The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-04-16
WHAT FOLK HAS DONE
PUBLIC CAREER OF THE MAN WHO
RIGHTED THINGS IN MISSOURI.
Former Executive of That State Will
/. Speak at Mankat0 Theatre Tomor-
rev Night on "The Era Of Con-
scicnce;" the Last and Best and
Most Noteworthy Event in the Y.
M. c. A. Course.

| MOST noteworthy LVeHt IN tHe 1.
M. c. A. Course
| Governor Folk has had a remark
able political career. Since his advent
into the aena of Missouri's political life
the state has been rcvolutionized. The
things he has accomplished are difficult
of brief enumeration. Here are some
of the things he has done:
As circuit attorney of st. Louis he
exposed more official corruption than
of the world.
When he commenced, bribery was the
common and accepted thing. 1t was
regarded as merely conventional. The
| revelations he made awoke II slumber-
ing public conscience, and the moral
wave now rolling over the land is the
result.
Meeting with the ferccst opposition
| in his work of graduating corruption.
denounced and villied by corruption
lists of every kind, he took his fight be-
| fore the people. In the face of the
bittcrest contest in the history of
| American politics he won the nomina-
ton of the democratic party of his
state for governor by an overwhelming
majority. Again in the campaign for
election every venal influence combined
against him, and again he triumphed.
He was elected, while the others OH
the ticket, who were not fought as he
was, were defeated.
The Missouri Idea.
! In this campaign he announced the
doctrine known as the missouri Idea"
which is familiar in every part of the
earth today. This idea is that citizen.
ship in free country implies civic
obligation to enforce the performance
of every public trust; that bribery is
| treason, and the givers and takers of
brides are the traitors of peace; that
laws are made to be enforced, not to
be ignored; that officials should no
more embezzle the public power en-
| trusted to them than public money in
! their custody.
| His was the first of the great battles
for reform before the people, and the
principles he declared are the inspira
ton of the crusade for higher ideals of
public life.
As governor he put an end to
boodling in legislative affairs. There
was no crookedncss or scandal in the
three legislatures held under him This
was wonderful change from condi
tions that existed prior to that.
He abolished the practice of legisla
tors and officials riding OH free passes.
He procured the passage of law,
after Il hard legislative fight, repeating
the race track law, whereby gambling
was legalized. and put the most pow
erfu and insolent race track syndi
cate in the world out of business. He
broke up the attempted defiance of law
! by race track gamblers. who had the
assistance of local officers, and enforced
! the law over the heads of the local
officials.
| He put the state institutions Oh a
/ ouoihccs odoiS, anu cllmiidCcu STdII
from them.
He took the police of the large cities.
where the governor appoints the com
missoners, out of politics, and put
them on basis of public service alone.
He stamped out the grafters from
the police departments.
Elections Fair and Free.
He rcvolutionized the conduct of the
police in reference to elections, and
made elections fair and free from police
interference There has not been the
slightest complaint of unfairness in
elections in the four elections held in
each of the large cities during. his adj
ministrations.
He appointed men of the highest
character to all positions of public
st. Louis and Kansas City have con-
Quoted their departments so as to free
elections from all faint of fraud
He closed up the gambling dives in
st. Louis, Kansas City and st. Joseph
and ran the gamblers from the state
! ne eAJeIlIlludIcu IHe WlHc rooms III
tine metropolitan cities where SO many
young girls had been ruined.
i He has made the large cities un-
healthy for crooks, and has brought
about reign of law and order never
before attained
i General state primary law, providing
for the nominations by all political par
ties on the same day all over the
state, with the same number of polling
places and with the same penalties as
to illegal voting in the general election
Pure food bill, in conformity with
the national pure food law.
Anti-Lobby Law.
Anti-lobby law, making professional
: lobbying felony, except upon the lob
byist registering with the secretary o.
state, and stating what he represents
!. the bill he is lobbying for, and film,
with the same officer statement of ex
pense. This does not apply to appear
ances wholly before legislative com
mittees.
Law making operation of bucketshop
! felony, whereby this vicious form o
gambling has been run out of tn