Mexico weekly ledger., 1888-05-17
VEST. CLAY AND COOK.
To the Editor Of tlie Ledger.

Mexrco, No., May 1a.--I see in
the Intelligeaesr of the 7th that Mr..
Cook is not so defiant us he has
been. / am glad to see it. He is
beginning to learn that there are
two sides to every question, and
that if anyone takes the opposite
side to him he has a right to
be heard as well as Mr.. Cook has
on his side. / wrote in the first
article, calling the attention of the
people to the fact that the State
Senator elected in 1888 would be
called upon to elect a successor to
Senator Vest and warned them
that an effort would be made to
defeat Senator Vest, and that they
had better inquire how Col. Clay
stands toward Senator Vests re-
election. I did not intend to say
anything more but the very next
day the Intelligeaeer took it up and
said that Col. Clay would not
pledge himself to vote for any one
three years hence for United States
Senator. I then came to the con-
clusion, from the confident tone of
Mr.. Cook in his paper, that he had
telegraphed to Col. Clay and found
out how he stood towards Senator
Vest, chat could have been easily
done, as I understood that Col.
Clay announced himself by tele-
graph to Mr.. Cook as he spoke
very positively as all who read his
reply to my first will recollect. I
then replied to his first and said
esthat I believed when Col. Clay
saw my article he would at once
acknowledge the rights of the peo-
pie and come out in some unequiv-
ical and positive manner and say
how he stood towards Senator
Vests reelection, friendly or
otherwise. I learn that a copy of
each, the daily LEDGER and daily
Intelligeneer, are daily sent to Col.
Clay In Mississippi, where he has
been residing with his family for
the past five or six months. 1
then thought that would be the last
of it and that Col. Clay would be at
home in a few days and would an
nounce to the people how he stood
towards Senator Vests reelection,
as his most intimate friends were
sayingthat Col. Clay would be at
home in a few days. I claim he
had due notice through the daily
InteHigemcer and LEDGER both that
the Senatorial question was agitat-
ed here. On Friday last, the 9Th
of May, ten days after Col. Clay
had announced himself and after I
had concluded to say no more and
give Col. Clay time to come home
and answer, MI. Cook came out and
used the following language "The
one or two self-constituted leaders
of this town, might as well under
stand, first as last, that no amount
of blow and buster can cause
Green Clay to pledge himself to
vote for any man three years
hence" I will leave it to the
people if there is a word of elbow
and bluster'' in any article / have
written. I made sure then, from
the positive tone of the above
abstract from Mr.. Cooks article,
that as Col. Clay had had time to
see all the correspondence in both
the LEDGER and Inteuigencer con-
corning the Senatorial question
that he Colonel Clay had
authorized Mr.. Cook to speak
for him. Mr.. Cook says in his
last article that he does not pre-.
tend to speak for Col. Clay. AL
well, then, I shall not dispute Mr.
Cooks word. Mr.. Cook says
was discourteous to Col. Clay in
not giving him time to answer.
claim I had given him plenty Of
time. / have given him over ter
days notice, that is a legal notice.
The primary is coming on. The
friends of Senator Vest are in earn.
est. They are not to be put of
and dictated to by those like Mr..
Cook, who are known to be Sena-
tor Vests violent enemies, and who
would do all in their power to de.
feat him in 1891. The friends Of
Senator Vest won't bite at the nice
little bait he throws out in these
words in his article. "The InteHi-
gencer has disapproved of public
acts Of Senator Vest and does
not hesitate to say thsre~a are a
number of distinguished Demo.
assas in Tins State, one of whom is
a citizen of Audrain county, who,
while not so brilliant as Mr.,
Vest, would make Missouri a more
ereditable Senator" That is the
tactics of the opposition to Senator
Vest; is to get as many candidates
out as possible, Zone from each
county if p~ossible,) and then com.
bine against him and defeat him
and thereby take from the people
a servant of experience, faithful
ness and towering ability. Yor
have a right to use all your grea
ability to defeat Senator Vest, Mr.
Cook, but / don't believe you Cal
do it. We will wait and see.
don't know who your candidate i
in Audrain. don't believe Their
- a. cx a ~ Is1n ~ Audras