The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-04-05

j.
souri, politics began in the southwest
ern part of the state, In Vernon conn-
~ bordering Kansas Here the pas
sions and prejudices Of the civil war
survived longer than elsewhere, al
though in nearly every Missouri coun-
ty a heritage of hate remained ana IN
many Is not yet extinct.
Even more than in more southern
states where the population was all
of one mind against common en-
envy, Missouri was the victim OF the
civil war at its worst. The state con-
tributed more than 100000 men to
each Of the armies but within Its own
borders were bushwhackers, 1ayhaWK-
ers from Kansas guerrillas of every
type. including Quantrell and his men,
such as the James and Younger boys.
They burned and murdered, they de-
stroyed such crops as they did not use
for forage Loyalists were not the
only victims of such raids. Adven-
turers and desperadoes posing as fed
eral auxiliaries used every opportun-
ity to despoil. The result was an in
heritance of bitterness which may
last even until the fourth generation.
Effect on Character.
This understanding of Missouri pol
tiles is necessary as preliminary to
any right understanding of stones
career. Quick to understand the spir-
II of the community, having all the
tricks of the emotional speaker adj
dressing himself to party electorate
easily fired to resentment OF OLD
wrongs. real or fancied, and with the
politicians cunning and shreWdness
In adapting means to his ambitious
neds. Stone early won notice as
man worth supporting. His first VEN
lures were in the politics of Vernon
county and there he attained degree
OF success to justify his hope that
greater career was open to him. In
1895 he appeared as candidate for
the democratic congressional nominal
ton in the southwestern district of
the state. Then there began polti-
cal relationship destined to figure
largely in state politics. Living In
Carthage, No. at that time and UNI
til his death year or two ago, was
William H. Phelps. a lawyer, who was
chiefly active as a representative oil
railway interests at Jefferson City. the
Missouri capital.
King of the Lobby.
Phelps had always been a corpora
ton man. He had succeeded the late
John ODay as king of the lobby IN
the Missouri Legislature He repre-
scented the Missouri Pacific lines, but
was so skillful as to be able to pool
his fellow lobbyists in order to pro"
mote or defeat legislation in which
any of the pooled elements might be
interested. He found the railway pass
a potent fundamentally for the per-
suasion of legislators, and, after find
ing one reealcitrant would use 1t
among party leaders in his district as
a means of building fire behind him.
All of this was well known, and yet
the fact had not impaired Phelps in
fluence in democratic party counsels
WneD, Sbon dIttI ouoHe Atiuipt''J
for congress was announced the king
of the lobby" declared himself his
supporter The democratic nominal
ton in the district being practically
equivalent to election, there were a
number of aspirants in the field, and
it was believed that the Phelps influ-
ence could be made decisive. That
Stone realized this fact was shown in
his failure to denounce the Jefferson
City lobby at any time during his
campaign He confined himself en-
tirely to the discussion of national is
sues He denounced the force bill,
then threatened as congressional leg
islation, damned the Drake constitu-
ton of Missouri, which had made 1t
difficult for Missouri confederates to
reconstruct themselves, smote the
Kansas red-legs hip and thigh, and
adiured his hearers on every stump
to remember the graves of their heroic
dead, who had laid down their lives in
Il lost but not dishonored cause. His
efforts met with wild acclaim, and it
Is Only Idlt W say tldt' iittu
known it. Stone might have won the
nomination and election without
Phelps assistance.
Ashamed Of Company.
That he did not know this was
made clear by the fact that the pair
often travelled together from place to
place In meeting Stones speaking APP
pointments. But that he had a per-
eepton of the fact that it might be
OF some injury to his prospects to be
seen too often in captalistic COM
pany seems to have been made clear
in a story told by Phelps after he and
Stone had parted company, POLITICAL
~ and personally, in later years. Ac-
cording to story told by Phelps
Stone would. as the pair approached
town or a rural postoffice where q
crowd was waiting, suggest to Phelps
the wisdom of getting out of the bug
gy and joining the crowd from the
other side.
Once" said Phelps, II walked
through cornfield to strike another
road leading to a place."