Mexico weekly ledger., 1904-01-21

keeping with the demands of the times
If policemen have interfered in cleo
tons in this city in the past, why ha,
not our circuit attorney indicted ant
punished them? II he has information
showing that there has been police in
timidation, why has he not tried tn,
cases in court? Probably he prefers II
take an appeal, as he did from the Su
preme Court, and try the cases at {
political primary. II there was polic'
intimidation, the circuit attorney neg
lected his duty. II there was no polio,
intimidation, the charge ought moi t.
be made.
ELECTIONS.
The election law now on the statute
books Of Missouri was placed there al
the result OF the joint Ia
bors Of some Of the abiest
men In st. Louis. The president Of The
American Bar Association took ar
active part in its preparation, as die
also the circuit attorney Of the City Of
st. Louis. 1t will meet all require
ments. II anyone has yet pointed out
a defect In its construction or pro
visions, I do net know what it is. Its
actual operation may develop some OBJ
1%ections, but up to this time they have
not been found. The question of cleo
ton laws can not be an issue within
the Democratic party, unless the gen.
eral election law OF the State of Mis-
souri, is to be changed. No one. either
Democrat or Republican, has asked fod
such a change.
The real cause of the charge Of "po-
lice interference" and unfair election
laws is not for the purpose Of chang
ing either the police laws or the cleo
ton laws, but simply to lay the
foundation for a contest in the pri-
maries to be held in this city. Promi-
nent leaders supporting my opponent
from this city have been talking Of
contesting the delegations from St
Louis. The convention proper may not
be held for six months. Not the first
nov has been made to call a primary.
The State Committee has not met, And
yet these gentleman are discussing a
contest. What can be their object? II
means simply that they know that the
Democrats Of this city viii give me a
solid delegation to the next State on
v%ention. And either they are attempt
ing to discount this strength or they
are sufficiently foolish to talk Of revo-
luton.
A fair and honest primary will be
held in the City of st. Louis for the
State Convention. It will be partici-
pated in by Democrats alone. Repub-
licans and recent allies of the Repub-
lican party will not be permitted to
vote. Not n vote will be cast other
than that Of a Democrat.
If 1t had not been for the work Of
the Democratic party in st. Louis, our
last State ticket would have been elect
ed by a narrow majority of less than
six thousand. The men who fought us
in this election and in the preceding
one will not be permitted under any
circumstances or conditions, after hav-
ing failed to defeat the party, to enter
its organization to dictate it's nomi-
nees. And to those who are considering
the contesting or unseating of the del
egation from st. Louis, l have simply
this to say: In the first place, no hon
est Democrat would propose such a
scheme; in the second place, l do not
believe that the State Democracy will
countenance such an outrageous pro-
ceeding; in the third place, to engage
In any such corrupt practice will de-
feat every nominee of the Democratic
party in the next election. Our pri-
maries will be honestly held, but in
the primaries none but Democrats will
be permitted to vote.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
The broad and majestic Mississippi
which flows by our door tonight,
washing the shores Of Eastern Missou-
ri, is the natural highway for COM
merce and trade Of the Middle States
of our Union. In length OF stream and
volume OF water, 1t is unequalled by
any river In the world. Our own Mark
Twain said OF IL; ut discharges three
times as much water as the st. Law
renee, twenty-five times as much as
the Rhine and 1893 times as much as
the Thames. No other river has so
vast a drainage basin. 1t draws its
water supply from twenty-eight states
and territories. It carries to the Gulf
the waters from fifty-four subor6i-
nate rivers that are navigable by
and from hundreds that
are ~navigable by fats and keels. The
area of its drainage basin equals the
areas of England, Wales,
Scotland, Ireland. France, Spain, Por-
tugal, Germany, Austria, Italy and
and all this wide region is
fruitful. The Mississippi Valley prop
err is exceedinly So"
The opening Of the Isthmian Canal
would make the Mississippi a natural
highway upon whose waters we could
foat the beef. the corn, the wheat and
the cotton Of our people, not only di-
rect TO the countries of the Atlantic,
but to the counties Of the Pacific. Tho
question Of markets is the live question