The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1915-12-24
THE MALICIOUS REPORTS OF
SECRETARY OF STATE ROACH'S
ALLEGED ''NEPOTISM WITH
OUT FOUNDATION OF
FACTS
Republican Papers and Politicians
That Persist in Their Misrepre-
sentation Ought to read 1t and
be Ashamed of Their I'm
fairness


conceived the idea Of criticising the
personnel of the people who are rem
dering a public service above criti-
cism, and so they started the cry Of
"nepotism." All kinds of misrepre-
sensations W eersarettcHRDLUDLU
sensations were scattered over the
State, the Globe-Democrat leading
the van with the false. report that the
State officers had heir wives and the
rest of the family on the payroll
Among others that innocently re-
peated the salacious morsel of politi-
cal gossip was the Missouri Ruralist
published at Kansas City.
The Secretary of State addressed
the following letter to the able edi-
tor of that popular periodical;
November Is, 1915.
Hon. John F. Case,
Editor Missouri Ruralist,
hdnSdS Clty5 thlooOui i'
Dear Friend Case:-
have just read your last issue OF
the esteemed "Ruralist". l know you
would not do me an intentional harm
I write, therefore, to correct the i'm
preston you leave on the minds OF
your readers when you say:
POSSIBLY when one has so
large a family as the estimable
secretary possesses, he may not
consider a quartet Of daughters
asserted to be the number en-
ployed as deputies and rks(on
the States pay rolls)-as numer-
GUS"
/ am blessed with nine daughters
and four sons. Conscienceless parti-
san opponents have spread the false
report that the whole family, includ-
ing my wife. are all on the States
pay roll. / have not denied the ru-
NOR because l knew no friend of mine
would believe such report, nor have
| thought strangers and political en-
emies would give credit to charges of
such scandalous character. Such
charges will react on the accusers.
However, esteeming your friend
ship, shall take the time to give you
a full report on how my family are
Ny eldest daughter Number y is
earning her living teaching school, as
her father and mother both before
her did when they first engaged in
life's battle.
Number 2 is married and living
with her husband at Fort Wayne, In
diana, where he as an electrical en-
gineer and she with her knowledge Of
arts can make more money
than they can here.
Number is taking course in
economics at Columbia,
herself for her life-work,
and fitting herself to be the house
wife of a Missouri farmer. That
makes three of the family not on the
pay roll of the State.
Number 4 is an employee in the Of
fee over which | preside. She is a
high school graduate, an accomplished
stenographer and typewriter, a good
oenman, bookkeeper, and copyist, an
experienced proof-reader and type
setter, has charge of the compilation
and printing of official publications,
such as the road laws, corporation
laws and the famous Missouri "Blue
Book" the excellence of which is so
known as to need no COM
mendation. She is always at her
post of duty, is as valuable an en-
ploye to the department as the State
has, is SO acknowledged by every one
Of the State Investigators, both Re
publican and Democrat, and | have
no apology to make to any
one for her employment. She earns
her wage, and, SO long as | live and
have my senses, no daughter, or son
Of mine shall be prescribed, penalized
Or denied privileges common to other
citizens for no other reason than that
/ am their father. ] sacrificed no nat
ural, moral or legal right to secure
office, and before ] make any such
sacrifice I'll first pass up" the Of
flee.
Number is a student in the JEFF
ferson City High School, from which
she win graduate next year. She Is
not on the pay roll, but helps to earn
her living by setting type and giving
music lessons.
Number 8 is a son, a freshman in
the High School. He helps to earn
his board and clothes by carrying
routes morning and even
ing, arising at 5 O'Clock a. m. without
/, 1;,,r. o., Had IJa iS not ~, fha nav ,.oll