Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-11-25
DEMOCRACY.
Missouri Will Have No More Fusion
Deals.
From the Platte City Landmarks

FROM the 1IattS Slty LaAuLudEh
Our friend, Sam Cook, chairman of
the State Democratic Committee, is
still talking about fusing and lays
great stress upon how the silver Re-
publicans and Popullsts saved the
state. The attempted fusion that MI.
Cook, for the Democrats, and MI.
Rozelle, for the Populists, fixed up
might have induced a few hundred
Populists to support MI. Bryan. The
number of Silver Republicans who
supported Mr.. Bryan cannot have ex-
ceeded a few hundred. These facts
can be shown and proven by the re-
turns of the election. Without the
least necessity whatever, Mr.. Cook,
or some one authorized, took down
four of the Democratic state electors,
replaced them with Populists and, be-
sides other emoluments, gave the La
Dor Commissionership to a slight and
airy' agitator who left this congress-
ional district for other parts where
his "reform measures" were not 80
well known. Then other Pops were
given positions that should be filed by
Democrats. We expressed ourselves
before the committee at the time, this
cowardly laying down of Democratic
banners was demanded and opposed
it with all the power we could COM
mand. Mr.. Cook and his colleagues
made the Democrats of the state,
many of whom had never bolted a
ticket, come up to the rack and vote
for a lot of political nondescripts who
were in the business simply to help
their boss reformer secure a fat office.
If MI. Cook desires to succeed him
self as Chairman of the Democratic
State Committee he must prove him
self a leader, one who will always say,
"Come on, boys" and not one who,
months ahead, will begin plans to
give the clothing of Democratic
children to political tramps.
MIR. Cleveland put in MI. Gresham
and other mugwumps and bartered
the offices to all kinds of fakirs much
to the chagrin and disgust of good
Democrats everywhere land Mr.. Cleve-
lands policy of mugwumpery and
civil service can't come nearer bank
rupting the Democratic party than
the assaults of the Republicans for
the last twenty years. No party eve
yet succeeded where its leaders went
into the fight ~half-scared and with a
determination to surrender on the
first shot. We are as anxious as MIR.
Cook or any other man to have the
votes of all good men in helping to
throw down Hannaism, government
by Injunction and the power of the
trusts, but we don't propose to begin
the fight by surrendering the outposts.
No, Mr.. Cook; let us meet in our
state convention, formulate a Demo-
cratic platform and ask all good men
to come and stand on it. If this policy
had been maintained in '96 there
would now be only two parties in this
state at this time, the Republican and
Democratic parties. But you have
given the mugwumps a taste of the
spoils, and they will keep up their
organization SO that they can be in a
position to demand more. By feeding
a starved wolf you only lengthen its
power for evil. The Democrats of
Missouri do not need what you call
sfusion," if "fusion" is to be obtained
by toasting the enemy or by surren-
dering any of its prerogatives or prin-
ciples. Give US a straight-out plat
form, a straight-out fight, and, if we
win, then we car be generous; If we
lose, we will know our stand has at
least possessed the merit Of bravery.