Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-10-07
COUNTY COLLECTOR.

We wish to say a few plain words to
the democrats Of Lafayette county in re-
gard to the contest over the collectors
office. We all know that with a united
party, our success is certain in every
particular. With division in our ranks.
our defeat IS only a question OF time.
Nothing can justify democrats in break
ing off in an independent movement. and
thus cause a division in the party, short
of the gravest considerations, amounting
to an insurmountable objection to the
action of the party or to the candidates
presented by it for their suffrages. Be-
fore any man who IS a democrat from
principle, and who loves his country,
takes a step so hazardous, he should
coolly and calmly investigate the matters
complained of, and count the cost of the
proposed remedy. In such invsstiga-
lion every presumption should be in
favor OF the fairness and honesty of the
action of the authorized agents of the
party.
IL is bad enough when our enemies
carp and complain and manifest a hyper
critical disposition by magniiying every
trivial objection, and sighting and
sneering at all that is ~commendable but
when u friends-those Of our own
household-seize upon the same wea-
pons and turn them upon their own kim
dred. the case becomes a deplorable one
indeed.
Let us see if the circumstances Justify
DR.. Fulkerson and his friends in their
action. The doctor claims that there was
fraud practiced in the convention which
nominated capt. Lesueur, and that had ev-
erythlng been conducted fairly and hon.
sstly, he (Fulkerson) would have re-
ceived the nomination and he specifies:
first, that the Sni-a-bar delegation was
instructed for him, but that halt the
delegation voted for Lesueur; second,
that by the rules of the convention the
chairman of the delegation had the sole
right to cast the vote of the delegation,
but that Mr.. Bledsoe, who was not the
chairman of his delegation, insisted on
casting his own and Carmichael's vote
for Lesueur, because the chairman re-
fused to announce 1t.
This is a plain, full and succinct state
ment of the whole matter.
With regard to the first charge. our
readers will remember the card of
Messrs. Bledsoe and Carmichael. pub
1ished in our last issue but one, wherein
it was proven that there were no in
structions, technically speaking. al
though it is admitted that the vote on
preference OF candidates, SO far as it
went, was largely in favor of DR.. Full
kerson. The proceedings of the meet
ing there show that althougha consider
able majority of those present expressed
p preference for Fulkerson, yet they re-
fused 20 instruct for him or any one else
by a vote of u to 4s. So to put the case
in as favorable alight to the doctor as the
facts will justify, we may sum the whole
matter up thus: DR.. Fulkerson failed to
receive Two votes from Sni-a-bar, al
though entitled to them on the basis OF
q majority representation, and had he
received them he would have been the
nominee. Now Capt. Lesueur claims.
and we have every reason to believe 1t
to be the case, thathe failed to receive four
rotos from, Mid1loton IN &ho h,,;, So
majority representation, and had he re-
ceived them he would still have been
nominated, even though DR.. Fulkerson
had received the whole of the Sni-a-bar
vote. So it will be seen that there are
two sides to this vexed question.
DR.. F. and his friends seem to have
but one idea seem to be blind to every
other sight but that Of the two delegates
from Sni-a-bar voting for Lesueur.
With regard to the second charge, it
is too ridiculous to consider. We suppose
if chairman OF a delegation should re-
fuse to cast the vote at all, that, accord
ing to the doctor, that delegation would be
without a remedy. The chairman of the
Sni-a-bar delegation had no control over
the votes of the delegates. 1t was his duty
to nounc the votes as the delegates
gave them to him. When he refused to
do so, the delegates had no other rene
dy than to them for themselves,
With any other Interpretation, there
would be no use of any but the chair
men of the different delegations attend
ing the convention.
Now it seems to US that any reason.