New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-08-04

! elements OF success both in his profession and
as a OF the people.
At nifty years he has served three terms as
! a Representative in Congress and for four
years he Governor OF Missouri. the great
est Democratic state OF the Union. He had
also soon after being graduated from the Mis-
souri, University. served part Of a term after
election by the people as Prosecuting Attorney
OF Vernon County Mo. the county seat
Of which. his home town. Is Nevada. The Gov
srnor said recently, half humOrousy. when
speaking Of his experience with this little Office.
that ne gave II up before his term was over
simply In the natural course of business" The
Office was worth about $50 year, and carried
with It great deal Of hard work. He soon
found out that there was good deal more
money fighting the State than there was I'm
fghtlng for II; so he resigned and began taking
the other side Of cases that came to court This
was in the latter days Of riding the circuit as
Lincoln and his associates used 10 do, and
young Stone would mount mule and go along
with the Circuit Judge and the other lawyers
from county seat TO county seat and pick up
such practice as he might. He made his repu-
taton as an advocate I'm the case Of one Hut
ton who shot down man in cold blood for In
sulting his wife. The facts were all against his
client, but the young lawyer argued on the sem
timental side OF the case and in the of
Ave hours OF oratory he lifted himself and his
hearers to planes higher than mere cold stat
ute law by repeated flights of passionate elo-
quence. How he could have conjured up ma
terial for five hours Of rapid speech upon the
single line Of argument hat he dared to touch
upon and yet not repeat himself In any way 10
weary judge and jury and the listeners who
thronged the dingy little courthouse was then.
as 1t is now, a mystery to people who talked
and who talk about 1t. II Is pity that a
record could not have been preserved, as for
instance OF the similar great speech in a muir
der case which made the reputation of william
Ii. Seward stones client was acquitted and
the young advocate had thus by his mental
power accomplished the impossible and
awakened to quick fame.
NOMINATED FOR CONGRESS-.
In the course Of years Mr. stone tired or his
small surroundings He grew into good
country practice and, as in the case OF many
oldtime country practitioners who nave 10
take every case that comes along, from hoS
controversy before a justice of the peace to
the big corporation issues that so to the hlgher
courts he became in time successful ana |
forcefuI practitioner along the whole gamut |
OF the law. This gave him local fame, Whlcn !
he finally utilized TO get nomination for Con- |
eress He was elected and twice reelected, |
and gave at Washington the usual service or |
a country member He was not especially taken
with service in Congress and voluntarily gave
I'D a third nomination to stand for Governor.
In 1892 when Mr.. Stone was candidate Tor
Governor. he went to st. Louis He was waited
upon at the hotel by a committee representing
the Brady Noonan Democratic machine, which
in those days was dominant in the politics OF
the city OF st. Louis. Conscious of their power
as a political factor in the coming canvass and
with the audacity of typical city machine poll
tcians this committee proceeded to hold up
Stone for a bargain by which he should con-
tribute or cause to be contributed to the DEM
ocratic city machine a specified sum OF money
ito secure party success" and also written
agreement TO place In the hands or the ma
chine leaders the distribution OF the great city
patronage in the Governors hands. Mr. stone
answered the committee in these words:
Gentlemen. II can't take the office OF Gov
ernor unhampered by any promise to any per-
son whomsoever free and Independent to do
my duty as see It to the state Of Missouri
will go back TO Vernon County and practice
law"
This bold defiance OF a powerful pohtical
cabal on the part OF the leading candidate Tor
Governor made a sensation in city politics. and