Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-09-11
A BRIEF RETROSPECT.

Gus W tn6 OemOCratlC uOlnllla-
ton of this year and two years ago is,
of course, puerile and no%nsensical."
H~igginsville Post:-"There is not
much analogy between some other
things concerning the democratic NOM
nations of this year and two years
ago. For instance, the Intelligencer
gives Philips an earnest and ungrudg-
ing support this year, but two years
ago it sulked and hung back in its sup
port of Graves; damned him with faint
praise and was no inconsiderable
factor in procuring his defeat. There's
nothing analogous to it this year."
These are falsehoods that we are glad
to see formulated. We have heard of
them, vaguely, but here they are bold
ly presented so that we can take hold
of them and choke the life out of them.
We understand the animus, perfectly
well it is to dissatisfy the Graves men
of two years ago and convince them
that they are under no obligations to
give a hearty support to the democratic
candidate for congress-. 1t won't work.
The party is now united. Graves men
and Wallace men are all Philips men.
That quarrel is dead. 1t annot be re-
surrected. 1t could not be if both of
the principals to it desired it. We are
glad to say that neither of them does.
What are the facts as to this papers
course two years ago? Two democrats
claimed to be nominated by different
portions of one convention. The In
telligencer maintained that neither was
legally chosen. The party sustained
the view of the paper, which was taken
for no other reason than a desire for
the unity Of the party and to vindicate
the truth and a new nomination was re-
quired. In all that we wrote in the con-
troversy there was not one unkind
word of Mr.. Graves. When he was
finally nominated we supported him
with every energy we had. We ap-
pealed to democrats to lay aside all
personal feeling and to vote for him.
The assertion that we chung back" or
"sulked" is a falsehood made out of
whole cloth. We cannot support Col.
Philips more earnestly or ungrudging-
ly than we did Mr.. Graves. Not only
did the Intelligencer earnestly and 10y
ally use every argument it could think
OF to induce the dlsaffected to vote for
him, but its editor, at his own ex-
pense, canvassed the county for Mr..
Graves. If any man more severely ar
raigned Mr.. Warner for the libelous
platform which he presented i'll the
state convention we have failed to hear
of it and we know that no man in the
district made from the stump a stronger
appeal for Mr.. Graves than did the
writer of this article, This fact will
be attested by Judge Xenophon Ryland
and by Hon. c. L. Ewing, who were
with us in the canvass; and we think
we may say, without vanity, that the
canvass We made of the county was
fruitful of votes for Mr.. Graves which
he would not otherwise have received.
No man, not one, voted tor Mr.. War;
per in this county except against our
strongest protest.
If the editor OF the Post has mis-
tskenly made the false charges which
we criticise he should hasten to correct
them, for that they are falsehoods,
by whomsoever fathered, we are ready
to prove. We don't propose to be any
body's scape-goat in this canvass, and
the Post may as well realize it now as
llter on. We have never scratched a
democratic ticket in u lite, though
we have voted for men to whom we
did not speak. There has not been a
canvass in this county since the wal in
which we have not fought in the battle
of democracy against radical republi-
canism. We do not have to hatch out
charges against our newspaper on
temporaries in order to maintain our
claim to party fealty, but we do not
propose, either, to permit anyone, man
or newspaper, to place us in an attitude
which we have never occupied.
The Post cannot galvanize into life
the corpse of the Graves Wallace fight.
!, 1t would do we'll to cease its efforts in
that direction. But if 1t desires to con-
time them let it contine itself to the
truth.