The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-10-28

Coli Gardner has spoken approving
ly OF the record Of the present Demo
cratic administration, but l under
stand that he spoke In q very low
tone Of 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 Is in the record Of the
Major administration hat they regard
a. wise, capable and e~fficient"9 Do
they 30 regard the bankrupt condition
OF the state treasury, with It's millions
OF dollars Of appropriations'for which
there Is no revenue2 Do they 30 re-
gard the increase OF useless offices
and the appointment of members OF
families and relatives Of Democratic
state officialg7 Do they SO regard the
attempted raid upon the school fund
OF the state which the depletion OF the
general revenue fund necessitated2 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 election2> Do they np-
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 dynamlters, approve Of the COW
ardly failure Of the present admins
tration to enact a workmen's compen-
sation law In THIS state2 II Col. Gard
nar 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 If 1t Is not true
that the Democratic members OF the
Legislature defeated, during my term
OF office, q 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 an emergency
clause, as soon as / was out OF office
I would also like to have the dist1n'
guishel Colonel tell the people wheth'
er he approves Of the act Of the pres
emit 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 wher
st. Louis elected q Republican Mayor
Nor am / going to discuss in detail
6o1 norIparto land hanH TnnaoIrQ ha
cause 1t Is, at the best, but a minol
issue in this campaign. l will say
however, that If Col. Gardner had dis
played no better Judgment in the man
ufacture and sale Of collins than he Il
displaying In urging this measure OF
the people Of Missouri he %certainl!
would never have made a million dol
lars In his business. For II there Il
any merit in or demand for a system
of rural credits in this country, which
I very seriously doubt, the nationa
law on this subject will supply al
that is likely to be needed by the pres
ent generation. I remember that Il
1912 President Taft called a confer
ence Of governors at Washington t
consider this question. Myron E. Her
rick, Ambassador to France, who hat
made a study of the question, wa
asked to explain how 1t had worked Il
continental Europe. The Presiden
also made a short address; a few gov
ernors who had investigated the sui
3ect also spoke. And then someon
happened to notice that James Wilson
who for 10 years had been at the hea
of the Agricultural Department of tn
nation. was present. and he was aske
to give the meeting his opinion as t
the practicability of a system of rura