The Hartford republican., 1913-12-05
HOW FOLK
WAS SHELVED
Saturday Evening Post Re-
veals A Dark Secret.
Enemies Permitted Him To Be
Made Governor and Lost Him
A Senatorship.

| There's a good little yarn about 10
seph Wingate Folk, Solicitor for the
State Department, in Saturday Even.
ing Post. 1t is not the kind of yarn
the reader is led to expect, but the
expectation serves a -good purpose
in holding the attention to the bit.
ter end. while a quantity Of informa-
ton is being communicated about
the sIissourian that Is quite well wortf
knowing.
The "anecdote" concerns Folks for
mer sphere Of activity in Missouri,
where. according to the writer, Sam
Blythe, his efforts have for some
years been confined largely to rum
ming for office and lecturing.
"Mr. Folk" the anecdote runs,
desired to be a United States SEN
ator. but. as it turned out. he was
more or less alone N his ds5irs Any
how, he did not achieve his ambition.
And, again, he desired to be the
Democratic candidate for President,
and sought the support Of Grand Old
Missouri. The amount OF literature
that Bill Cochran wrote and circulat-
ed with the earnest intent of get
ting the Missouri delegates for MIR.
Folk was nothing short Of stupen-
dous. 1t was excellent lEterature--
there need be no question about that;
but there was circumstance that
rendered Mr.. Folks quest. as au-
thored by Bill. somewhat difficult.
That circumstance was Champ Clark.
"Mr. Clark also desired to be THE
Democratic candidate for President
and came mighty near being so.
too; but that drags things along to
Baltimore. and a deadlock and houn'-
dawgs' and lots of things that have
no place in this story.
"The point is that Mr.. Folks de-
sire and MIR. Clark's desire could
not be accommodated by the Mis-
souri, Democrats. as they could send
but one set of delegates to the con-
vention; and after the smoke of bat
tie had cleared away Mr.. Clark might
have been observed herding the del
egates and Mr.. Folk delegating the
herd. As the advertisements used to
say. Mr.. Folk was "At liberty
and he renewed his lyceuming."
The anecdote proceeds, or rather
reverts. to tell how it was that Folk
became a candidate for Governor:
He was Circuit Attorney of St..
Louis. and st. Louis was by no
means ciric center of political pur-
ity-by no ;a3lns! The distressing
verify of tn, '.c.l on was that St..
Louis was a.. T. IS dis-pure political
ly as any municipality of which we,
speaking in a broad. General Ameri-
can sense. had wotted since the ear
liest days of graft.
Young Mr.. Folk sensed this sit
uation and became incensed thereby
He. as Circuit Attorney, began hail
ing various persons. hitherto held to
be OF great power in st. Louis affairs.
before grand juries. and he seemed
to be utterly oblivious to either
threats or persuasion. In short, ,they
could not do a thing with him. He
proceeded as he had planned. hewins
to the line; and he hewed the re-
spectability and the political power
and the perquisites and q lot of
other protuberances off considerable
number Of persons who had been do
ing what they pleased in and with st.
Louis.
Those were exciting and interest
ing days in st. Louis. When you
took up the paper YOU never knew
whether TO read the indictment news
or the sailing-for- Europe news first;
for 1t was certainly that under one
head or the other you would find the
names of some pillars OF the social
of that fair city. Mr.. Folk
stirred things up in st. Louis. He
caused graftins to become practically
an abandoned profession for quite
some time. made 1t q distasteful and
Improbable occupstion and incress-
I'd the population Of the penitentis-
~ 70 an extent. Also he secured for
himself . vide acclaim.
at 70 we'll known that the psqpie
Of Missouri are an intensely apprecia~
tive people. Though It may be true
that there are sst limits 10 their sp-