Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-05-27
THE JEFFERSON CITY CONVENTION.

Now that the delegates have been Sc
lected to the state convention. it IS wei
to reflect upon what will be he duties
devolving upon them. There are several
democratic papers in the state which, IN
the advocacy of their views on the finance
question, lose sight Of all other issues
and so far forget their duty to the party
and to the country as to descend to abuse
and misrepresentation Of Appointment car
didates for the presidency. These pa
pers nave their following, and knowing
themselves to be unsupported by the
mass of democratic voters in the state,
will try the harder to lobby their ideas
through the jefferson City convention.
While there can be No doubt that a ma
iority of the democrats of Missouri are
opposed to the Sherman resumption law,
still, it must be borne in mind that they
are more opposed to a rupture OF the
party on the money question. We have
so often stated our views in regard to
this matter that it is scarcely necessary
to repeat them now but to avoid mis-
apprehension, we will do so briefly. We
are opposed to forced imitation; we are
opposed to forced contraction; we are
opposedt to withdrawing national treasury
notes from circulation; we are opposed
to spch legislation as practically to keep
gold from being a circulating medium;
we favor a treasury note receivable by
the government for all dues; we favor
the substitution of such treasury notes
for the national bank circulation; and,
without wishing to appear to be dogmatic
in an assertion of opinion, we believe
that, despite all that can be done to pre-
vent it, congress will be compelled at no
distant day,to pass laws in conformity to
these ideas. We willnot now discuss why.
Notwithstanding that these are u
opinions, we say to the delegates who
have been chosen from Lafayette county,
that the selection of a proper standard
bearer at St. Louis should not be made
to turn upon this question alone. We
do not believe in the policy which Mr..
Greeley followed upon the tariff question
when he ran for president, i. e. to rele-
gate the matter to the congressional dis
tricts. This would really be the proper
thing to do if both the republican and
democratic conventions could be pur-
suaded to agree upon it but this ofcourse
can not he done, and it therefore becomes
imperatively necessary for the democratic
convention, It St. Louis, to declare it's
self fully, plainly and emphatically. 1t
has been demonstrated, beyond the shad-
ow of a doubt, that anything that can be
twisted into meaning initiation will invite
certain defeat; on the other hand a very
large number of people in the country
dread contraction of the currency, think
resumption o specie payments impracti-
cable, and that the attempt we uld bring
disaster. We believe that these various
opinions may be reconciled, and think
that they should be. The very difficulty
of %harmonizing on this point indicates
that the duty of the Jefferson City con-
vention will be to select the very best
citizens of the state for delegates to the
national convention, and let them 60
there uninstructed. We want no ira
ding politicians for delegates. We
want men without stain or blemish men
of a high order OF intellect, and upon
whose fair name there never has been
whispered a word of reproach. Let these
gentlemen then go into the national con-
vention. compare opinions with the del
egates from various parts of the country,
weigh the availability Of the candidates,
while they require an honest man. and
vote for the man whom they think will
most certainly gain a victory at the polls
whether it be Hendricks, or Bayard,
or Tilden, or Allen, or Thurman; and
then name a vice-president from IL of
the presidential candidates-we want no
clark h~orses'in this race. We know that
insiduous enemies are at work, endeav-
oring to foment discord, and we wish to
place our delegates on their guard. A
lying circular is being extensively mail
ell over the country, which contains this
language:
".Halfthe delegates to the National Democratic
convention, called to meet June 9th, in the city
of st. Louis, will go there TO sell. and the other
b rf to buy; the people are already betrayed-the
issue ia inevitable and let 1t come ut ONCE .
This is a device of the enemy to scare
the delegates into an ultra %greenback
policy. 1t is a liz upon its face .as, so far,
the delegates who have been selected are
good and true men. Let Missouri, there.
fore. see that no man who has had a sus-
picion cast upon his character is accred-
tied as a delegate to that convention. La
fayette county will look to her able dele,
cation to take nc mean part toward secu'
ring this object. The finance question is
one ofimmense Importance to the country
but the question of reform in the civil
service, is of greater moment. With TIT
best financial laws conceivable to man,
and q rotten and corrupt civil service,
such rs we NOW have. there could be nc
prosperity. Let ever, thing be done tc
secure reform and purity OF admins