Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1904-07-29
wnlAA ALIEN WHITE on FOLKS NOMINATION.

VASAaHTS ~63AFN "NSAS w IVLN . WVS1AWAt wv
The Emporia Gazette Of Kansas Of last Thursday
contained the following editorial from the pen of VIII.
liam Allen White, entitled "The Nomination of Folk, ;
which is worthy Of the attention Of every true citizen
of Missouri. Coming, as it does, from a Republican
with conservative ideas, will have much weight with
all reasonable men who have the interests of our state
at heart:
Joseph w. Folk, and honest Democrat, has been
nominated for governor of Missouri, and every good
citizen of that state should vote for him irrespective of
party. 1t is certain that every bad citizen in Missouri
will vote against Folk, for the reason that he sees in
Folks defeat the chance to ply the trade of boodling
unrestrained. For no matter how honest the Republi-
can nominee for governor of Missouri may be, il he
wins Folk will be defeated because he attacked Doodle,
and the Republican who wins will be careful how he
fights corruption in Missouri; for Folks defeat will
be spelled in big letters that the majority is in favor
of Doodle,
"The man who votes against Folk. therefore.
whether he casts that vote as Republican, a Populst
or a Prohibitionist, casts it in favor of the return Of
the boodlers. Those who vote against Folk under the
circumstances will have to vote with the boodlers, and
their victory, whether it is Republican or what not,
will be in reality a victory for Doodle.
THE Gazette has been a straight Republican paper
for a dozen years. Under its present management it
has upheld the hands Of every Republican state adj
ininistration that has been elected since the paper was
started. 1t believes in Republican principles and the
greatness and efficient goodness of the Republican
bdt } AhN ''@iS uiN sLEASN pIDfi siohD III
greater than arty-Considerations of honest govern
ment. Honest government is the first thing required in
this nation. Honest men in Office honestly earning their
salaries and giving the people full value received for
their taxes-thesc considerations are more important
than Republican victory or Democratic victory. For
until honest men are in Office no principles can be
efficiently established by any government or upheld by
any party.
"Because he has been proven honest and efficient,
Folk stands pre-eininctitly the type of honest govern
ment in Missouri. No other mans victory, no matter
who he is, would he the rebukc of boodling and cor
ruption in Missouri that Folks victory will be. And
no possible Republican could by his election advertise
to the world that Missouri has determined to stand for
clean government as Folk will advertise it by his
election.
PARTIES are means for good government and not its
ends. A citizens should not ''bclong'' to a party, in
the sense that the party's action and organization
should bind him with a silly prejudice to vote for what
his good Sense and his conscience tell him is wrong
merely to conform to party regularity. Party organ
izatior should be merely all aid to honest government.
1t should hold no vote as its ciattcls; it should demand
no mans allegiance as a right. a party organization
has no charter rights, if one may use the figure, to
have and hold human beings in slavery against the
best interests Of the state or nation. The fact that
every corruptionist, whether a private citizen or a
boodling railroad, is against Folk makes it plain that the
best interest of good government in Missouri demand
Folks election. 1t is a question above party, and if 4
similar situation existed in Kansas the Gazette would
be for the Democratic nominee with all the vigor it
could command. 1t is better to be a bolter to a party
than a traitor to a state"