Mexico weekly ledger., 1892-06-16

right, and that We would hold it at
the school house grove, bat that We
would not stand any bulldozing. At
this time the Norton delegation was
near the grounds first selected, and
the Clark delegation was on the
march toward the school house,
which is situated in the northern
part OF town. AS We were Just
getting to the school house, Mr..
Jno. Taylor came up to Capt, Fer
guson and told him that a COM
mittee from Mr.. Norton's delegation
wanted to see him and ask for
time. This, Capt. Ferguson grant
ed and told him to bring on his
committee. As we were the first
on the ground we chose our
position and massed our dele
CATION. AS Mr.. Gibson came
up | told him the position we had
chosen and showed him where We
had left a place for the Norton
delegation, which, had they occupi-
ed, each delegation would have been
separate and at an equal distance
from the wagon, which We had i'm
provised as a stand for the officers
of the convention. Instead OF TAX
ing the position allotted them they
marched and formed a partial semi
circle lust back of the Clark dele
CATION. After they were ON the
ground, Capt. Ferguson rs chair
man of the County Central Com
mittee called for order. DR.. Vaughn
was elected chairman. The organi-
cation was completed and the Clark
delegates were elected and the
meeting adjourned, after which the
Clark delegation marched off the
grounds, followed by many of the
Norton delegation. 1t was after
this that the remnant of the Norton
delegation held their pretended
convention. Now as to the work
The convention which elect
ed Clark delegates was conducted
by the legally constituted authority.
1t was a convention, the time and
place of which was selected by Mr..
Norton's friends over the protest of
Mr.. Clark's friends.
There are less than 1900 Demo-
cratic voters in Crawford county.
Mr.. Norton says that there were
between LOO and 1900 Democrats
on the ground. Now accepting
this as true, let's see how the vote
would stand by actual count. There
were 125 Crawford Democrats vet-
ers for Clark, by actual count on the
train from st. Louis that
had a special car for Clark. There
were by actual count 425Democratic
on Clark's special train on
the Salem branch road. Then the
Clark voters from Cuba and Benton
and surrounding country
that came in horse back and in
wagons was at a low estimate $50
Democratic voters; making in all
700 Democratic voters for Clark.
This is not guess work but actual
Now, if Mr.. Norton is cor
rect as to the number of the Demo-
Gratis on the ground, Clark had a
clean majority of the entire Demo-
cratic voters of the county of more
than 200. Besides this Mr.. Clark's
friends did all they could to secure
a primary election. This, the
friends of Mr.. Norton, at the in
stance and urgent wish of Mr..
Norton, defeated and secured a mass
convention and located it at Cuba
about six miles from the western
part of the county. This was done
of course, in the interest of Mr. Nor
ton and because Clark beat him at
his own game he now complains and
says he was unfairly treated. Is it
to say that the county officers,
the lawyers and the leading men of
the county, in fact the best men in
the county would be parties to trick
cry of any kind?
Crawford county has as many good
and noble citizens as you will find
anywhere. Of these, among Mr..
Clark's supporters were found all the
county officials, all the lawyers in the
county except one, the majority of
the physicians and the ministers and
most of the leading citizens in all
of the county. Now with such
supporters as these on Mr.. Clark's
side, is it reasonable to suppose that
tho action of the convention did not
express the wish of the majority of
the Democratic party OF Crawford?
Nor is this all ; there were many
visitors present, among whom was
ex-senator Ratcliff, who does not live
in this district and whose judg-
ment would not be biased by local
Mr.. Rateliff sat in a position where
he could see the strength of both
delegations, and he said that Mr..
Clark certainly had 200 majority.
As Mr.. Norton has been fairly de-:
'eated in a convention gotten up by
MS own interest, | think it would be
more democratic to him to step