Iron County register., 1899-12-07

THE following appeared in Sundays
st. Louis Republic, telegraphed from
jefferson City under date of December
I'd:
Governor Lon V. Stephens has been
| very severely and unjustly criticised
by two or three Southeast Missouri
| newspapers of late because of the ac-
tion of his Board of Commissioners in
locating the new insane asylum near
Pennington. One paper, the Iron
County Republican. charges the Gov
ernor with having Instructed the men,
bers of the board how to vote. and
claims the Governor is alone to blame
for the decision, and that the location
was agreed upon before the Commis-
sioners met in st. Louis.
The Governor was asked to-day
whether or not his attention had been
called to the attacks upon him and his
board, and whether he thought it
proper to pay any attention to them.
He replied:
'.The editor of the Iron County Re
publican forwarded me a copy of his
paper of issue of November 80 on yes
terday. On its wrapper. in big red
letters in two or three places, was the
word Marked" l found huge blue
lines around an insulting editorial in
the paper, rejecting upon me both
personally and officially. l presume
the editor will be pleased and gratified
to know that the vicious article herein
referred to was received and read by
me, and that he met with complete
success in his premeditated effort to
slander and humiliate me. He not
only insults me, but he insults the five
members OF the board which located
the asylum when he says that | am to
blame for the location, etc. If this
editor, or anyone else in Southeast
Missouri. can fiud, where |, in single
instance, instructed member of the
board how to vote, or where | even in
timated choice among the towns con- |
testing for the location, l will honor
his draft at sight upon me, with his |
proof attached, for 100000. IF he can |
find that am to blame for the decision |
and instructed or influenced the whole |
board, consisting of five members, he |
may upOu Iu0 SOO,OOOs anu
the draft will be paid.
.'It is self-humiliating and degrad- |
ing for me to engage in a discussion |
with a liar, slanderer and an appar-
ent coward, as this Iron County Re
publican editor has shown himself to
be, and will pay no further attention
to him. unless it is with club. If he
is not a coward he should come to my
face like a man and insult me if be de-
sires little more notoriety. Before
he leaves home, however. he had bet
ter take out an accident insurance
policy, and / will do the rest.
Even in Missouri, which is termed.
Poor Old Missouri by so many of the
writer's and speakers,
Office holder has a right to
protect his honor and his good name
against the assaults of conscienceless
either within or without
his party. 1t may not be 'digEifed,'
but it is nevertheless characteristic of
the man who is now Governor of this
State.
''Messrs. Allen, Buchanan, Berry,
Riggs and Clay, members of the board,
are recognized by all who know them
as brave and incorruptible men. 1t is
not unlikely, on the charge that the
Governor instructed them how to vote,
that they, too will be heard from"
The REGISTER can hardly believe
The Governor made use of the language ,
attributed to him in the foregoing in
terview. Such talk might be expected
from a man who sought distinction in
he fstic arena, but it is certainly not /,
becoming the Chief Executive OF
great state like Missouri. What the
Governor should do, if he can. is to
give reasons justifying the action of
he Commission in locating the asylum
1t Pennington. The REGISTER is fair
y conversant with all the circumstan-
,es surrounding the case and is of the
opinion that the action of the Commits ,
ion cannot be justified, and again we
ALI on the Governor and the Commits
ioners to give their reasons for the
aith within them.
FO CVRE COIN IN ONE nav T