The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-05-12
BY 4 STAFF CORRESPONDENT.


Governor John \. Lee is a traitor for di'
vrisns the details of the alum scandal two
years ago. he can as surely regard former
Representative John F. Organ OF Dent
County as his relentless, Implying Nemesis
Where the motives of one may be ques-
toned. those of the other are and have al
ways been above suspicion
| Looking back over his mutitudinnuS
troubles. Frank Farris can read the indict-
inent which has just been returned by a
special Grand Jury of Dent County and
think of the time, five years ago. when
Colonel Organ went through the district
and denounced him As a tool of the corpo-
rations and unfit for public Office
II is probable that he could recall that
Organ had called him in his paper. the
Salem Monitor. ''boCdler. thief gambler
| drunkard. and other things not considered
| among the attributes OF an upright citizen.
| Farris could also recall the fact that he did
not have the temerity 10 accept the chal-
! ienSe of the rugged old Confederate soldier
! of the Ozark Mountains.
! DOWNFALL AT HOME
! NOT DUE To ALUM
! The story of the undoing of Farris in his
| own senatorial district-a story in no way
/ connected with the alum scandal-and of
! the hard luck OF his friends and associates
is practically the tale of organs fight
| against the bold and brilliant Young poll
| tic!an of the adjoining county of Craw-
| ford. Six indictments have already been
returned against. F'arris and his confeder-
| ates. five of which are for violations of the
corrupt practices act
| Nearly five years ago Frank Farris an
,,.,t ,.N...f
| nomination State Senator from the
| Twenty-fourth District. AT that time he
| had been serving as Prosecuting Attorney
of Crawford County. and. in way. had
| distinguished himself by his quickne>s,
| shrewdness and ability before a petit jury.
| No sooner had Farris mentioned his pet
ambition than over in Salem. hardly more
than thirty miles from SteeIville. Farrs's
| home. Colonel John f. Organ advocated the
| nomination of his opponent. His paper.
which had been running for a quarter OF a
| century, gave reasons why Farrts should
| not be nominated. In speeches, Colonel Or
gan denounced the young lawyer as un-
worthy OF such an homer.
| And when "old Man Organ" n axes a
| fight there is no equivocaticn. spade IS
a spade and knave a knave.
Organ would say. Let anybody recover If
he can. 1 will prove anything / say before
| any jury which may be convened in this
county. No man can call ME liar
ORGAN A REPRESENTATIVE
OF RUGGED MANHOOD.
To understand what the opposition of
Organ meant, the figure. purposes and rec
ord OF the old soldier must be known. He
came TO Dent County in 1858 when it was 4
wilderness. The pure air is of the sort 20
make rugged men. Necessity compes them
TO fight for every meal. Where the greater
1art of the soil is rocks. and where cleared
timber land has to be kept under subjectioa
by constant vigilance: where the roads are
hardly more than a series OF jolts. the
measure CT a mans capabilities is soon
taken.
Colonel Organ went to the war in 1851 and
served faithfully until 1865 He was 4 pris-
oner in St Louis and Alton. Going back TO
Salem, he became interested in politics and.
though disfranchised. he had voice in
making nominations. He bought a small
farm and began clearing il. His absolute
honesty held friends and gained the respect
of opponents. The present generation does
not remember the time when the opposition
of Colonel Organ could not defeat man for
the Democratic NJ mination. The only slip
was year ago. when he left the county On
the day of the primary election and Gala
han beat him by small margin.
Along in the seventies Colonel Organ
popular nomenclature had raised the First
Sergeant to a Colonel-started the Salem
Monitor. 1t is the family possession and
the mouthpiece of this leader. No man has
called 1t the paper of faction. 1t is Or
gan's personal property. and so strong is his
personality that no one has dared to guide
his editorial policies.
For many years Colonel organs paper
was the only publication in Dent County.
He published all of the delinquent tax sales,
and incidentally bought in thousands of
acres of land fer printers costs. The re-
suit is that he probably owns 15.oCo or 1900
acres of mountain land aside from a I20-
acre farm. which is one of the best in the
valleys.
EDITORIAL CHARGES
NEVER DISPUTED
organs reputation for fearlessness is re-
spected hereabouts He is the one man in
the county who cali another n liar in
his paper and in speeches. and no man dis
putes him. A few years ago he was resting
at home after a hard days work. when he
started out to find the trouble. and discov-
cred that a neighbor was beating MS wife.
The next day the Saleem Monitor con-
tanned an editorial which said that the
Wlfe-beater-and he named the fellow
should be tarred and feathered and run out
OF town That night the wife came to him
and said 1t was untrue and that her hus-
band demanded an immediate retraction.
You tell that man of yours that l saw
and heard what | have written about and
that / do not intend to take back word
Of what l said. and further that / am in
favor of Furnishing him. was the decisive
answer of Colonel Organ.
mat night u knock came to the door.
organ knew his man, whose reputation for
recklessness was of common report. As Or
gan opened the door he had his hand on his
hip pocket.
The two faced each ether. Nothing was
said The wife-beater started firing So
did organ. The result was that the visitor
retired with a red streak across his neck
just over the tugular vein. Upon his re-
covery the neishbor decided that he could
make better living and have happier life
in some other locality
KICKED ASSEMBLY CLERK
WHO CARRICATURED HIM.
At the session of the General Assembly
two years ago Organ passed group of
clerks, who were looking at a caricature
which one of their number had made of
him. He saw what it was. Stepping back
he planted a heavy boot sole beneath the
coat-tail of the Clerk. sending the poor fell
low across the hall