The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1912-03-28
GEN. MAJOR OPENS
GOVERNORSHIP FIGHT

Attacks Hadley and National Admins
trati0n in Address at De Soto. n
De Soto, NO., March 22.-Attackine
the misadministration of the Republi'
can party, the trusts and pleading
for just rights Of the working class,
Elliott w. Major, Attorney General
of Missouri, opened his campaign
for the nomination for Governor in
an address here today.
Mr.. Major paid tribute to Speaker
Champ Clark and pictured the OPP
portunity to win that now confronts
the Democratic party, not only in
Missouri, but throughout the entire
United States.
He declared that Gov. Hadley has
acknowledged his administration has
been a failure and that he must have
assistance from outside sources to
carry the State again. He accused
the Republican party of denouncing
the trusts, yet pursuing policy that
creates them.
Of his record as Attorney General,
Mr.. Major said:
"Since my incumbency the bust
ness has increased fully so per cent.
l have had forty-nine cases in the
Supreme Court of the United States,
which is more than the entire number
handled by all other Attorneys G len
eral since Missouri was admitted to
the Union. At the same time, have
had forty-six cases in the United Dis
trict Court, some thirty odd original
suits in the Supreme Court of Mis-
souri, and about 400 criminal cases.
In the three years have written
over l., 500 opinions, which is three
times as many as were ever written
in the same length of time by any of
my predecessors. have been re-
versed in three opinions, but the Ap-
pellate courts have reversed them
selves more than three times in writ
ing an equal number of opinions.
Among the most important cases
which have conducted | might men,
ton the one involving the validity OF
the stamp act. This required a 25-
cent stamp to be placed upon certain
sales made at certain places. Having
sustained the constitutionality of this
law in the Supreme Courts of Mis-
souri, and the United States, at the
close of the litigation, collected
$4,000 from those who failed to OBJ
serve it and placed that amount in the
road fund Of the State.
"The proceeds from the enforce
ment of this law now amount to ap-
proximately $50, 900, and are increas-
ing at the rate of practically 500 a
day.
I'm sustaining in the Supreme
Courts of Missouri and the United
States the full-weight statute passed
in 1909, relating to the weighing of
hay, coal, seed and grain, saved to
the producers of grain alone approx
mately 1, Zoo, 900 bushels, safely esti-
mated at $780, 900 a year.
81 successfully prosecuted and con-
victed the Harvester Trust, with a
capital of $12O,OOO,OOO, before both
the Commissioner and the Supreme
Court of Missouri. The trust was
fined SIS, 900 and ordered to dissolve.
It has monopoly upon and controls
80 per cent of the harvester business
in the world.
The validity Of the initiative and
amendment to the Cons
titution of Oregon or the right of the
people to initiate and ratify legisla-
ton, of which, the Missouri initiative
and referendum amendment is an ex-
act copy, was attacked in the Supreme
Court of the United States, on the
ground that it was contrary to the
Constitution of the United States, in I
that it violated Section 4, Article w,
each State is guaranteed
Republican form of government.
"At the request of United States
Senator'S and others filed a brief