The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-09-27
FILLEY.


and anomalous figure in the politics OF
Missouri than Chsuncy |. Filley. Per-
sonally, he is as mysterious as the Maj
of the Iron Mask, and politically his
ways are those of Mephistophiles.
Individually he is less known than any
other public nan in the state. Yet when
seen and known the person j~ustifies
the reputation of the man. lie is low
squat of figure, wide of girth, OF
swarthy aud sinister c%Ountenance, and
affects the shabby ,genteel style of dress
and the semi military SLOUGH hat. He is
illiteraie, and knows as little OF the
science of government or the principles
Tor which parties contend in forum, on
hustings and with pen, as the most
ignorant clown of the backwoods. He
has no social qualities that endear him
to men, on the contrary he is repellant,
it not repulsive. He cannot make Il
logical speech of ten minutes on any
given subject. lie cannot write a sub
stantial treatise to save his soul from
perdition. He possesses the vice OF veni-
ality in n superlative degree, and is as
devoid OF generosity as al Apache, and
has the blood of the frog in his veins.
Aud yet this man absolutely rules the
thought and actions OF a party that
polled two hundred and thirty-s six
thousand vote in Missouri in 1888. In
fact Chauncy |. Filley Is the republican
party of Missouri. IL might possibly
exist II Filley did not live; but he lives,
the party is absorbed in the individual
and he is its brains and viscera and
nerve center.
1t would be difficult to analyze tho
elements that enter into this man to
endow him with a potentiality not
known by any other man in his party.
That he has power even his enemies,
and they are a legion, confess. And his
power is not confined to the exercise of
autocratic dominion over the ignorant
masses OF his party among whom he
finds his followers, but is felt most
severely, repugnantly and brutally
among his superiors in intellect, edu-
cation. morals, social standing ami
craftsmanship. This latter class fears
him with an abject fear. He paralyzes
them with a glance. They are in his
hands as slaves in the hands OF an
overseer. In fact he reminds one OF the
plantation overseer OF ante bellum
days. When his back is turned they
grow bold and threaten. When he con.
fronts them, they smile and fondle, and
fawn and cringe, and drag their bellies
in the dust to gain ven a poor little
glance of recognition. A whipped
spaniel could not be more abject and
pitiful.
He is even more omnipotent with
his followers-the candiHe, the rabble,
the rag tag -and-bobtail, the pension
bummers, the unkempt and unwashed,
many odered, last of creation and
never OF heaven. This sort of a crowd
likes 10 be bossed, hence Filley suits
them. He 10 their master spirit. They
may not love him-no man loves an
ogre-but they obey him. The harder
he lays the cowhide about their backs
the better they obey him. He has
whipped them 8 long that they have
no longer any will but to please hun.
They nc longer even think for them
selves. He spares them all such un.
necessary trouble.
1t is this ruff-scufI that constitutes
the body of the republican party oil
Missouri. They do not know any o
about tariffs than they do about loga-
rithms aud no more about the constitu-
ton than a Hindoo. In the hands OF
FiIfey this brutal element becomes
monstrous. He not only votes them
as he pleases, but he uses them when
he needs them to crafty his persona.
revenges. When he sets this pack of
wOlf.dogs on a decent man they tear
him to pieces. Hence no decent man
In his party dare say ought to displease
Filley. He is happy to escape the
faugs by hiding and keeping his mouth
shut. There are decent, clean, self-re-
speeding nen in the republican party in
Missouri-men of education, refinement
and principles, but they are 80 brow
beaten, cowed and spat upon that there
Is no spirit left in them TO oppose the
Carbon of Filley.
But ap we have said already there is
no satisfactory solution of the amazing
power of this retired china merchant
over his republican associates. You
can apply no touch stone of logic TO
the analysis unless you apply the
natural rule of animals where the
possessor of the greatest brute force is
the acknowl lodged master OF the herd.