The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1922-05-26
Long Visits st.
Francois County

A delegation from Pennington met
Hon. Breckenridge Long in Frederick
town last Friday afternoon, where Mr..
Long addressed a crowd that COM
pletely filled the commodious circuit
court room. Mr.. Long accompanied
the delegation to this city, where a
brief stop was made before proceed
ing to Bonnie Terre, where he had
been adversited to speak that night.
When 1t was found, however, that the
commencement exercises Of the pub
lie schools were to be held that eve
ming, Mr.. Long asked to be excused
from speaking, as It was not his de-
sire or intention to run an opposing
attraction to the school program, in
which everyone was deeply interested.
He therefore spent the evening in
the Commercial hotel lobby, where
many called during the evening to
shake hands and talk with him. The
next morning he was taken in charge
by j. d. Poston, who escorted him
through the business district and in
troduced him to many citizens Of that
community. About 10 o'clock Satur-
day morning he was taken TO Lead
wood on hurried trip, where he
spent a short time in meeting all the
people 1t was possible to see during
his brief stay. Then back to Desloge,
where another short stop was made,
and then back to Pennington, where
Judge Huck recessed court, for an
hour-and-a-half out of respect to Mr..
Long and to give those in attendance
at court, as well as those who had
gathered to hear this Democratic can
didate for the S. s. Senate, an oppor-
tunity to hear him speak.
7. n. Fisher presented Mr.. Long in
an euiogistic manner, speaking of the
splendid work he had performed for
the good of the party during term
of years. When the speaker arose he
was greeted with much applause, and
he Immediately launched into strong
indictment of the Republican party
for its many sins, both Of ommission
and commission, both nationally and
regarding State affairs. He stated
that the most appalling aspect Of the
Harding administration is not the
scandals which have come out in re-
cent days, as such things are to be
expected whenever party follows
the odious channels of machine dom
ination. By far the most alarming
manifestation of G. o. P. incompe-
tency is the fact that not one spark of
originality has excused the Harding
regime, he said. The Republican par
ty has not enacted single construc-
tive bit of legislation, he declared and
continued:
Il is an sftSce Chair and large
pauneh and black cigar sort of gov
.ernment pledged to go into office and
do something to support its promises.
We have seen no evidence that the
Republicans intend to do anything
but retrace the elephants trail
through the jungles of party politics.
The moral fibre of the Republican ad-
ministration is certainly fiabby. It's
industry can well be commented upon
by an analysis Of everything Congress
has done since a Republican majority
was returned. And as for the vision
evinced by G. o. P. leaders, their eye
sight is blurred by proximity to the
edge of the public trough. The dis
armament program was the poorest
sort of excuse for what the plan they
wrecked might have accomplished.
However, in this one instance, by fol-
lowing Democratic principles as best
they could, they did manage to get
across something passable. If they
turned in the lack of plan of their
own to execution of the Democratic
1920 platform, we might be saved our
complete disillusionment, but they
won't.
The G. 0. P. has settled back into
the old conservative mold and its
leaders line of thought cannot stray
into fresh and really constructive en-
vironments of reasoning. Wherever
you epitomize in a party all the re-
dictionary tendencies which sent Hard
ing into office you may be sure that
no Republican doctrine will ever awak-
en- admiration for its original bril-
lance they began with negation and
are ending with stagnation. The pub
lie was amazed and resentful over the
recent clothesline of Republican lin
en-, but anyone who knows the G. O.
P. reactionary realizes that his fam
lily wash is beautifully clean as COM
pared with the inside of his house.
"Dirty politics is merely the express
sion of do-nothing policies. Unless a
government goes into office with
some idealistic plan it slumps into the
purely bilious hackneyed state of ex-
pedient action SO characteristic of
Newberryism, Goldsteinism and Pen
roseism. People used to be satisfied
with that sort of thing, but the
American public is more critical now.
The world as a whole is calling us on
ward and we grow impatient with Re-
publican defenses of reeking appoint
ments. Likewise the doctrices Of 1776,
no matter how beautifully phrased,
weary us somewhat because we know
the men who framed them would
change as the world has changed. Is
olatiOn cannot be glorified by oratory.
The Democratic party does not care
to stand alone.