The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1900-11-23
HI corrING swAd.
From the ''OId Politician On the
Worlds Fair Appropriation.

Who will handle the 81 200, O0l
Missouri is nov authorized TO an,
propriate for a state exhibit at Tn,
Worlds Fair? VIII It be a com.
mission, or an individual, or will
IL be a committee of the Legisla.
ture itself. What will be the form
of the law under which the state
will undertake the expenditure on
this vast sum Of money, and In
what manner will this extra consti-
tutional privilege be manipulated
and abused to cover up the short
age and misapplicatIon of revenue
in other directions2 II can be said
in advance that there will be no
appropriation of $1,000, 900, or
any sum near it, until the relatives
OF the members Of the Legislature
are provided with jobs in the ex-
penditure of the money. Ii you
keep n tab on that 100000 0 you
will find that it has nearly all gone
in salaries and travelling expenses.
People with a pull, and a mind to
use it, will get so per cent OF it net.
And what is Dockery going to do
about it? This big appropriation
is going to afford him an apportu-
nifty to show his mettle. Now let
him demonstrate in Missouri, the
qualities which have made his
name n household word in WASH
'ington. Let him show that he will
see that no money is misapplied
here any more than at the nation
al capital, and let him prove to us
that he is as strong a man, when
dealing with other men who have
a strength of tn cir own, as when
he brings down a heavy hand upon
the women or the weak men who
sit on the high stools in Washing
ton. When a man fights, let IL be
against the strong, and not those
who are without shield or buckler.
Dockery has melted out what he
calls Justice to the weak. am not
ready to say he win not mete out
equal justice to the strong who
might prevail against him, but |
will wait till | SEE him do 1t.
This Worlds Fair appropriation
can not be postponed. II tits made
at all 1t will be made at the coming
session of the Legislature, and un-
less Dockery uses his official power
and influence to prevent it, the re-
publican minority is going to force
the democratic majority in both
houses to insist upon so many
appointments in the disbursement
of the million dollars that, when
all the salaries are paid, there will
hardly be enough leftto put up the
building in which the exhibit shall
be made.
This will not be a political ques-
ton, and really, the republicans
might, without improperly, VEN
ture to put in a claim for a few
of these offices. But they won't
do it. You have noticed, no doubt,
that the republican minority can
never get an office. 1t can't elect a
Senator or a Speaker, or a clerk OF
the House, or a Secretary OF the
Senate, or a sergeant-at-arms, or a
clerk of a committee, or get a COM
mittee chairman. But whenever a
corporation measure with Doodle in
II comes up, the republican minori-
ty sails in and forces the democrat
ic majority to pass laws it is
pledged not to pass, or to lay down
on laws it is pledged to adopt. So
you may be very sure that when II
m to cutting up the swag for
the Worlds Fair appropriation, the
democra,ic majority viii stand to-
pether as one man and defeat all
the attempts of the republican
minority to get some of the pie. II
will not be until after all this is
secured and the bills to tax fran
chises and to revise the revenue
code on lines to reach higher as
sessments OF public corporations
that the republican minority will
begin to get the best of the demo-
cratic majority In the two branches
The republicans win have the ilool
when such are up, ane
they will knock out the democratic
majority at every stage OF the
game.
That million dollars is coming
out ofthe pockets of the taxpayer
of Missouri. 1t is a tremendou'