The St. Louis Republic., 1904-06-10
ward at this convention point toward radical i'm
provement in general police affairs. Not many years
will eapse before the police departments of all large
cities will be properly organized and rightly COLI
Quoted.
A SOUND TICKET.

SOUND TICKET
| Republican machine organs are laying the founda
tion for their campaign against the Democratic State
| ticket.
Last year a Republican leader said at a club meet
ing that II Folk were beaten for the nomination tbs
Republican party would make the fight against thc
machine; If Folk won the nomination the Repulr
lican candidates would have the machine with then,
Folk has won, and the Republicans. especially in
ST Louis depending upon an alliance with such
| machine clements that of the Buffers, and with
| such other lobby sympathizers as may be willing to
openly secretly aid in the defeat of the Missouri
| Idea of crushing Doodle.
To supplement these combinations of practical
politics. the organs realizing that before the people
Of Missouri they cannot make an issue of Folk aud
| his record, beginning to predict the nomination
of weak the Democratic State ticket and
charge that the machine" and not Mr. Folk con-
trolls the party.
Democratic voters cannot prevent the alliance If
Republican manipulators with Butler ard other
faithless professed Democrats. But they can see
that the charge of machine" dominance falls to the
ground. And they can make the charge ridiculous
by commanding that no weak men are put on the
State ticket with Mr.. Folk.
If the ticket represents from top to bottom the
Missouri Idea the Republican machine campaign
will be without ammunition 1t will consist wholly
Of the alliance with bad elements and the people Of
the State will indorse Folk and the great principle
which he represents record the Endorsement
with a majority greater than any other in recent
State history.
Since the nomination of Mr.. Folk has been made
by Irresistible uprising of the people, there
has been natural disposition to let the rest of the
ticket take of itself. The voters have turned
their attention their private affairs regarding the
victory
1t is too soon to stop The Governor of Missouri
has important powers, but he does not control the
other elective State offices. The Attorney General,
the Secretary of State the Treasurer and the Audit
or have also important powers Being elected by the
people, they are independent of the Governor to a
large extent in the exercise Of their powers. Any
one of them be obstacle to the policy of the
Governor: can embarrass him and negative his eff
forts
If the other State officers elected this fall are per-
sonally hostile to Mr. Folk or out Of sympathy with
the special principle of reform with which he is deu
titled, his administration will be comparatively dc
void of results.
Even in the campaign his appeal to the people
will be weakened the confidence of the voters in
thorough Inauguration of clean sweep for reform
Will be impaired by the presence on the ticket Of
names which mean something else.
The Democracy owes to Mr. Folk and to the Mis-
souri, Idea ticket in all its parts fully representa-
tive Of the central principle fer which Missouri
stands before the country. The Democracy of Mis-
souri, owes to the moral sentiment OF the nation a
ticket by name which Mr.. Folk and papers like
The Republic will he forced into position Of apol
ogy and explanation.
This battle of good government must be aggres-
sve and explicit.
Good politics requires that there he no misunder-
standing as to what the ticket means. Good govern
ment morality requires that when Mr.. Folks ad-
minstraton enters upon its work 1t be upheld and
not weighted down by the incumbents of elective
State Offices
With completely good Democratic State ticke;
the Republican machines campaign has no founda-
tion and the shfty elements Of both parties have
hope Of successfully combating the Missouri Idea.