The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1908-03-27
EVANS OPENS CAMPAIGN.
Candidate for Democratic Nomination
for Governor Makes Aggressive
Speech and Defines His Po-
sition.
CRITlClSeS MR.. CoWHERD'S STAND

Judge w. n. Evans opened his
campaign for the Democratic nomi-
nation for Governor in a stirring
speech before the Democratic Club
at Joplin last Friday. He spoke in
part as follows:
Under our form OF government
and election system political organi-
cation and party nominations are
necessary and Indispensable. Every
citizen, no matter what his calling
or avocation is, should participate
in party organization, and In the Sc
lection of party candidates from
President down. Missouri has prac-
tically spoken :.ei choice for the
Democratic nominee for President,
and with almost unanimity has de-
clared for William J. Bryan, who
Will be the standard bearer of Dem
ocracy Ia 1908, and around whose
standard We can all rally with a
hearty good will.
We can safely congratulate our
selves in advance that we will not
go down in the avalanche of disap-
provaI as we did i'm 1904, when near
~ 50,p00 Democrats stayed at home,
thereby causing the defeat of most
of our State ticket, among whom
were some of the best men in the
State, including my good friend and
neighbor, Albert o. Allen, than
whom the State never had better
| officer.
In the coming presidential cam
paign there will be many important
questions of IA national character to
discuss, but in the main tonight
SHAH confine myself to local or State
matters. / shall not take up your
time to discuss the tariff, though
have very pronounced views on that
subject, and am unalterably opposed
to tariff for protection, and be-
lieve that almost every voter who Is
able to think for himself has his
mind quite well settled on one side
or the other.
State Rights an Issue.
There is one other greater question
that is, or will be, an issue in the
coming presidential campaign, and
that is the question of State rights
under the Federal Constitution. The
people have been asleep for cen
fury on this question, and now a
chief executive Of the nation, full of
energy and red blood, is pressing
the question of Federal control of
State affairs, and the doctrine of
| Alexander Hamilton il resurrected
add stands erect with renewed ener-
gy and vitality, and, In his zeal Ia
establish this undemocratic doctrine,
the President OF this Union has
seemingly forgotten that there are
under the constitution three distinct
departments of State: The legislat-
i've, the executive and the judicial.
But he assumes to coerce the legis-
lative power and pack" and inhu-
ence the judicial department to do
his will and adopt his views In the
enactment and construction of laws.
All thoughtful people who believe
in State rights are alarmed at the
Roadway made by the advocates of
Capitalization, and II behooves the
Democrats TO begin a campaign Of
education on this issue.
But | am candidate for Governor
of Missouri, and ii is with the poll
cies and functions pertaining to that
Office that | wish to deal now. If
am elected Governor and installed
as the Chief Executive OF this State,
/ will take as my guide and platform
the Constitution and Laws OF the
State, and use my best endeavors
to enforce them as ! find them, and
to me all men stand equal before the
law; the president of the bank and
the janitor should be tried by the
same rule of right, and the law that
protects the man of property should,
and will, protect the laboring man,
whose energy and muscle are his
only capital.
Fsvors Initiative and Referendum,
i had something to do with the
framing Of the Democratic platform
in 1904 and In 1906, and ] am now, as
/ was then, in favor of the initiative
and referendum, whereby the peo-
pie reserve to themselves the right
and power to propose laws, as well
as the right to approve or reject at
the polls any act of the Legislative
Assembly. This policy is now
crystalized In the proposed consti-
tutional amendment to be voted on
at the coming election; favored
then, as i approve now, the State
primary election law. favor now,
as / did then, the regulation OF pub
lic-service charges and the creation
of commission to regulate tolls,