Mexico weekly ledger., 1903-11-26

tle fOik Oh mlsTepfebeuLA-
ton and utilization continues-no
can be honest and oppose Mr..
Folk!
Mr.. Folks campaign managers would
divide the Democratic party into two
classes According to them, all honest
are for Mr.. Folk, and all the rogues
against him. No wonder then that Mr..
Folk demands that Doodle shall be the
campaign issue. He would place the
hoodlers on on side and ali those who
oppose Doodle on his side. II Mr.. Folk
could have his way about this matter
there would be no opposition to him to
speak Of In the State OF Missouri. Ger
tainly IL this were the issue. he would
have a solid delegation from ST Louis.
II Mr.. Folk is the only honest man
in Missouri, we ought to elect him
governor. But Is he? No one familiar
with the local political situation would
have the temerity to deny that a great
many of his supporters have never
been conspicuous in reform movements
lin fact. many have been discredited
by their party in past ~years-but Mr..
Mcleod probably has convinced them
that 1t Is the only proper position to
take at the present time.
Look around you," says Mr.. Me-
Leod, Elm your own county and see
the class of fellows opposing Mr.. Folk
and draw your wi conclusions" We
r reversing the proposition In St
Louis and looking around us and see
ing the kind of fellows who are sup
porting him.
II anything l haye said regarding
Mr.. Folk, his nomination, his election
or his refusal TO support the Demo-
cratic ticket, is incorrect, l want Mr..
Folk to personally correct the state
ment. | ask that he do so without
evasion. and that his reply be not
made by Tony Steuver. John b.
OMeara, N. w. Mcleod or Bob Kern.
recognize the fact that what / have
said is not in keeping with the. idea
which Eastern magazine writers and
censored newspapers have given OF Mr..
Folk. 1t is possible that | have made
mistakes. II so Mr.. Folk will know
and he is the man to reply, A reply
made by the Republicans who edit the
st. Louis Star or the Globe-Democrat
will not suffice. It should come from
Mr.. Folk in a straightforward manly
way, and l will promptly correct any
statements whose accuracy he sue
cessfully challenges.
/ have not been discussing Mr.. Folk
as circuit attorney. / have been dis
cussing Mr.. Folk al a man who is
seeking the Democratic nomination for
governor. Mr.. Folk, therefore. owes 1t
to his party as a candidate for office
to reply to the charge that he refused
TO support 1t when appealed to through
its representative men. If he has any
excuse to offer, we ought to have 1t.
If he has none, he ought to admit it.
But what he has, and what ex-
plantations he has, should be made by
himself and not by one of his deputies.
/ charge that Mr.. Folk made his last
Democratic speech in the campaign OF
1900, when he was a candidate for Of
fee, and that, although repeatedly in
| vited and requested so to do. he re-
fused to make a speech when his par
ty required il, and that the first polit-
ical speech he made since those OF
| November, 1900, was a speech made
at st. Joseph on October "a, when he
was again a candidates. period Of three
years having elapsed In which time he
refused time and again to assist in any
of the battles of his party. / charge
him now with having made his last
speech in his own interest in 1900 and
that his next speech three years later
was again made in his W interest.
charge that he has been selfish. and
that he has at ali times considered
himself and not his party.
My structures on Mr.. Folk are ad-
dressed to Democrats and not to Re
publicans. | can well understand why
what | have said will not appeal to
Republican newspapers or Republican
politicians.
THE DOODLE QUESTION IN ST,
LOUIS.
The Democratic party tried in its
platform and in the character Of Its
nominees in 1902 to make good gov.
eminent the issue. Doodle by that
name was not presented as an issue
first because all honest people of all
parties are against boodling. and sec
ond the mention of it would have I'm.
phasized the bad but u~nfounded repu-
tation for corruption which the sensa-
tional press and magazines all oveI
the country had given our city be
cause Of the Doodle prosecutions. The
picture which Eastern magazine:
were painting of Mr.. Folk u~ndoubted'
ly vas agreeable TO him and pleasing
to his vanity, but the picture of st
Louis as a corrupt, illy-governed ant
mismanaged city was not relished By
our citizens and was not honestly
stated.
From the time that the first Doodle
exposure was made to the present day
| state without fear Of contradiction
that no public officer has ever hal
such absolute, united, continuous, ant
able support in the prosecution of any
public work as Mr.. Folk. Every daily
paper in the City Of St. Louis, every
weekly publication, every monthly
magazine. published in the City Of st
Louis, the State of Missouri or thu
United States, has given him its cor
dial and unstlnted support. One enter
prising paper In the City went SO faI
as TO send one of its ablest men t.
Mexico to secure the return of one O
the members of the House Of Dele
gates. The man employed in this worl
was probably n Of the most brillian
Newspaper men in ST. Louis. His worl
was conspicuous in behalf Of good gov
eminent and for the purpose of assist
ing Mr.. Folk. This Is but one illustra
ton of what has been done by private
citizens Of the community in the grea
work. Citizens of all classes irrespec
tive Of party have come to his assist
ance. Sums of money were raised t
pay for special juries, and for othe
expenses where no provision was mad
by the state.
All of the iuries which have tried tn
Doodle cases in St. Louis have bee
what is known as special juries. Tha
IL IN saw fhav wera mon e~alaota