Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1916-10-26
THE SHAMEFUL RECORD OF
DEMOCRATIC STATE OFFICIALS
Millions Of Dollars Appropriated Which Can
not Be: Paid Gardner Land Bank
Scheme Impractical

Col. Gardner has spoken approving
y Of the record Of the present Demo.
cratic administration. but l under.
stand that he spoke in . very low
tone 1f voice. apparently hoping that
he would not be heard.
Will Col. Gardner and his Demo.
cratic associates stand up before the
people of Missouri and state exactly
what there ID. In the record Of the
Major administration that they regard
a. wise. capable and e%fflcient"7 Do
they SO regard the bankrupt condition
OF the state treasury. with Its millions
Of dollars Of appropriations for which
there is no revenuef Do they 80 re-
gard the increase Of useless officea
and the appointment of members Of
families and relatives of Democratic
state ofjicials7 Do they 30 regard the
attempted raid upon the school fund
Of the state which the depletion of the
general revenue fund necessitated? Do
they so regard the conduct Of the po-
lice and excise affairs in St. Joseph
for the last four years. or the action
OF the Kansas City police department
IN the last city election? Do they ap-
prove Of the manner in which the Mis-
souri, penitentiary has been run for
the last four years? Does Col. Gard.
ner, who poses as a great friend OF
organized labor and who once
signed the appeal bond for some con-
victed dynamiters. approve of the cow
ardly failure Of the present admins.
tration to enact a workmen's compen-
sation law in this state? II Col. Gard
aer asserts that 1t is the "construc-
tive and progressive laws" enacted
during the last four years Of which he
approves. / challenge him to tell the
people Of Missouri II 1t Is not true
that the Democratic members of the
Legislature defeated. during ny term
Of office. a bill establishing a board
Of pardons and paroles. the Public
Service Commission act, an act au-
thorizing commission form OF govern.
ment for the cities, an act establish
ing a state reformatory for juvenile
offenders. and then which they pro.
ceeded to pass. with IN emergency
clause, as soon as I was out Of office.
! would also like to have the distin-
suishel Colonel tell the people wheth.
Or he approves Of the act Of the pres.
ent administration In passing a home
rule measure for the city of st. Louis
and then directing a successful fight
against It on a referendum vote when
st. Louis elected a Republican Mayor.
Nor am l going to discuss In detail
Col. Gardeners land bank measure, be-
cause 1t is, at the best, but a minor
issue in this campaign. will say.
however, that II Col. Gardner had dis.
played nc better judgment in the man
ufacture and sale Of coffins than he is
displaying In urging this measure on
the people Of Missouri he certainly
would never have made q million dol
lars in his business. For II there is
any merit In or demand for a system
OF rural credits In this country. which
] very seriously doubt, the national
law on this subject will supply all
that is likely to be needed by the pres
ent generation. / remember that In
1912 President Taft called q confer
ence of governors at Washington to
consider this question. Myron e. Her
fick, Ambassador to France, who had
made a study Of the question, was
asked to explain how 1t had-worked In
continental Europe. The President
also made a short address; a few gov
ernors who had Investigated the sub
1eot also spoke. And then someone
to notice that James Wilson,
who for 18 years had been at the head
Of the Agricultural Department OF the
nation, was present, and he a asked
to give the meeting his opinion as to
the practicability Of a system OF rural