The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1918-04-26


State University IT ColQra ia and was
graduated
| The career Of Stone in Missouri pol
itics began in the southwestern part
of the state, in Vernon County, a
part of Missouri bordering Kansas.
Along that border the passions and
prejudices of the civil war survived
| longer than elsewhere, although in
nearly every Missouri county heri-
tage Of hate remained for long, and
in many is not yet extinct. Even
more than in more Southern states,
where the population was all of one
mind against a common enemy, Mis-
souri, was the victim of the civil war
at its worst. The state contributed
more than 100000 men to each of the
warning armies, but in it's own Dor
ders were bushwackers, jayhawkers
from Kansas, guerillas of every type,
including Quantrell and his men, such
as the James and Younger boys, burn
ing. numbering and destroying such
crops as they did not use for forage.
Loyalists were not the only victims OF
such raids. Adventures and despera-
does posing as federal auxiliaries used
every opportunity to despoil. The re
suit was an inheritance of bitterness
which may last even unto the fourth
genertion.
This understanding of Missouri pol
ltics is necessary as 4 preliminary to
any right understanding of Stones
career in such politics. Quick to un-
derstand the spirit Of the atmospherc
in which he was placed, having. by
nature or requirement, ali of the
tricks of the emotional speaker ad-
dressing himself to a party electorate
easily to be fired to instant resent
mient Of old wrongs, real or fancied,
and with the politicians cunning am
silrewdncss in adapting means to his
ambitious ENDS. he early won notice
and communication as q man worth
supporting. His earliest ventures
were in the politics of Vernon county,
and there he attained q degree Of
success TO Justify his hopes and those
of his supporters that much greater
career was open to him. He put his
foot on the first rung Of the ladder
leading up from court house politics
when. IN 1884. he appeared as a canGi- |
date for the Democratic Congressional |
in the southwestern dis !
trlct of the state, including then WHIT |
now constitutes practically two dis
tricts in that part of the state. And |
then began a political relationship
destined to figure largely in stat |
politics of GIissouri in later years.
Since coming to the Senate IN 1903 !
Stone had been to the front on all |
important questions He also has
mas been active in what may be term
ed the policies of the Senate. Ser
atOr Stone seldom hesitated to attack
any senator, Democrat or Republican,
'7ho opposed what he believed to be
deserving administration measures.
Notwithstanding his pacifst atti-
Jude, Stone was made chairman of the
Committee on Resolutions at the St.
Louis convention in 1916, and to him
fell the difficult work of shapin gth2
platform on which President Vision
was reelected He worked on thai
almost constantly for forty-eight
hours, and never lost his composure.
The death of Senator Stone marked
he seventh death of a senator since
his term of Congress began.
The senators who have died since
Congress convened have been James
1. Brady of Idaho, Francis G.. New
ands of Nevada, William Hughes OF
New Jersey. Paul o. Husting of Wis
onsin, Harry Lane Of Oregon, Robert
:. Broussard of Louisiana and w. j.
Stone of Missouri. |,
There will be thirty-siX senators to
'e elected for the term beginning
March (, 1919, as result of the va
ancy caused by Senator Stones death d,