The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-10-03
Republicans
Making Medicine
(By A. 7. Edmonston.)

Jefferson IlLy, MO-, SepI' GU no
wild scramble Of Republicans for the
hopeless honor of becoming the party
nominee for Governor, contest to be
decided by "gop" voters Of the State
at the primary of next August, is
about to commence. The thirteen pos
sible candidates, not one of whom has
as yet officially made known his as
pirations to lead an already defeated
party to another Waterloo on the
first Tuesday of November, 1920, are
fully aware of the fate which is
ahead but each one seems solely to
want the glory of being the "gop"
nominee, regardless of the final out
come on election day.
1t seemed to be smooth sailing to
the "gop" gubernatorial nomination
for f. Z. E. McJimsey, editor of the
Springfield Republican, who then had
the support Of the powerful "gop"
machine of st. Louis, which, with the
aid of $4,000 negro votes, caused that
city to go nearly 10000 Republican at
the November, 1918, election, until a
few days ago when friends of the
Republican State Superintendent of
Public Schools, Sam A. Baker, of JEFF
ferson City, threw his hat into the
ring and announced it was there to
stay to the finish. Meanwhile, down
in Carthage and Joplin the friends Of
State Senator Howard Gray, a lawyer
who espoused a measure in the Gen
eral Assembly last spring designed to
take the primary rights of electors to
name their own party tickets away
from them and reinstate the old ques
tionable convention system of nomi-
mating, also grew busy and began
grooming him for the honor of being
the Republican Moses to lead the par
ty from the political wilderness which
now, more than formerly, befronts the
"gop" party out in rural Missouri.
With Senator Gray looming up
strongly as a possible candidate for
the nomination and threatening there
through to split the Republican nom
mating strength of southwest Mis-
souri, into two factions, it led the st.
Louis "gop" machine bunch to con-
clude that Editor McJimsey was no
longer in the race, owing to the OPP
position of the Gray faction, and that
compromise candidate was needed
who would prove acceptable to all
factions there and elsewhere in the
State The friends of State Superin
tendent Baker bobbed up selenely
with the suggestion that he was the
ideal party champion, and could win
as readily in 1920 as he dld IN 1913,
if nominated. But Bakers record IN
espousing the dry cause IN the past
proved to be too much of nauseating
dose to be easily swallowed by the
liquor element Of the st. Louis Cop
machine and he was scratched from
the slate without ms many other vir-
tues ana 1urther hthess 10 make INC
race Delng taken up,
WIN McJlmSey, BAKER ana senator
Gray eliminated from iurther FAVOR
ape cohslueratioe i ii:I VI LUX IL
I,ehl hani'n " oeuaiIa' "no "'la ~
M ,o sIDei ia n"' u "a" -, nj 1870 f .L
c2l9' u!sea ma nc " ',"v '.o IT,
%. hGais toP n'a Dainnt; ouppo' th;s
oppositioIl W Ine So se''T Jl " lii
ioIihe! oupieiie CotIS S ouus
tla' sihce NC ii"u 49, 90 - .La
IIie lecI n snip 49, en- W
ohi'eu HahWay w. VI ~ LoS' nS
was no longer aS SIIohs thel q"
Wheh ne ran .he iasI '.L'e' o.H.l
opponents ueSlar1o tha' VIC uooiaiss
ueleat VI 'uuge 1alnih III I hut
IN 1910 "Heh ne WAS az Iis oeSt, ~
longer MADE MN lormluapie. Nhlle
TINS party controversy was gong on
4nlons 'he ie"ucte VI s"e Nv L0uiS
"gop machine, Judge Lamm put an
END TO the possiDlllty OF ne becoming
the CHOSEN candidate through WITH.
ten statement to the newspapers OF
his party that under no conditions
would he enter the contest. Inc next
move of those who favored Judge
Lamm and opposed Editor McJimsey,
Senator Gray and State Superlntend-
ent of Schools Baker, was to get IN
touch with some of the supporters OF
State Auditor Geo. E. Hackmann to
establish how strong his following
was and what his chances Of election
were in case he was given the party
nomination. The investigation did not
prove satisfactory, probably, chiefly
for the reason that this Republican
State official was opposed strongly by
the Baker followers for any nomina-
10. hA tnp lp-nn II