The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1911-04-27


enrprised in the least when the Sena-
,orial gerymander was adopted by
Attorney General Major and Secretary
Of State Roach last week. Everybody
Who knows anything about state politics
knew that an Infamous scheme to steal
the State Senate once more had been
concocted during the legislative session
had been finally perfected at a secret
conference of Democratic politicians at
Excelsior Springs, where Senator Stone
was the guiding spirit, and that Major
and Roach were merely trying to put it
through the necessary legal process
when they met with Governor Hadley
TO comply with a provision of Section
7 of article 4 of the constitution.
Though the Governor was the ranking
member of the redistricting board un-
der the provision of that section Major
and Roach made no pretense of consult
ing him, though he was present and
the meeting was held in his Office.
After the two Democratic officials
had, by their own votes, organized"
the Gum Shoe Gerymander was pro-
duced, as it had been agreed upon by
them and the Democratic politicians
whose wishes they were there to exc
cute; and by their own votes, they
adopted it without giving the governor
opportunity to consider it fairly or to
propose anything in lieu of it. He re-
gistered one strong objection, however
protesting agaist depriving the city of
St. Louis of one senator and giving one
senator to each of several districts with
less than the legalpopulation. Major and
Roach signed the document, and Roach
put the great seal of the State on it
and filed it officially in his Office.
Of course Governor Hadley did not
sign it, for that would have been
equivalent to signing away the right OF
half of the voters of Missouri to fair
representation in the State Senate. Nor
will he promulgate it, as provided for
in section of article 4, nor will he
in any wise recognize it as a legal re-
districting of the State. What will be
done to prevent the operation of this
monstrous partisan scheme to steal the
State Senate will develop in due time.
Governor Hadley finally signed the
general appropriation bill last week,
after cutting out oft every separate item
that could be eliminated safely and
justly in order to reduce the total of all
appropriations to an aggregate sum not
too much in sexcess of the probable
revenues for the biennial period.
Some special appropriations for un-
necessary clerk hire in the Offices OF
the State Auditor and the Secretary OF
State were so intermingled with neces-
sary appropriations that he could not
veto them without imparing the neces-
sary appropriations. Of course this
grouping of unnecessary with necessary
items in the bills was scheme OF
Democratic leaders to get around the
veto OF the Governor, who can ONLY
cut out of an appropriation bill sep
arate section. He cannot eliminate
one item in section and leave the
others unimpaired. Under cover ef
this provision of law Democratic State
ofhcials have succeeded in grabbing
about $4,000 from the State treasury
Ior the pay of additional clerks, several
OF them needed but most of them absc
iutely unnecessary. State Treasure
Cowgill gets an extra clerk at 81 500 a
year but would have been contenteG
70 have that item cut out if necessary
to save the money to the State.
treasurer Cowgirl is quite different
nom other Democratic State o fncials-
quite different in every way. He really
needs an additional clerk but is willing
70 worry along without one if necessary.
lhe Governor found it necessary tc
veto three appropriations payable out
Oh road funds because of conflicting
laws. In relation to the general road