Mexico weekly ledger., 1901-05-23
MISSOURI DEMOCRACY.
HON. s. B COOK SUBMITS 10 Az
INTERVIEW on TRE PARTY
IN TIE STATE
bon. v. J. BRYAN Is EISLEGD.
The Secretary Of Safe Thinks That
Too Much ImportSsce Is Placed On
the Election Of Rnlla Wells
What he ssyA

Fuozt the 81 L5as Ca-ozele
JEFFERSON CITY, No, May @.-Seo-
rotary Of State sam B. Cook. exChair-
man Of the Democratic State Commit
tee, does not see Why, with q nation
making history as fast as this nation
Is making ii, the party should be con-
mitted to any policy or to any maj
three years and a half before the next
National Democratic Convention can
be he'd. But it was not because
Secretary Cook was afraid Of commit
ting himself 70 q man OF measure that
the Secretary remained at the State.
capital while William Jennings Bryan.
spoke at Nevada He did not 90, the
Secretary says because it was neceS
saU TO have a meeting Of the state
Board Of Equalization, and, with the
Governor speaking with Bryan at
Liberty, No, there would have been
no quorum for the board had Secretary
Cook gone to Nevada
1T may be, said the State Secre-
tary, that Gov. Stone stayed away
because, had he gone, the meeting
being held in his old home town, it
might have been inferred that it was
held in the ex-GOvem0r's personal
interest This is merely a surmise,
and il may be wide Of the mark. 1
would look On it as good politics"
DE AKNoSD ALONE AT NEVADA.
There was a noticeable absence Of
leaders at Nevada, don't you thinks"
Col. Cook was asked.
"Well De Almond was about the
only q there. / understand what
you are trying TO get at. Col Bryan
has been a candidate twice on practi-
cally the same platform, and he has
been defeated twice. ! don't think
anyone stayed away from Nevada be
cause q fear that their going there
might be interpreted as i~ndonsing Col.
Bryan for a third nomination. StIll,
If any n did, it would not necessarily
mean d~isloyalty to Col. Bryan or to
the principles be advocates, but the
exercise d a reasonable caution, in
the face d two defeats, party leaders
must think, and think hard between
now and 1904"
"D0n't you look upon the Liberty
and Nevada meetings as the opening
guns Of BrYsn's third campaignYf'
"No, / do not. Bryan long agol
promised to visit Liberty and Nevada
and address the Democrats In these
towns, and he merely made good his
promise. II is too early yet for the
beginning u a campaign for 1904"
no CONVENTION NECESSARY.
"Y0n are the man who says that
the holding Of a Pertle Springs Con-
Fention would be unwise, uncalled
for and fraught with great dangers,
are you n0tE1
Il am"
You still consider Col Bryan the
leader Of his party?'
HE must be 50 considered being the
partys last national standard bearer. -
Col Bryan believes it is n~ecessaryI
to show the nation, il not by a Pertle
Springs Convention, then In some
other way that the Democratic voters
Of the State are still true to the ira
dition Of the party?''
mo n doubts the ability Of Col.
Bryan, but he has made a great mis-
take in giving national prominence TO
a purely local election, in which moth
ing whatever wa involved ave de-
sire 70 give a business administration
to the affairs Of the st. Louis munich
pality. / believe it is generally ad-
mitted that this sort Of an administra-
tion is being given by Mayor Wells.
"No one blames Col. Bryan for this
mistake. He was not on the ground,
and be was misled by those who i'm
agined they saw in the selection OF
Mr.. Wells a plot to overthrow Demo
cratic principles. No such plot ex-
isted."
Col. Bryan takes the ground that
while the people Of the State know
this, something should be done to-
show the people Of the United States
where the Democrats Of the State
stand2'i
II hold that If this were done It
would be an admission 10 the people
Of the country that there is a doubt
about the standing Of the Democrats
Of Missouri, and that the convention
would do more to emphasize that
doubt than TO dispel IT. II would d..
vide The party into factions as IL vas
divided In 1896. There is nc division
in the Democratic party in this State
now. There are, Of course, personal
ambitions, as there always have been
and always will be, but Missouri isl
sure to stand solidly by the platform
which the next National Conventional
proclaimss and il will again be a plat
form based on the Democracy of
Hamilton and jefferson"
CONDITIONS DIFFERENT FROM 1895.
"Ex-G0y. Stephens holds that con-
ditions are exactly as they we're in
1895, when ex-Gov. Francis and c. CI
Matit urged, as you do, that it would
be dangerous 10 hold a Pertle Springs 4,
/
Conditions were very diferent /
then. We had at that time a PreSi-
dent and leader not in harmony with
bis party and a threat Of party disrup- :
ton, not only In the State but 10 the {
nation. There was an almost nnani- |
nous call for a convention then. The /
convention would have been held, even
had the committee refused 70 call IT, /