The St. Louis Republic., 1904-04-11
Circuit Attorney Folks Support.
ers Plan to Urge the Fight in
Mayor Reeds Bailiwick.
DESIRE A LATE PRIMARY.
st. Louis Mans Friends Desire to
Wait Until Their Adversary
Steps Out of Office Before
Electing Delegates.
REr1RIJC SPECIAL

municipal election excitement Is over. the
| Folk men are actively arranging to push
their campaign. With the assurance that
| they havo a safe majority Of the County
Committee. including its chairman. An
| Drew Gallagher, they are preparing for
the effozt as though they would meet with
no opposition whatever IN the committee
meeting. This indicates that the Folk
| managers have complete confidence that
they are safe in :hat direction.
1t has been agreed by the managers that
they Will not elect delegates before the
end OF May. but they do not go so far as to
say that they will not wait until June
before facing the issue. 1t is to be a
straight fight between Mayor Reed and
Circuit Attorney Folk.
There will be two ballots in the field.
and one will be headed Folk Delega-
tion.' while the other will be heaoed
Reed Delegation -
So announced one Of the most important
men In the Democratic party in the county
this morning.
TO WAIT TILL REED RETIRES.
Continuing. this authority said: I'VE
want to postpone the election until Mayor
Reed shall have been placed on the same
level as Mr. Folk. BY that I mean to re-
call that Mr.. Folk has no organized ma
chine to support his claims. We shall wait
until the new city administration shall
have taken charge. and the Reed d.
rectors are beyond payroll influence: and,
what is more. the 1000 street sweepers.
Park Board men. and others are, like the
o Ior Mr sinlaTly aIt rated men men. who will vote
beyond the power of Reed coercion IN the
City Hall. 1t is not asking too much in
an iairness to ask for gostponement of
brought about Anyhow too much or too
little. we mean to have it"
idayors Secretary Harvey. in the abb
sence Of the Mayor himself. was asked
for his views. Mr.. Harvey is not manag-
ing the general campaign. but has the
confidence Of the Mayor. and is in the
closest possible touch with the situation.
We can beat the Folk men ON any
field they select. They have not a control
In the County Committee Mr.. Reed has
tS1 twice e. met the Folk managers" mean-
while these are Folk supporters. they are
not Folk managers) and each time he
has defeated them.
We win win when the fight is on be-
cause we will have the Democrats on our
side. The Folk men are not Democrats.
nized them dttingly when he publicly
der the name Of the Folk Democracy
We might not hope to overcome a Bolt
Republican alliance. but we will not have
to negotiate with 1T. As to the County
tortty OF Its members is favorable to MFR.
Reeds candidacy Tho Chairman himself,
Mr.. Gallagher, has said he is for Mr..
Reed.
FOLKS HANDS OFF
Folks friends scoff at the idea Of the
recent election showing anything While
some Of Mr.. Folks supporters worked for
Shelley. Mr.. Folk took no part whatever
that he was Keeping his hands off, Mr..
Reed. on the other hand, made fifty
speeches here to the electors prior to
his friends into line. Congressman Cow
herd, the most potent influence In the
Reed wing. spoke in his behalf. All the
time Mr.. Folk had not uttered one syl-
The Shelley ticket was not regular.
Frank Walsh and J. NJ. Lowe, the Folk
managers, ordered Mr.. Folk to be left out
on the ground that he must not be tainted
County Chairman Gallagher was asked
this morning when he would call his COM
mittee together.
whenever both sides ask it, he re-
The fact that the Mayor has not made
this request convinces Folks friends that
Reed has no faith in the story that he
controls the committee.
For many months MIR. Reeds demand
was for the election Of delegates by d.
rect vote, and during his incumbency of
the Mayors ONCE.
TO DELAY PRIMARY.
Contrary to the Mayors wishes, the
Folk managers demanded late vote and
the election of delegates by direct vote, as
the Mayor wanted, but by wards and
townships. instead of by the county at
large. They feared that the Mayors vote
in the city. created by his police and .0o9
salaried supporters. would overcome the
unsalaried Folk vote in the city and in
the county outside the city.
Reed IL understood to favor county
convention. The Folk men are opposing
this. One Of the Folk managers said this
morning:
we will not have a convention. The
fair thing to do is to let the people vote
direct on delegates. We will adopt that
course