Lexington weekly intelligencer., 1884-10-04
SLANDERING THE STATE.
The Most z,i.grnccsuE COuvcDIioE 81
in the History al Missouri,


in the History az Missouri,
The republican state convention held
at jefferson City was the most disgrace,
tul affair that has ever occurred III the
state. The men who participated III
that convention and gave uttcrancc 10
the language and sentiments expressed
there, have done more to drive away
immigration and bring disgrace upon
the state than all the deeds or iawlcss-
ness which they falsely asserted met
with the sympathy of its people. The
following account of the outrage upon
tho state and people is taken from the
Post-Dispatch:
''Thus ended the most disgraccful
convention in the history OF Missouri.
Not disgraccful because of its orgies,
tor of orgies there were none. They
| would have afforded an apology i'll
some degree had they existed. Not
| disgraceful because OF its disorder or
| turbulence, for except on one brief oc
casion, it was exceedingly orderly and
its business smoothly transacted. Not
| disgracctul because OF any large hood
lum clement i'll its composition, because
hOodllums were conspicuously absent.
But it was disgraceini because of The
fact, that, while composed OF nen who
hold their heads high in the comlauni-
ty, and who represent large business
interests, it was guilty OF action and
expression as far at variance with good
citizenship as it could be without cross
ing the line of crime. Great as has
been the mischief done to Missouri by
the James gang, and by the persistent
assaults on her good name published
broadcast for years by the organs of the
republican party, the general p,,blica-
ton OF verbatim report OF Yesterdays
convention would rcsuitin mischief ten
fold more serious. Were the common
wealth in state of civil war, and We're
the men who met as a deliberative body
yesterday to have been animated by AL
the passions winch such a war engcn-
dcrs, difficulty would have been found
in apologizing for the course taken.
But when the tranquility of perfect
peace is over all her territory, when
her people are enjoying the prosperity
incident to an abundant harvest, when
the rancor of the war is dead, when the
only issue which her voters have been
contemplating is an issue as between
two parties asking to administer the
affairs of her half dozen state Offices
when all these conditions prevail, yes
terday's outburst of vindictiveness, OF
hatred, of slander which the slanderers
knew to be entirely beyond the bounds
ofpolitical license and entirely sustain
ed by fact, falls upon the state like
| thunderbolt from an azure sky. When
the men who participated i'll the pro-
eeedings have had few days time for
reflection there can be no doubt that
they will regret their part in this revo-
lutionary proceeding. When they re-
fleet that they applauded declarations
on the part of their speakers which in
suited u majority of the people Of Mis-
souri, as the people of no state have ever
before been insultcd by All assemblage
of its own citizens III Amorioau poll
tics, they begin to suspect that such
charges would have been uliwise were
the facts ten-fold stronger than they
are that party success is very dearly
purchased when that is the price paid,
and that, after all, possibly there may
be some better method Of converting
voters than by denouncing them III
terms before all the world as guilty OF
the highest crimes against the state.
When they remember how they ap-
plaudcd Judge Wagner in q speech
which was notable uI.y ~, it -svhIc>--
ness Of assertion, ilnputing crimes,
would be no possibility of justification
before q court, they may reflect that
such speech is not the best conmen-
datiOn of a man who once was judge OF
the supreme court and who desires to be
again seated as a member of the tribu
nal to whose absolute impartiality, to
whose tolerance, to whose sound dis
crction and to whose sense OF Justice
such enormous interests of life and
property are yearly committed.
When they remember how they lion
lied and applardcd a glib colored ora
tor, whose political career not u man
among them would vouch for, merely
because he declared that the railroads
of Missouri quickened their time table
| in order to shorten the time to which
the travelling public shall be subjected
to the dangers OF robbery and murder
at the hands of Missouri citizens, they
may question whether, being property
owners themselves, they have proiitcd
any by this little performance Of nest
fouling, knowing, as they all must con-
ccdc they do know, that such state
| ment is UNANIMOUSLY false. They may
| wonder where, after all, is the justitica-
ton for all this, and what is the end
| served, even though men might be
whipped by libel and slander into sup
porting their libclers and slandcrCrs.
| The work begun when, ContCSscdly for
| political effect, aid outside the state,
| the state committee tried and convicted
the people of Mobcrly of being sym
pathizcrs and lioniZcrs of Frank James,
because one of its citizens invited that
worthy to attend the fair there, aud
despite the fact that the evidence was
complete that the community con-
demned tho action most unqualificdty
The action, when referred to III yester-
days convention, provoked iOud cheers
with never thought OF how Il city o.
Missouri had been injured 1T name ano
III commerce. 1t WAS followed by
Chairman Warner inhis opening spocct
wherein the slaGder was extended from
Mobcrly to the entire state, ana tAL
was the cue for Turner, murphy, Way
ncr and all the rest. Party spirit tool
possession of all ,ani wheI (. stripping
invaded the home of Samuc. i. TiIdeu
man who has the respect OF all par
ties, and indulged III fine bit OF hu!no
involving the insinuation that that vca
erable man had been n liar all his life
he was rewarded with great applause
+ from these men who represented III
highest qualities of the republican, part.
, of Missouri and who had oslcn-ib!,
met for calm delibcration Us to how tn
best interests Of the state might b
\ served.
The people of Missouri will hear q
! this later, and for years and ycal- an
years as it comes back from the cu-
and north, where willing cars viii cate
these libcis, backed by the loading II
publicans Of Missouri, and williu
hands Will paraphrasc them into -traug
but effective pictures Of life III tn
"ROhhGr StMto " nHnnr Oil MissnNri.