Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1908-09-04
HEARST BATS THE
IRO0UOIS CLUB


inent democratic organization of
the state-and by request. Just be-
fore leaving San Francisco for New
ork Monday evening he addressed
the club. rendering his formal re-
siguation from that body, and his
address il. so full of clever, biting
sarcasm tnat we deem it worthy of
reproduction. Incidentally, and ex-
planatory, Hearst had sent the club a
check for "a, being his yearly dues.
The check was returned to him with
the notice that the club did not con-
slider him a democrat. His reply to
the letter was as follows:
''ro the lroquois Association, San
Francisco, Gal. -Geutlemen: ] re-
revived your letter with both pleasure
and surprise. | was surprised to
know that Mr. Bogart was sending S4
dues to your organization, but pleas
ed to learn of it, as 1 am exceedingly
ready to stop that | was pleased and
surprised. too, to learn that the
lroquois club was stlll in existence,
for | thought that it had died the
death and had been peacefully buried
along with the last remnants of the
defunct democratic party of Cali
fornia
''But since the lroquois Club still
in way exists, | am glad to resign
from it. and the situation suggested
in your letter seems sufficient reason
for me.
"You imply that am not demo-
erat, and strongly suspect that | am
not, according to the democratic
standards of today. l worked hard
for the democratic party at one time,
and contributed many thousands of
81 checks, and cheerfully suffered
much abuse and much injury for the
democratic party; but ! believed in
it then and | don't now.
"You imply, furthermore, that you
are democrats, and | cannot help
wondering what kind of democrats
you think you are. Are you 1892 de-
mocrats, or 1896 democrats, or 1900
democrats, or 1904 dem ocrats, or 1908
democrats? Are you Cleveland demo-
Gratis, believing in the tariff reform
that we didn't get, and the military
suppression of labor unions that we
did get? Are you Parker democrats,
supporting the trusts II they contri-
butte and opposing them if they don t?
Are you Bryan democrats, believing
in tree silver some times, and In
government ownership some times,
and in the initiative and referendum
some times? And if you are Bryan
democrats and believe in these things
do you also believe in Bryan plat
form that contains none of these
things?
dear friends and brothers of the
Iriquois Club, you all remember how
the democracy of free silver was
taught you and how you got intensely
excited over it, and cheered for it
and marched for it, and then were
informed that free silver was not true
democracy after all, but that public
ownership was. Then you remem Der
how you threw your hats in the air
over public ownership and worked up
an almost hystericai enthusiasm for
1t. and then we're Informed thai this
wasn't true democracy either, but
that the initiative and referendum
we're. Then you came nobly TO the
front again and affirmed undying de-
votion to the everlasting principles OF
the initiative and referendum; but
now you have platform in which
there is no free silver, in which there
is no public ownership, in which
there is no initiative or referendum,
and still you are informed by the
old DIR. Gringle Of democracy that
only that platform with the owners
trademark pasted on the front and
the owners name blown in the bottle
is genuine democracy. and that if
you don't subscribe to that you will
be read out OF the democratic party.
"Friends and eXbrothers of the
Iroquois Club, there is no democratic
party; there is only Bryan party,
and the followers Of that party don't
know when they go to bed at night
what they will be called upon to be-
lieve when they waBe up in the morn
ing.
'Once there was a man who had an
old carving knife which he said had
been handed down to him from his