Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-11-13
SHALL He BE READ OUT.
From the st. Louis Republican,

From the st. Louis Republican, ..
In approaching a delicate and impor.
tant subject, we are free TO premise
that we have on file and briefed
for reference numerous communications
from the democrats of western Mis-
souri,, calling on us to perform wha
seems to be regarded as Our imperative
duty.
In fine, TO read DR.. Morrison Mum
ford, the fair aud 1owing-haired
Achilles OF the Kansas City Times,
out of the democratic party.
The indictment against him is
''treachery'and the counts are various,
o-wit:-
|. Being a disappointed candidate
for Il congressional nomination.
ii. Refusing to support his success
ful competitor.
III. Suiking during the entire cam
paign.
". Lending aid and comfort to the
enemy. said enemy being the Hon.
VIM. Warner. republican nominee tor
congress in the fifth district.
V. Conniving ut the suspension OF
Col. NJ. Il Benton, and being an ac-
complete thereto, at least after the fact,
to the comfort of republicans and the
confusion OF all good democrats.
VI. Being moved thereto by the
devil and a desire to have Judge
Philips defeated.
VII. Rejoicing at the suspension OF
Col. Benton because said Benton
made a speech IN favor of Col. Philips,
democrat, rather than in support of
Warner, republican.
VIII. Gloating over the election of
Warner.
TX Aspiring to redeem the district
in 1888 by supporting himself as nomi-
nee.
That the public may gain some idea
of the urgency of the call upon us to
pass sentence upon him we select a
sample communication from Higgins
vile, dated November 9, and extract
from it briefly
"This craven sheet 1.-THE Times) has
drawn its ~sustenance from, and has
lived by, the generosity of the party.
and especially the democrats of the
fifth district. 1t has asked for the sup
port of the party. Now then, we ask:
Has the Times any excuse for the poll
cy it has pursued? Can it say Il
thing in eXtenuation of its ~falseness to
the party?
The whole district knows why it
has turned a cold shoulder to Judge
Philips, and condemns it as base, IN
grateful and uudemocratic. To vent a
petty jealousy; 10 revenge itself upon
the party which has supported it, but
which though Judge Philips was q
nan better fitted for the nomination
than DR.. Munford, it has helped to de-
feat the nominee. Then, with an as
surance only born of conceit, it says:
Two years hence we will redeem the
party Does DR.. Munford Intimate
that he will lead the party to victory
and redeem the district in two years.
Is it possible that he imagines for one
moment that the fifth district will tor
give him, and not only forgive him,
standard bearer then? A man who
in the dust Of defeat without SO much
az raising a warning note? Well, if
he does, he is the worst fooled man in
the state"
The communication closes by exhort-
ing the Republican to condemn Num-
ford in unmeasured terms" This we
must positively decline to do. II is not
in accordance with the principles or
traditions of this newspaper to speak
either in Endorsement or condemnation,
except i'll terms carefully measured to
fit the situation.
Beside, reading anyone out of the
democratic party into the outer, tooth
gnashing darkness of republicanism is
a serious business. IL is especially
serious in the case of DR.. Munford,
whom, until recently, we have had
little occasion to suspect Of being less
good than he is beautiful.
We mnst acknowledgment measured
terms-that the weight of evidence is
against him on several of the counts.
On tn ,se relating to the suspension of
Col. Benton, we fear that he is guilty.
There may be a mitigating c.rcum-
stance, however, in the fact that the
Times holds a lucrative Office under
the administration and felt itself oblig-
ed to connive at the suspension for fear
of being Clipped ont"
While truth and justice compel us to
announce him convicted on these
counts, we must, in fairness take the
case under Amusement until we have
heard his defense.
lie may proceed to make it with the
ore confidence Oh the assurance that
the Republican is never rash in reading
anyone ont of the party-that, being
human, we may be, We probably will
be, swayed to the side of mercy by the
maldeniy beauty for which he is not
only remarkable but celebrated. In
fact, he may plead his cause with all
the confidence of a Phryne unwilling
herself before her judges.
Whether he deserves to be read out
or not, we shall proceed only with
great canton. 1t is not an affair for
rashness.