Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-03-03
Mr.. Vandiver and Myself.

L am opposed TO MI. FOLK 1Of
Governor because | question:
list. His fitness for the position.
I'd. His Democracy.
Sd. His integrity.
| have observed his career pretty
closely, and my deductions are
tinged with neither prejudice nor
Partially. | have not sought for
doubtful offense or strained at con-
clusion. | question his fitness for
the gubernatorial chair for the
reason that in his present minor
position, in my poor opinion, he
has shown gross lack of Judgment
and ability; that he has not prose-
cuted from a sense OF duty to the
State, but in order to exploit him.
self; hat to obtain present adj
vantage to his aspirations his
every effort has been to convict.
regardless of the requirements of
judicial procedure, and when, in
the end, the higher courts have re-
fused to affirm the decisions so
obtained, he and his followers
have attempted to burden with
the fault the tribunals which de-
clare hat legal redress for viola
ton of law can be had only in the
legal way-thus seeking to hide his
own weakness and inability and
ignorance from the public eye.
To integrity of purpose no such
methods attach and if employed in
one position by Mr.. Folk, what
warrant is there that they will not
attend his administration of the
affairs of the whole State?
| don't like the Democratic
official who considers himself so
high above 1.-THE madding crowd"
that the voice of the party cannot
command his loyalty to the ticket
it puts forth. | consider myself,
politically, as good as he is, and
do not careto bind myself, through
my party, to him whom it cannot
bind to me. Mr.. Folk has dumped"
the ticket time and again. don't
care for his ~'reasons," for, grant,
ing him the right to supplement
the decisions of his party with his
own sweet will, we cannot question
the exercise of the same right by
all, and disintegration follows. So
long as | believe in the principles
OF my party | will be a ''yellow-
dog Democrat in the giving up
my preference for the will of the
rank and file, and | will support no
man who places himself above and
beyond this common ground.
| question his integrity, because,
first, he drew a salary which he
was not entitled to, until its pay
ment was refused by the city
authorities; second, that he per-
mitted millionaire boodlers to go
their way without legal let or
hindrance while using especial
juries' and public clamor to con-
Wet lesser offenders; third, be-
cause he permitted to be raised a
"slush fund" to be used by his
promoters for his political advance
ment, knowing that subscriptions
to said fund were solicited on ac-
count OF his official acts. This
may not be a technical offense
against the letter of the law, but it
strains its spirit to the utmost, and
the prefer of such a fund ought to
have been rejected firmly and
positively.
In reply to Mr.. Vandiver | have
endeavored to be honest with him
and myself. But | want to say to
him that he has no right to assume
for me that | am con the wrong
side of the Governorship fight"
There is too much of that sort of
arrogant assumption on the part of
the Folkites. One of them some
time ago made the insinuation, if
not the assertion, that those OPP
posed to their candidate were
''thugs, thieves and boodlers." In
other words, that Mr.. Folk was so
pre-eminently the Angel of Light
that only devils could be against
him! A begging Of premises which
/ am unreasonable enough to re-
fuse to grant.
But the Folkites are crying for
"good government" and claim that
the election of their candidate Is
necessary to that end. VIII Mr..
Vandiver and his allies assert that
Gov. Dockery is lacking in integ-