Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-03-01
True and False Democracy.
SABULA, Mo-, Feb. %, 1905

gether and tight for Democracy.
But real Democrats should insist
on being furnished with evidence,
amounting to proof, that the bat
tie is being waged for the true
principles before becoming so en-
thusiastic as to lose their mental
balance. I understand that the
State Central Committee is send
ing out requests to it's subworkers
throughout the State that they, as
part of the campaign work, solicit
subscriptions, at reduced rates, for
the st. Louis Republic. If that pa
per is to be the organ of the party
management; if its teachings are
to be presented and inculcated as
the doctrines of Democracy, how
can any man who cherishes the
true faith give his assent, active or
passive, without disqualification?
What faot in the political history
of Missouri is more certain than
that there does not exist a more
unscrupulous enemy of true De-
mocracy than the st. Louis Re-
public?
I am not we'll posted in the de-
tails of political movements in the
State during the last year; but to
a general observer the evidence is
so strong as to remove doubt that
the present campaign is now in
the hands of the same element that
so successfully-from their view
point-managed that of 1904. 1t
would seem that the people, who
in that campaign permitted them
selves to be worked up to such a
pitch of enthusiasm as to abandon
reason and Judgment in support
of pretended Moses, who was to
lead them out of bondage and
darkness into liberty and light,
should now be willing to endorse
a demand that Mr.. Folk furnish a
bill of particulars of the grounds
on which he bases any claim to
their present or future confidence.
Will he, or some one for him, tell
us, not in glittering generalities,
but in plain, detailed statement,
what he, as chief executive of the
State, either directly or indirectly
has done for the betterment oil
public conditions? He promised,
without reservation or condition
that if elected Governor, he would
put a stop to boodling. Does any
one believe that boodling has been
stopped? He promised to restore
home rule to the large cities. Has
that pledge been kept?
But why point out what he has
not done; let reasoning men in.
sist on knowing what he has &C.
complished in fullfilment of his
numerous and glittering promises
But the movement that placed
Mr.. Folkin the gubernatorial chail
should have fooled nobody. L
was SO obviously inaugurated ant
promoted by the same elemen
that fought the Democracy in 1891
and 1900; that element was 81
unanimous in it's support, that i
should have been perceptible tt
the least thoughtful that it was {
movement in the guise of Democ
racy to place the party machinery
and management in the hands o
the plutocracy. Mr.. Folk wa
made the figure-head of the move
ment simply because he was avail
able and willing. His support o
the Democratic ticket in 1896, tn,
vociferous laudations of his con
duct, by himself, the sensational
press and the More-Holy- Than
Thou element, in prosecuting
few bribe-takers, and alleget
bribe-takers, while shielding tn
respectable" givers and bene
ficiaries of bribes, constituted hi
availability; while his vaultini
ambition procured his assent
That the movement was successful
in perverting the Democracy i
only too apparent.
The former leaders of the Stat
Democracy were guilty of act
WHICH considered did not con
form to the true principles of tn
party. I believe all real Demo
Gratis would have been glad t,
have seen some Of them replaced
by more reliable men. But tn,
chief sin Of those leaders, in tn
eyes of the promoters of the Foil
boom, was that they we're too re-
sponsive to the public will. The,
were not sufficiently respectable
to be entirely subservient to tn,
"business interests" They de-
nandad for their nnlitical exist.