The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-03-30
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Mr.. Isaac W. Morton. foreman OF the
December Grand Jury, who mas just re-
turned to the city, was asked LOT an eA-
preston Of his views upon the poiltlcai si'-
uation and said:
"Yes. l have Just returned to the CITY,
having been absent about month un-
derstand that the political campaign III the
meantime has been an unusuaily ac'Ne
one and am pleased to hear that the chance'
are so favorable for the election Oh tie
Democratic ticket. which was. placed II.
nomination through the instrumentam,y ,;C o.
some of our best ana MOST e'iheS' p
spirited citizens a tn
II most emphatically 90 approve anu ~, ~,
dorse the method that brought ABOUT tiie
nomination of this ticket. Certainly no ole
who knows about the men of affairs IN our
community can impugn the motives OF tiie
men who We're chiefly instrumental III 'iie
work. .,o..I,.
and untiringly in the direction OF munnici-
pal reform, and in the present lhslalise Ian.
they took conditions as they 1ound tieni.
and as a result have safe-guaroed tne Guy :
Interests at the most critical period IN lts
history for four years to come. l., ,,,,,
Il make this statement because IN my my,
opinion the ticket the Republicans have
nominated, of which they claim such mers :
IT is the direct result of their work. and II
perchance George w. Parker should De
elected and good administrator 2 iotlow, ~ ",
the men the press has termed the solar
walkers But this should not transpire. anu
Independent voters who are considering .us
city's permanent good should. by tneiI
votes. emphasize and indorse movemens
which took the initiative in reform, ana
see that it does not occur, ana tnai Roiia
Wells is elected the next Mayor of the city
of st. Louis l mean that the men who put
in nomination a ticket so long in advance
of the election. who departed from the par
ty practice in that respect ana "a gave ave pup1,c ,hc
compcse it, should receive recognition or
their work as an encouragement Tor 1ur-
ther effort in municipal reform movements,
which, unfortunately, in the past nave TOO
often miscarried because they ignored pre-
vailing conditions.
Much, / understand, has been said in
the daily press regarding the December
Grand Jury report, and quotations fire.
ouently made from it In relation to election
frauds in an endeavor to gain votes for for
report is on record. will remain on record.
as the conscientious expression of facts de-
yeloped by Investigations made necessary
on the part of the men VINO composed u,
itself. There Is not one jot, or title to
abate from it, but it distinctly says:
"That so complete is the system of politi-
cal machinery in all its ramifications even
to the coalition Of opposing factions. tnat
there has been woven web OF safety over
the frauds committed
province to interpret the report; that Is not
necessary. but when excerpts from it are
quoted without context or continuity they
are apt to be misleading. What is meant
is that in these frauds some of the powers
that be- who operate the Republican ma
chine were parties in the crime, and 1t was
through collusion with them that such
glaring frauds were made possible.
II do not stand for the Nesbtt law; nor
ANYTHING that savors of fraud in the opera
tion of it. and I personally know that NO
one In our community more earnestly de-
sires a fair election than does Rolla Wells.
In fact, he is the kind of a man who would
accept no position unless he felt he was
fairly elected to 1t.
."The next four years will be one of the
most important epOchs in the history OF
our city The last administration has been
a municipal disgrace: every vestige. of 1t
should be wiped out. This Is the real Issue
in this campaign. There will undoubtedly
be an unusual number of business proposl-
tions to solve, very far-reaching In their
effect in shaping the city's future. We
need at the helm broad-guaged man OF
capacity and business ability. who Will give
us good business administration: a man
of sterling integrity. with determination OF
purpose. and. moreover, what l think tnink
counts for much, n man without future
political ambition. whose sole motive in Of
fee will be to give the city the best pos
sible government and such man l know
Rolla Wells to be-"