The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-05-29
HE WHIPPED
The MACHINE
Stuck to His Duty and People
Insisted That He be Made
Governor.
PROSECUTED THE BooDLERs
His. Fearless Work Created 3
Tide Of Sentiment for Him
That Could Not be Stenllned.

II ". b. Kenny, writing to the Milwaukee
Journal from st. Louis. says
After a bitter battle. wagcd by his I'D
mIrers ana without his consent, Joseph
W. Folk Is the sole remaining candidate
yor Tho Democratic nomination for Cover
nor OF Missouri.
And In Missouri the Democratic nomi-
nation Is equivalent TO an election. rho
Republicans go through the form of NAM
INK a state ticket. But the candidates
merely thank the convention for the
"honor" return to their homes, make
few speeches In tho few counties that
are doubtful. and then predict how much
the democratic majority will be cut
down."
The Folk campaign Is one OF the most
remarkable bits Of political history In
this country.
IT Is seldom that an unwilling candl-
date, forced into the fight by friends,
many Of whom he didn't even know by
sight or name, is opposed by a powerful
machine. yet wins out BY an overwhclm-
Ing majority.
Joseph w. Folks fight on Doodle Is an
E
made him the next Governor Of Mis-
souri,. While he was fighting municipal
corruption, there was no. thought OF
promoting him. But when he opened up
a. bribery vein In the State Leg lslnture
In March. 1905, the public became In
terested However, his efforts In this
direction were blocked by the machine
which controlled tho state Offices.
When this became apparent In July,
1913. little group OF ST. Louis business
men decided to remove the obstacles In
his path. They met, canvaHsed the situa-
ton and agreed that the only way 10 do
II was to dethrone the machine and
elect clean anti-machine Governor.
Who would FIJI the bill? The unanl-
nous response was--"Folk."
Tho reserved young circuit attorney
thanked them for their offer, but waved
] It aside.
~ will need four years more In this
Office. must get the men | have con-
victed into Jail"
But the good government league thought
otherwise. With a machine Supreme
statehouse, the tools OF the machine
would never wear stripes. An honest
Governor. as a member ex officio Of all
State boards, could get to the root OF cor
runptions heretofore only hinted at.
Sentiment was felt. The country papers
were sounded. Instantly in half hun
drcd counties. Folk for Governor APP
peared at the head of tho Democratic
papers.
The machine laughed. I'VE will kill
him In his home city, and the country
boom Will die out,
.t So Harry B, Halves. president OF the,
st. Louis Board of Police Commissioners,
whose position gave him autocratlc pow
er. announced his candidacy. At the
same time James A. Reed. Mayor OF
Kansas City, brilliant orator and lawyer.
went into the race. Then Judge Grant,
Of the Supreme Court lowed he'd like
TO exchange the ermine for the Governors
chair.
a hurrah campaign was inaugurated,
Grant never had ghost OF chance.
His candidacy WAS a sop to the ex-Con-
federate vote. Reed and Halves were
the real candidates.
They attacked Folk. He's injurins
the party" they cried. He refused to
wrok for the ticket In st. Louis last
spring.
Folk was silent. I'm not a candidate"
he said. But his friends pointed out that
on the ticket he refused to support were
several men he had indicted for bribery
So the charges reacted.
Next, the Republican papers got in
line. IF we have to have Democratic
governor. let's have clean one" they
argued.
Then the machine got scared. BY
clubbing respectful BILE citizens at the polls,
while the police smiled approval the gang
beat Folk in stsIouis He got only II
delegates out of 122. But a dozen police
men were indicted for neglect OF duty.
This was another shock.
Meantime. the machine was In des-
perato humor. Here was a man not n
candidate for Office. Yet county after
county was instructing delegates for
him.
So the machine got together. Halves
Withdrew and threw his strength to Reed,
The tactics changed. Reed pointed to his
prosecution Of Jury bribers at Kansas
City end the cry was raised that not
one of the men Folk had convicted was
in tho pen.
Felix's friends referred to the Supreme