malice, and
these are liable to bring shame
and trouble to him who employs
them, unless he uses them Judi
ciously and with great care. 1
fear you have allowed this over
zeal to SO grow upon you with the
passing of the years that honest
discretion has deserted you.
A citizen of Crawford county
said to me, in casual conversation,
a couple of years ago, that "Ben
Reagan would ride twenty miles
to start a lie upon some Democrat,
and do it SO sneakingly that it was
almost impossible to trace the lie
to its source" Now, who, un-
prepared, would believe such a
story as that? l didn't; but it
was recalled to me when you told
Jesse Hawkins that certain vene-
nous assertions published in the
Enterprise had been "handed in as a
news item," and that the article
had been printed as such. You see
you were trying to hide behind
some unknown, irresponsible
party. In this instance you were
willing to scatter the incrimina-
tions broadcast, but wanted to
shirkthe responsibility, just as the
aforesaid Crawford county citizen
said you would start a tale ovel
there and strive to conceal its
authorship.
You have accused the county
court Of corruption, without one
iota Of evidence in support Of you
accusation.
You have said, to give force Il
certain dirty fings you have mad,