The St. Louis Republic., 1904-09-26
A COMBINE AND 4 CIRCUIT ATTORNEY.

4 COMBINE AND 4 CIRCUIT ATToREEY.
For ST. Louis to provide municipal c"rnbin"
with Circuit Attorney guaranteed 10 keep ais back
turned for four years would he like m"rgaginG the
.iry's honor to his Satanic Majesty.
There is a combine in the present House Of Dele
gates. and Colonel Ed Buffers pu! Herewith
amounts n heavy 'drag"-one sufficient at least
10 retard the present garbage measure Colonel
Butler has pull in with The present House
and one in posse with the next House. Owing to
ward conditions his prospective strength may be
contemplated 4 certainty.
He plans 10 name the next Circuit Attorney
The announced plan. the cstensble plan. is 10 Sc
cure the nomination of Mr.. Harry Walsh in the
Democratic Convention and the nomination of Mt
George r. sfderer in the Republican Convention;
the former having been the law partner of Mr..
James Butler and the latter being the weil-known
sapent and sanity exJudge Of local police court
About both of these gentlemen the Butler aimos-
phere is thick you could cut it with knife.
This is the rumored plan sourced in saloon caucus
in which several members Of the House combine
recently participated and TO which less pub
licity has been given.
But IL looks too baldfaced To be true. II is oh
viousIy calculated to make the public fguratively.
stand up Its hind legs and roar. Indeed. the fact
that II has been allowed 10 leak forth 10 the public
car suggests that ii is for the purpose Of making
the public and that when the people shall have
exhausted their indignation and vented all their
protests Butler will then quietly attempt to perpe
trate his real and underlying plan-which will be
to consent" TO the nomination of other men
equally friendly TO him. but less Objectionable TO
the public because less known in their relationships
to Buffer In other words, Mesers. Walsh and
Sidener seem to have been pu; forth as stalking
horses TO attract public attention and exhaust pub
lie objection and at the same time TO draw notice
away from the real designs Of the boss. Walsh and
Sidener seem 10 be paving the way for other men,
This at least is the suggestion conveyed by the
facts. 1t does not by any means follow that the
scheme will succeed or that proper nominations
will not be made by both parties. Planning is
easier than performing.
st. Louis knows that to permit Butler TO name
Folks successor would be to tempt the Doodle
Fates and the question Of the Circuit Attorney ship
will be watched narrowly by all citizens. The pub
lie will not readily take Buffers bait. Forewarned
is forearmed. The r,lmor from the saloon caucus |
will be carefully considered, but 1t will not he per
nitted set the people a false scent will it
prevent them from scrutinizing candidates other
than Walsh and Sidener. II it be really Buffers
purpose attempt the nomination Of either or both
Of these the people will he prepared for that:
tention.
Men tainted with Buticrism or friendly 10 Butler |
interests will d. and candidates for the Circuit
Attorneyship In both parties will be minuteiy ex-
,mined for the earmarks. Nominations for that
,fice must be clean 10 the point Of possessing un
questioned affiliations.
For the Republican party 10 nominate man of
questionable politics affiliations would be to raise
new and peculiar doodle issue upon which IL
would have the wrong side. Should the Democratic I
,arty do such a thing. At It's convention October
l. IL would set an example to he avoided in the Re-
publican Convention the following week. There
probably will not be a choice between two evils for
he voter-at least of the parties will surely
iave sense enough to nominate highciass man Of
Indoubted political antecedenis. In the event that
,ut one Of the psrties should nominate a fit man.
citizenship will elect him without reference par
II would be . question OF 4 good man
Igainst a had one. and not all the united powers OF
,ang politics could prevent the people from exer
Using their will at the polls. Politicians good and
,ad in both parties know this bad nomination
or the Circuit AttOrneyship means nothing less
han q tremendous day at the polls and a lasting
esson administered to the offending party by the
,eople.