Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1909-12-23
REED REPUDIATED
IN KANSAS CITY.
DEyoCRATIc LEADERS REBUKED
BY AN OVERWHELMING MA
IoRiTY OF HONEST VOTES.
Some Queer Election Figures OF 1908
as Seen In the Light Of Honest
Election Returns a Year Lat
era Significant Election.

Last Thursday the people of Kan
sas City defeated, by over 1000 ma
joiity, a proposed franchise for the
Metropolitan Street Railway Com
pany for AZ years. While. under Or
dinary circumstances, this resul twould
seem to be Of merely local import
ance, yet it is in fact Of the greatest
importance, not only in state politics,
| but also as furnishing an explanation
sor the result of the election in 1908.
\ In that election, as is generally re-
called. the Democratic state candi-
dates carried Kansas City by about
5000 majority, and even Cowherd,
who ran about 1,aoo votes behind his
ticket, carried it by 4.5oo. And it
was to this remarkable vote that all
the Democratic state officers owe their
election.
The surprising gain of this majority
is further evidenced by the fact that
in Kansas City the Democrats in
creased their vote in 1908 over 1904
by 10, 900, while the increase in the
Republican vote was only 5000.
These figures were entirely out Of
,Sproportion with the conditions in all
pther parts of the state-and in fact
(n adjoining states. And yet, last
July, when the Crittenden administra-
ion submitted an amendment to the
atty charter taking away the control
, of the saloons from the Police Boa.,i +,
appointed by Governor Hadley, and
placing it with the Board to be APP
pointed by the mayor, that PROPOSE
tion was defeated by over 5000 ma
jority, Notwithstanding the fact that it
was made practically strictly party
issue. Jim Reed, the mouthpiece of
the Crittcnden administration, was
given the doubtful credit Of having
planned this amendment to the char
! ter, and he was particularly abusive
of the Republican Police Commits
sioners in his speeches in its support.
ahe proposition to extend the Met
ropolitan Street Railway franchise AZ
years was also proposed by the Crit
tendcn administration and actively
favored by the Crittcnden-Reed-Cow-
herd machine. Reed and Cowherd
were the leading orators who advo-
Gated this most unusual grant to q
public service corporation. In re-
sponse to the directions of Governor
Hadley the Republican city organi.
zation actively opposed the granting
of this franchise, and the question was
again made party issue, and, with
the assistance OF number OF the
leading representative Democrats o
the city, the Reed Crittendcn admin.
istration was again defeated, and thi'
time by over 1000 majority.
There is thus presented the strik
ing paradox that in November, 1908
the Crttenden-Reed-C -Cowherd ma
chine, with Democratic Police anC
Election Commissioners, carried ths
city by 5000 majority, and in two
elections in 1909, held with the same
registration lists, under Republican
Police Commissioners, the Crttenden
Reed -Cowhcrd machine was defeated
the first time by over 5000 majorit,
and the second time by over 7 oot
majority.
Incidentally, the results of thes'
two elections assure the election OF ;
Republican mayor in Kansas Cit!
next April, and the retirement of th'