The St. Louis Republic., 1902-08-17
Assignment of Speakers in the Dis
tricts and Campaign Ar
rangements Discussed.
ENCOURAGING REPORTS MADE.
Mayor Reed of Kansas City and C.
w. Hamlin of Springfield Have
Novel Experience in Benton
County-Political News.

| Democratic nominees for Congress met
| yesterday morning at II o'clock in the
rooms Of the State Committee. Commercial
building, for the purpose of comforting with
| respect to the assignment of speakers and
| other details of the campaign. Vice Chair
man Hawes and Secretary Mitchum par
| tlclpate1 IN the conference.
The candidates reported an enthusiastic
reception of the State platform and nom
inees' and bright prospects for the future
OF the campaign.
Those present were: Charles F Cochran,
St Joseph; Dorsey W Shackleford, J=ffer-
son City: C. W. Hamlin, Springfield; VIII
lard D. Vandiver, Cape Girardeau: Robert
Lamar, Houston.
Mayor Reed of Kansas City was present
during a part of the meeting
Mayor Reed cf Kansas City and c. w.
hamlin of Springfield, the latter the Demo-
cratic NOMINEE for Congress in the Seventh
district, had novel and interesting ex-
perience Friday. which they related at
headquarters yesterday.
They had gone to Cole Camp in Benton
County, German settlement, where there
Republicans, to engage in a joint political
debate with Colonel D. P. Dyer of ST LOUIS
and G. +. Peele Of Springfield, the Repub-
lican nominee for Congress
Colonel Dyer failed to appear and the
Ioca! Committee of Arrangements selected
Captain Coney of Topeka. Kag who hap
pened TO De In the town, to take the place
OF the st. Louis Colonel. The committee,
which which was composed of half doz;n Re
publcans and one lone Democrat, also de-
creed that the order of speeches should be
Reed, Coney, Hamlin and Peele. SO as TO
give the closing speech to a Republican.
Mayor Reed began his speech at 30
incident: BY 2:sO o'clock he had laid the
foundations Of brilliant address. At 3:30
o'clock he began his peroration. which was
magnificent, and at o'clock he closed.
Captain Coney at once began his reply.
well acquainted with his political views. but
he spoke eloQuently and made fine ap-
pearance. He rather startled Us by an
nouncing that he considered Thomas Jeffer-
son and William Jennings Bryan the two
greatest men that ever lived. Then he con-
ceded Mayor Reeds proposition that the
Republican tariff was the father of the
trusts. He said he would even go farther
and declare that all tariff duties should be
You never saw an audience SO astonished
In your life: They craned their necks and
almost held their breath to catch some
annihilate Mayor Reed. but Captain Coney
cooily proceeded with his address, conceding
al al the important points made by Mayor
Reed. He closed at o'clock.
Then began my speech. speaking upon
state issues. and closed about 6. BY this
time the local committee decided that 1t
was too late for more speaking and the
crowd was dispersed. leaving my OPP
ponent, Mr.. Peeie, entirely unheard.
We'll. 1t was the funniest situation ever
encountered. and the deep language of Mr..
Peele. who characterized ii as a id con-
spiracy. was doubly comicaI But where
happened TO be Silver Republican and he
rubbed 1t into Roosevelt good and hard
As for the arrangements, they were ali in
the hands of the local committee"
w o. L. Jewett. editor of the shelbina
Democrat. was a visitor at Headquarters
yesterday He sad the party organ!zation
in old Shelby was never in better shape and
that 1t would give, II possible an increased
MAJORITY Tor the entire ticket in November
Ex-Representative o. NJ Barnett OF Sc
dala> who visited headquarters yesterday,
the Northeastern section of the State.
where he. found the party In good fighting
Trim; ana ready to meet the Republicans
Tomorrow morning another group of edi-
conferences at the headquarters of the state
committee. The attendance at the group
meeting last Friday was fully as large as
dividing the State into groups was to les
sen the number so that the meetings NAV
be "talks' and not conventions. Group 4
issued a call for general meeting of
Democratic editors on September i5' condi
TONED upon the approval of Groups b
and c.
United States Senator Cockrell was in The
city last night. en- route to his home at
Warrensburg. He was met at Union Sta
tion by Al. Morrow. to whom he gave the
Information that he would enter the State
campaign on September To- and remain on
the stump until election day The Senator
Is in excellent health, and believes the
Democrats will carry the country in No
Yember.
Former Governor Stone who spoke last
night in Potosi. Washington County will
return to the city this morning.
Lieutenant Governor John A. Lee will
speak in Moberly on September l. and at
ozark, Christian County. September 5.
NJ. T. Davis of Aurora says: RE.
publican correspondents are trying to
create the impression that there IS Demo-
cratic disaffection in Lawrence County.
They even go so far as to intimate that
support the ticket. That is an untruth.
There Is not better Democrat in Missouri
than Joe French, and he never had the
slightest Idea of doing anything but support
the Democratic ticket, enthusiastically and
unequivocally, as he has always done. The
Republican correspondents are also trying
to make 1t appear that cur nominee for
the State Senate, A. r. McNatt, was
afraid to answer a set OF questions put to
him by Chairman Cook of the Pcpultst .
committee Il happen to know that Mr..
McNatt declined to enter a controversy of
that kind because Cook is not a citizen of !
our Senatorial district and had no right
to catechise MGNatt, who will be glad TO
answer any question put to him by any cit |
iZen of the district. Democrats of the State |
and enthusiasm Of the Democrats of Law |
renee County"