The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1903-07-23
S. B. COOK DISCUSSES
INTERNATIONAL ATTITUDE
Saws No Conference Was Held and
That There is Plenty Of Time to
Announce His Position.

Announce His Position.
Mexico. Mo, July 1S.-Contained
in this evenings issue OF the Mexico
Evening Ledger is the following con-
munication to the editor from Secre'
tary OF State S. B. Cook under Jeffer-
son City date Of July 10:
In your issue OF Tuesday you pub
lish a dispatch sent out from here to
the Republican metropolitan press,
stating in substance that | had alter
holding conference with personal
friends the night previous, decided to
issue a statement Saturday announc'
ing whether or not | would be a can
.didate for Governor next year.
The dispatch also vouchsaied the
further information that while itha
been generally supposed that Judge
CAN'T would have the support ol
4Cook and his friends" that the
conference" threw new light on the
subject and that "if Cook does not
announce for Governor, he may sup
port Reed"
| did not care to notice the dis
patch so long as its publication was
confined to the Republican papers.
They publish so many ialsehoods
concerning Democrats that intelli'
gent. iair-minded citizens are rarely
influenced or misled by them. But
since the dispatch has beenpublished
in u paper in my home town. it is
proper that public attention should
be called to its character and pur'
pose,
First-I shall not announce Satnr-
day whether or not | will be n candl-
date for Governor. 1t ID none on the
business of the Republican newspa'
pers what the intentions OF myself or
any other Democrat may be.
Second-I have had no consnlta-
ton with friends on this subject. ]
have not so much as thought otissu
inc a statement and conseQuentlyno
friend OF mine has authorized any
such publication.
Third-The statement that judge
CAN'T would have the support o.
Cook and his friend" and later that
I'll Cook does not announce, he viii
help Reed" is wholly gratuitous ano
its purpose so well understood that
attention need only be called to it tt
demonstrate it's ialsity. My rela
tions with all the candidates fol
Governor are personally cordial, but
this fact certainly does not justify
the publication Of the silly story Civ.
en- out by partisan Republican news
papers.
1t may be proper for he to say in
this connection that while | am not
unmindiul of the friendly interest
manifested in my behalf by personal
and political friends throughout the
State. | have not said to any one
that | would be candidate for Gov
ernor next year, or solicited the sup,
port Of any man or newspaper Tor
that or any other office. All that !
have said, and this | repeat now, is
thatin my opinion there is yetample
time for opening the campaign OF
1904: that at the proper time and in
their own regular way, the Demo
cracy OF Missouri, proud OF their rec
ord and defiant OF their enemies
would select their State ticket and
carry 1t to triumphant victory. They
will do this, too, with utter indiffer.
ence to the wishes OF the Republican
partisan press Of the State
In view OF these fncts there is no
need for any statement from me at
this time, and the Republican news
papers will consequently have to re.
sort to some other effort to mislead
the public. SAM b. COOK,