The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1902-02-15
me Politics or II.

The INTELLIeENCER is in receipt OF
a page Of printed matter, forwarded
under cover of an envelope from Mar
srall, containing the following intro
ductory paragraph:
"Tne following viii appear in this
weeks issue Of the Democrot-N News. y
Then follows a story in sections
assigning reasons as to why the Hon.
Matt. w. Hall should receive the sup
port Of Saline county and other
counties in this end Of the district for
congress, and as to why Judge Cooney
should lbe turned down, the main
reason being the early date for which
the congressional convention has been
called. The subject matter of the en-
tire article bristles with a spirit that
can only breed future d~iSsentlon in the
ranks Of the party and inure to the
ultimate welfare of our common
enemy, the republicans. Read the
following paragraph, for instance:
"Does any democrat imigine that
under these circumstances, Judge
Cooney's race. even though he should
succeed in getting the nomination in
the district, would be of advantage to
the party? Disatfection would be sure
to show itself in many places, and a
skillful and popular republican candi-
date would cut down the majority to
70 such proportions as would shame
the glorious old seventh district, If in
deed he did not actually carry it, con
sidering the smaller majority that was
given us by the late reapportionment.
Now, we submit that the publica-
tion of such stuff as this, rather than
reaching out in the direction OF curing
an evil Of which the Democrat-News
complains, will have an opposite
effect. and we further believe that the
editor of that paper knows this as
well as anybody else Suppose Judge
Cooney should go into convention at
Sedalia and receive the nomination of
his party for anotherte in congress;
this Marshall newspaper would be
placed in the awkward position of sup
porting a mar for congress whom it
has openly denounced as a political
trlckster, or else become a dissenter
from and kicker against the action of
the poll ical organization to which it
declares allegiance.
The article of the Democrat News,
throughout its long drawn out make
up, charges Judge Cooney with hay-
ing been the direct author Of wat
that paper calls 'the snap conyen-
tion," transforming the members of
the congressional committee who
voted for this early convention into a
lot of political lickspittles and servile
slaves that can be pulled about at will
by the present congressman from the
seventh district. While the INTELLI-
eENcER believes that the convention
was called for too early a date this
paper is at the same time unwilling
to charge dishonesty to those calling
it-and especially unwilling to public
ly assail any candidate for congress
over the shoulders of the legally con-
stituted congressional committee.
Not n word Of objection has the
INTELLIeENCER to offer to the can
didacy Of either Judge Cooney, the
Hon. C. w. Hamlin or the Hon. Matt.
w. Hall for congress. All three
r upright, honorable citizens
and the district would not be the
loser by the selection of either
one Of them for this responsible
position. We certainly do not intend
to place this paper in the attitude of
being unable to conscientiously and
vigorously support either one Of these
gentlemen should he receive the en-.
dorsement Of the convention soon to
assemble at Sedalia. The INTELLI-
GENCER is no believer in primary
chickering's that inevitably lead to
party dissention and in some cases to
defeat after nominations have been
made While we do not believe in
allowing the candidacy of an unclean
man to pass unnoticed and unrebuked,
yet his political uncleanlinesS must be
founded upon other than the dislikes
and ambitions Of his fellow man Of
similar political faith before we will
consent to hold him3 up before the
people Of Missouri as a disgrace to de-
mocracy-a contemplate trickSter.
But, again, as to the Democrat
News. In discussing the matter of
giving the Saline county delegation to
the Hon. Matt. w. Hall instead Of to