Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-05-27

Inc immense crowd was supposed 10 |
nearly evenly divided between Emerson an
Judge Thomas, though Judge Emerson
friends insisted they had $50 to 200 majori,
il ballot could have been had.-Register.
The Crystal City Glass Company shut dow
and sent out near 400 of its hands, and til
Il. r. Co. sent some POO of its men, on speci;
free trains, all labeled and working for En-
erson's opponent .''-CrgstGl Mirror.
I will do my opponent the justice t
say that / have no evidence that h
was responsible for these acts; mere
ly mention them as unfortunate an,
unpleasant incidents in the canvass
Certainly was in no way responsible
for the circumstance that laborin!
men generally supported me, though
/ solicited the support of all Demo
Gratis entitled to vote, whatever thei
condition.
| When there was a failure to elec
delegates at the meeting, and it wa
referred to the Townships, which
could see entailed much labor to max,
q canvass, and which my health wa:
not well able to stand, nervous sensi
tiveness always prOstrates me unde
excitement or anXiety,) [ again sug
gested that I would retire from the
race, unless it could be so conducted
as to avoid bitterness, contention anC
strife. I returned home with tha
feeling, and awaited the formal cal
of Col. O'Fallon, the Committeeman, tt
see whether his plans would bring
about q fair and peacable solution by
| the Democrats in Jefferson county.
On the Sth of May / received the
paper containing the call. 1t pre-
scribed the time and the place in each
Township, but did not prescribe thai
| the delegates should be elected by bal
| lot, nor that they should be elected by
| Democrats. Moreover it had changed
the place of holding the elections in
two important Townships, from the
places of holding such meetings, my
friends asserted, to new places, away
from the Township centres, greatly to
my disadvantage.
A leading Democrat at once wrote
me: < "You know that hun
dreds of Republicans and persons not
entitled to vote took part in the
meeting at Hillsboro. They say they
will do so at the Township meetings
They are in the majority in De Soto
and Crystal City, and if allowed, they
will control the result completely, and
it will be Republican, and a corpor-
alton result, and not Democratic
one"
at once wrote Col. O'Fallon, on
May Sth, as follows, (all that is mate
rial to this subject):
cit was my distinct understanding
that the delegates were to be elected
by ballot, as at primary, and the
question of your selecting reliable
Democrats as judges to hold the cleo
want a fair expression of the Demo-
Gratis of the county. The duty de-
wolves upon you to bring such a re-
suit about. To expect it to come about
at mass meetings to be held in such
populOus centres as De Soto, and Crys-
tai City-where thousand men or
more can be easily mustered-a ma
jority Of whom probably are not en-
titled to participate in Democratic
meeting-when so able and experience
ed a man as yourself found it impossi-
bic to bring result out of the mass
meeting the other day at Hillsboro,
would be expecting an unreasonable
thing, especially when the attempt
would have to be made by less ex-
perienced men in the Townships.
''I submit, Dear Col, that the only
fair way, and the only effective way
will be, as was talked over at the time,
for you to appoint good, honest and
true Democrats as judges to hold the
elections by ballot, and that no ballot
be received except from legal Demo-
cratic voters or such as will pledge
themselves to vote the entire Demo-
cratic ticket at the November election.
This would be clean, square deal,
fair and honest. Any other course is
likely to end in farce, in confusion and
disorder. I am anxious for q fair re-
%He,% ,%a Con ,frsfo
should not wish to be a party to strife.
1t seems to me this matter needs your
immediate attention"
This was probably an impertinent
letter-thOugh I intended it as a kind
and friendly one-fOr I received no
answer.
On the 9th of May received two let
ters from prominent Democrats of JET
ferson county, both of the same tenor,
one saying: 1.-THE present arrangement
is sure to result in strife and bitter
at several of the township
There may be even vio-
lence. Under the pressure Of these
and the Republicans
there is sure to be contested delega-
tions, and no one knows how the trou-
BILE will end. A ballot by Democrats
is the only remedy and safety, the on
ly way to get an honest result"
To these, instantly wrote: "I cam
not make myself party to disorder or
violence. If the matter cannot be so
arranged as to secure a fair vote by
ballot, By Democrats, and at places
where such meetings are always held,
then / cannot continue in the canvass.
I entered it with peaceful intentions
to have a clean, dignified affair, one
with the dignity and char
acter of the office, and will not fur
nish money to be used for a canvass In
the political style or for drink. Try to
get vote by ballot, by Democrats, at
the usual places, else L shall not con-
tinue in the race"
NV friends say they tried to have the
change made. 1 waited patiently, do
ing little in the canvass, to hear the
result. was unjustly charged with
being a Knight of Labor candidate.
The hostility growing out of the labor
troubles placed me in an attitude L
never voluntarily chose to occupy
between two classes of citiZens-a po- |
sition exceedingly distateful to me. |
On May 18th published the following
letter in the De Soto W'atchnadn, at the |
seat of the Knight of Labor rouDle, so
that all men might know my true po-
sition:
Editor Wdtchndn-
As MANY unauthorized statements have gone |
out as to nv position on the 1abor troubles, |
will YOU kindly allow me to say-what have |
answered to all inqnirers-.thatI |
am not a Knight of Labor, nor do belong to /
any modern society or orgahlZatloh; that
while sympathize with poor men, working |
men in all conditions, in all their higher aims /
and lawful efforts to better their condition,
and elevate themselves and families, yet |