The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1904-03-18

| other good men whom the peOpl'
would like to honor, and we pu
forward Hon. NJ. X. Smith as st
Francois county's iavorite either
and candidate for congressional
preierment at this time, and ask ON
Democratic friends OF the distriC
to help us.
ASSERTIONS ARE NOT FACTS
The Lead Belt News, in n two.
column screed, assaults both the
personal and political character of
Joseph W. Folk with what up.
pears TO us AS strained and I'M
reasonable assertions.
It questions his personal honesty
because he was elected to the Office
Of 'lrcuit Attorney at an election
IN which frauds were perpetrated
and did not refuse to accept the
Office or did not resign, though it
has not been shown that any frauds
were committed in his interest or
that his competitor was elected. II
every honest official to whom II
certificate of election was isued had
resigned because of frauds com
mitted i'll many Of the wards, the
corrupt element would have had
things all their own way. Mr..
Folk, finding himself in office, had
the manhood and honesty not to
yield to the corrupt influences
which dominate a portion of the
city in the discharge of his official
duties, and to refuse the demand
of the boss boodIer, Ed Butler,
to appoint an assistant Circuit At
tOrney of the latter's choosing
Nothing would have pleased the
bOodlcrs more than for Mr.. Folk
to have resigned.
The News accuses him of neg
Letting the prosecution of the low
err class of criminals. some whom
have laid in Jail eighteen months
without a trial, " etc. The News
is doubtless guessing here and
talking of something it knows lit =
tie or nothing about. st. Louis has
two separate aud distinct prosecut.
ing officers, the Circuit Attorney
aud the City or Prosecuting Attor.
ney, and the formers duties are t.
represent the State in felony cases
in the Circuit Court and in appeals
to that court from the other city
courts. The laws delay in such
eases AS the News mentions, if an,
exist in st. Louis, is usually the
result of continuances obtained
and technicalitics raised by the de,
PENDANT $ counsel, and for which the
prosecuting officer is in no way re
sponsible.
The Harmed ease, in this count,
where the defendant lay in jai
here for eighteen mon tbs ant
whose case was finally nOlle prose
quied because the prosecuting wit
ness had all disappeared, is a case il
point.
The News says he is said ha V,
BEEN of lobby in behalf of tn,
saloon license bill. We are sur.
prised that the News should try t.
revive that canard. And it allege,
that majority of the signers OF
the petitions supporting the Foil
delegates in the st. Louis primary
were Republicans. So the Haws
ties attempted to make ii appear
in their sham tactics of Directing
to them before the Board of Flee :
ton Commissioners; but that body,
although composed entirely OF
Halves supporters, settled the mat
ter by deciding that they were Dem.
ocrats and recognizing the Folk
delegates. Ever since MIR. Folk 8
candidacy was first mentioned, the
machine contingent has been trying
to cram the falshood into the minds
of the people that his principal
supporters were Republicans, which
IL true, would mean that the Dem
0crats were displeased with his
work in unearthing the corruption
in st. Louis, an idea not to be en-
tertained for a moment.
The News, in an effort to dis
credit Mr.. Folks democracy, fur.
ther alleges that the Democracy
Of st. Francois county is asking Mr..