The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1906-02-16
SPEECH OF TH0S.
K. %NIEDRINGHAUS
Chairman of the Republican State
Committee, at the Meeting of Re-
publicans Of the Third Con-
gressional District, at
Cameron, Mo-, Feb
ruary -, 1900.

In 1904 the Republican party of
Missouri decided it was able to sit
up and take notice. We looked
around and found that those states
in the Union which we're most pro-
gressive and enlightened had cast
their fortunes with the Republic
car party in the United States.
We concluded to join the process
sion, and the Mysterious Stran-
ger" was born.
We thus inaugurated a new
brand of Republican politics in
this splendid commonwealth, and
decided that the real reaso for
the existance of u party was
to organize and bring to the
polls those who believe that our
land would be worth more, our
people happier, and our mineral
wealth and material resources best
developed under a flag hoisted by
Fremont, baptised in the blood of
patriotism by Lincoln, made the
standard of peace by Grant, and
cast abroad in the sun-kissed air
of a reconciled and reunited coun-
ty by Mckinley.
We appealed to the sound, con-
sentative sentiment of those who
had the real interest of Missouri at
heart, and thus laid our party
foundation upon the broad lines of
Missouri's true welfare. In the
conduct of the campaign we ap-
piled the same business methods,
which experience in the private af-
fairs of life had taught US were
necessary to success. We succeed.
Today Republican officials are
conducting our state affairs at JEFF
ferson City, and are showing the
people that honesty and capacity
are Just as advantageous in poll
tics as in business.
The entire Republican State
ticket was elected with but one
exception, Governor Joseph w.
Folk, who in his campaign for
nomination and election made so
many plausible promises that Re-
publicans as we'll as Democrats
were deceived, and voted for him
without regard to party ties. He
had stated that if the people of
the large cities of Missouri had
sense enough to cast their own bal
lots they had sufficient intelligence
to control their own elections, to
appoint their own police and to
administer their own laws. AS
you all know, they cannot even
spend their ownmoney under the
present system. Whatever de-
mand the police commissioners of
st. Louis make upon the city coun-
Gil in the way of appropriation for
that department, must be met, and
the member of the council who
votes againstit is guilty of a crime
and may be fined or otherwise
punished. This is taxation with
out representation-the privilege
for which the War of the American
Revolution vas fought. Candidate
Folk promised, if elected COVER
nor, he would see that the people
of st. Louis and other large cities
got home rule. A democratic Sem
ate and Republican lower house at
Jefferson City last winter enacted
such a law. The governor prompt
ly vetoed it, evidently not being
willing after election, to deprive
himself OF so much power, which
the appointment of police, election
excise commissioners gave him.
nor did he suggest to the Legis-
lature any measure which would
meet with his approval, and l do
not now believe that there is a sim
gle Republican in Missouri who
admits to having voted for Gov.
Folk but is ashamed of it.
Having fooled US once by fail
words and glib promises, ouI
friend, the governor, now thinks
he can again catch Republicans
in the same net he so successfully
spread before. With much blare
of newspaper trumpets and show
of civic virtues, he has issued an
order closing all the saloons of the
State on Sunday. He has not ex.
planned why they were open, and
who has been violating the law or
orr atafy1to hOnk for mora than q