The San Francisco call., 1906-04-14
PICTURES
EVIL Of GRAF I
Missouri's Executive Says
the Reign of the Special
Privilege Is About Ended

KANSAS CITY, April 13-Five hundred
Missouri Democrats attended banquet
at the Midland Hotel in this city tonight
Press Association to commemorate the
birthday anniversary of Thomas Jeffer-
son. OF this number $50 were editors of
Missouri newspapers and the remainder
were prominent Democrats from various
parts of the State.
The principal speakers were Governor
Joseph w. Folk, United States Senator
William ]. Stone and Congressman
Charles A. Towne of New York. Addresses
were also delivered by Charles w. Knapp
of the st. Louis Republic and Judge w.
w. Evans, chairman of the Democratic
State committee. Colonel David Fleming
of Kansas City and several others re-
sponded to requests for impromptu
speeches. T. W. Stephens, president of
the association and editor of the Herald
at Columbia, Mo-, acted as POSTMASTER.
DISCUSSES GRAFT EVIL.
Governor Folk spoke in part as follows:
Graft in its analysis is a special privilege,
either exercised contrary to law or one the law
itself may give. Some special privilege Is at
the bottom of every graft. No ever heard
of an official being corrupted in order to give
equal rights to all. 1t is always for the pur-
pose of obtaining some special privilege for a
few
An unprecedented political revival is going
on in the United States today this subject.
The next few years will be distinguished as
the time In which the reign of the special
privilege is brought to an end. and the doc
trine OF equal rights fixed in national politics
and In the conscience of mankind
The atmosphere will be clearer and the body
polite cleaner for the stamping out and cure
of civic evils. There Is no secret remedy
known for corruption 1t cannot be cured by
hiding it. The developments of the last few
as to the future. The punishment of rascas
is not going to cause the overthrow OF the
republic. oid-fashioned ideas of honesty are
being applied to the new-fashioned business.
Thas command, Thou shalt not steal' has
again become binding. This does not mean
socialism which says to another, What is
thine is NINE but it means equal oppor-
tunity to all to have, to hold and to enjoy the
fruits of honest labor and no special privileges
to a class to prey upon the rest of the people.
PARTY NAMES MEAN NOTHING.
The time has come when the people will no
longer respond TO mere party Names Parties
must stand for something, must be positive
force not mere negative quantity. What
ever may be said of the accomplishment of
any party in days gone by the question is
now not what the Democratic party did fifty
years ago, or what the republican party did
and what do they propose to do now. The way
to determine this is not merely by reading the
PLATFORM but by finding out what the
didates represent, whether they are honest ana
courageous and whether they are supported
or fought by special privilege and the lawless
element 1t is a very good rule to follow to
ascertain on which side the enemies Of the
people and of representative government are
fighting and then get on the other side mi
oppose them. One may rest assured that rc
be far from right.
In closing his address Senator Stone
said:
Enough has been said in all reason to show
that Theodore Roosevelts administration of
his great office is not such should inspire
o1.1of rext,
dacious and spectacular his career, as / view
it. has been signalized by weakness not
vaingiory. not solid worth For whatever he
may do that is right give credit. am neither
for him nof against him: / simply take him
for what he Is. viii support him wher ne is
right but shall not court him with blant leh
ments nor swell his vanity by blowing upon
him the incense of fiattery. Democrat
and under the banner of that grand old party
I content to stay. And so let US all stand
here In Missouri.