The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1909-07-22
Special Cores po. dence.

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is one of the old-line, dyed-in-thewoo
Missouri Democrats He is the soI
of former Governor Thomas T. Crit
tenden, who reigned in the palmy
days when the Democratic majority in
this state was almost brutal. Critten-
den junior is ambitious to rise to the
gubernatorial seat. He well knows
| that the only hope of the Democracy
is in that vote in the cities which can
be held in line only by making con-
cess;ons to vice. The people who
vote for candidates because of their
personal fitness and on account Of
principles involved in an election have
been won away from the Democratic
party in the big cities of the state to
such an extent that the other element
must pull the party candidates through
or they will be defeated every time.
This is particularly true of Kansas City.
After the election of a Republican
governor last fall it became apparent
to Crittenden and other Democratic
politicians that the vote of the ele-
ment in Kansas City politics which is
always active and ready to aid the side
that offers the best inducements must
be held under Democratic control.
With the saloons all under control of
police commissioners appointed by a
Republican governor, the Democrats
have nothing to offer the saloon vote,
or the special interests" for they
cannot deliver anything promised. The
only way to hold and influence ma
iority of such voters is to guarantee
protection against the enforcement of
laws which the people of the
state have enacted. The Crittenden
idea was to have the granting Of
dramshop licenses and the control of
saloons taken out of the hands of the
board of police commissioners, which
is now Republican board, and placed
in the hands of board to be appointed
by the Democratic mayor excise
board friendly to the interests which
the Democrats have used in late years
to carry city elections. To accom-
plish that object special city cleo
ton was held on the 18th for voting
on the proposition to create special
excise board. The Democratic ad-
ministration made the proposition and
backed it with all the influence the
mayor and the party leaders could
command. The presented it as home
rule proposition plan under which
the city could have home rule in the
matter of licensing and controlling
dramshops. It was peculiar to see the
son of the old-line Democratic COVER
nors Of the state, man who claims to
be the special champion of Missouri
Democracy, appealing to the people to
change system which the Democrat
ic governors and Legislators of the state
inaugurated, have always approved, and
which they carefully sustained till the
very day the people elected a Repub-
lican governor For it was the Demo
cratic party which placed the cities un-
der board rule and boldly defed the
home rule advocates who protested
against the system.
The people OF Kansas City have vot-
ed, and now the last hope of the de-
cadent Democracy has gone glimmer-
ing, for, by majority of $50 out
of total vote of 30,192, Kansas City
declared for control of the dramshops
by board app ointed by the governor
instead of the mayor, and thus they
have approved the position of Gov
ernor Hadley that no home rule prep
osition which deprives the state of the
power to enforce its laws in the cities
is safe or commendable. He took that
position in his message to the Legis-
lature on home rule legislation, and he
made that idea very clear to the vot-
ers of Kansas City in speech deliv-
cred there the night before the late
election. His views have been ap
proved by the people of the second