Mexico weekly ledger., 1892-06-16
CHAMP CLARK TALKS.
HIS VERSION or THE TROUBLE
IN CRAWFORD COUNTY.
How the Mass Meeting Was Held and
What Was Deae-Has Fought a
Fair Fight aud Is Satisfied
With the Situation.

Bovine GREEN, Mo-, June A.
Hon. Champ Clark reached home to-
night from his splendid victory in
Rails. Your correspondent had the
following interview with him con-
corning the Crawford county trouble:
mi. Clark, how did Crawford eoun-
ty happen to hold a mass meeting?,,
sit was done at the instance of
Mr.. Norton's friends, and, I suppose,
at his request. My friends wanted
a primary election, and all my friends
on the County Committee voted for
a primary, and Mr.. Norton's friends
voted for a mass meeting to be held
at Cuba, which is tar from the center
of the county. In that way they
thought they could practically dis
franchise a large number of Demo-
Gratis who were for me and who lived
thirty or forty miles from Cuba. But,
to their utter amazement and disgust,
the brave yeomanry turned out in
such array that it sent terror into the
the hearts of the Norton ranks
"How was the mass meeting man
aged?"
"Well, in the first place, the coun-
ty Committee called the mass meet
ing at Cuba to meet at 1 O'Clock.
No particular place or spot was NAM
ed, but it was agreed TO meet at a
grove just out of the city limits. On
the day the mass meeting convened
my supporters marched to the place
agreed upon. When we reached the
grounds-about / o'clock-not a
Norton man was in sight. They re-
manned huddled up in town. Word
came that they. did not propose to
come to the grove at all, because it
was outside the city limits, while the
call was for Cuba, but would hold a
meeting of their own and then en-
deavor to justify themselves on that
teehnieality. Their true reason for
not going to the grove was that the
sight of nearly S00Clark men, march
ing by tours and easily counted, and
every man of them aCrawford coun-
ty Democrat, crushed their hopes be-
meath their feet. When it was clear
that the Norton men did not intend
to come to the grove, Captain Fer
guson, chairman of the Democratic
Central Committee, than whom no
better man, citizen, or Democrat,
lives, took counsel with the leaders
of the Crawford Democracy, and it
was determined, that to avoid the
worry, disgrace and trouble of a
double delegation, and to take away
from the Norton men even the shad-
ow of a pretext found in the fact that
the grove was outside the city limits,
to hold the mass meeting on the
public school grounds instead of the
corporate limits. Word was prompt
ly sent to the Norton minority to this
effect. At once his men and my
friends. proceeded to the school
grounds with bands playing and
banners flying. The contending
crowds reached the grounds almost
simultaneously, mine a little in adj
vance. My friends promptly rang
ed themselves on one side of a path,
and Norton's men could have easily
ranged themselves on the other. In
stead of doing that they undertook
to mix up promiscuously with mine.
Mr.. Norton headed his own process
sion, and / was near the head of my
column. They were all on the grounds
before a thing was done or a word
was said looking towards organiza-
ton. The statement sent out from
Cuba that the Norton men were not
there at the organization is a lie.
There's no use mincing words about
it. 1t is an outrage on 800 Demo-
Gratis in Crawford. After the Norton
men found that they could not mix
themselves up with the Clark men
and thereby create confusion, instead
of ranging themselves on their own
side of the path or road, they form
ed a circle round my friends. When
| Chairman Ferguson, standing in a
wagon under a big oak tree, called
the meeting to order, Mr.. Norton
and all the men he had were within
sound of his voice, and only a few
feet from where he stood. Mr.. Nor.
ton himself was forty feet closer to
him than | was at any time during
the performance.
Captain Ferguson, chairman o.
the committee, called the meeting
to order and read the call for the
meeting. While he was doing this
Mr.. Norton and Hon. Thomas r
Gibson, one of his chief supporters
Jumped into the wagon and created
great confusion. AT this ~luncturt
Hon. j. T. Woodruff, one OF my
most active supporters, told Mr.
Norton to get his men to themselves
so they could by counted. Mr.
Norton did not do so, and appar
emily did not desire to do so. Thei
DIR. Vaughn was nominated for chair
man. Nobody else was nominated
1.-The vote was taken, my men, near
" 500 strong, voting for Mm-Mr
Norten's men not voting. Of cours'
..a. LII, o1oofad ard fnoE abnru,