Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1904-03-10
POLITICS At CLAYTON.
Official Statement Regarding the
Hawes-Folk Contest.

y - : b
The chairman and secretary Of the
st. Louis County Democratic Commit
tee publishes In the St. Louis Repub-
lie the following statement regarding
the Hawes-Folk contest:
COMMITTEE STATEMENT.
We, the undersigned, chairman and
secretary OF the st. Louis County
Democratic Committee, in justice to-
our committee aud the Democrats Of
our county, feel impelled to issue this
statement of facts for the lnforma-
tion OF fellow Democrats and peacea-
BILE citizens throughout the State.
On Saturday, February 20, 1904, our
committee met by call Of the chair
man, after due notice mailed to each
member ON Tuesday, February l6.
Total present membership Of the COM
mittee Is sIxty-two. OF this number
thirty three were present In person
and nineteen by proxy.
BY vote OF 38i to 12i, the order was
made for township mass meetings In
four townships. and precinct mass
meetings In the large townships Of
Bonhomme, On saturday, February
q, to elect delegates to county con
vention to be held at Clayton Tues
day, March |, 1904.
Pursuant to this order meetings
we're held In each place, as designated
by The committee.
In the rural townships OF Bon
homme and Mcramec the meetings
were peaceable aud orderly, and re-
suits accepted without protest from
any one, the nine delegates from Mera-
mec township and thirteen from Bon
homme all being elected on the Folk
ticket.
In Oarondelet, Central and st. Fer
dinand townships, all lying contiguous
to the city OF St Louis, efforts wert
made to control the meetings by non
residents, commonly called Butler
Hawes Indians, +" from the city. Al
Clayton some 400 of these people tool
possession OF the town, and so intim
idated resident voters that 1t was i'm
possible to hold meeting II
a public hall. Mr.. Hawes had hiret
every hall and vehicle in the place
and the meeting was held In black
smith shop, while the Hawes peopl
held one in hall which they con
trolled.
At Florlssant, st. Ferdinand town
ship, twenty-five Republican negroe
and something near a hundred "Indi
ans" attempted TO control the meet
ing, which resulted In two sets 0
delegates.
At Alton, In Carondelet township
the hall was packed in advance b
INDIANS so that the regular meet
| ing had to be held in another place
which also gave rise to contesting set
of delegates.
| When the time arrived for th
County Convention at Clayton yestel
day Mr.. Hawes had again hired bot
public halls In the town and, a mur
der trial being in progress In the Oh
lcult Court room, the Committee Ell
gagged the Probate Court room, an
designated d. T. Taylor, an uncoi
tested delegate from Bonhomme tow
ship, as temporary chairman and Ge
IL. Frazier, an uncontested delegal
from Meramec township, as temper
,, ry secretary.
But, on attempting to call the CO..
vention to order, the temporary chai
man was forcibly prevented from ia
ing the chair, was dragged off Il
> platform, beaten and bruised by
crowd of rufiians wearing Haw
! badges, most Of whom were not know
to the citizens of the county, but wi
were led by one Thomas Henkins,
st. Louis City, who wasnot delegai
nor even a resident of our county, b
who then undertook to organize q
. meeting with the aid Of more than
hundred "Indians" and contestil
y Halves delegates.
=, Seeing the confusion and impos
= bility of getting the appointed cha
man to the chair, j. b. Suddut
IL chairman of the County Central Col
q mittee, called the meeting to ord
L and designated ]. G. Appler as te
& porary chairman, whereupon Jud
q w. II. Biggs, an uncontested delega
IS from Bonhomme township, NOV
Q that, in order to avoid rio, and blot
70 shed, the convention adjourn to me
1t at Kirkwood, Saturday, March 81 I
Or motion was duly put and carried, al
se accordingly, the regular Democra
Is Convention OF st. Louis County
by be held at Kirkwood next Saturday
IL o'clock.
,o DIEFIcULT SITUATION.