The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-11-21
REPUBLICAN BREACH WIDENING
by A. 7. Edmonston.l

'
formation from rural Missouri indi-
Gates that the pow-wow of Republic
can leaders, chiefly from st. Louis,
Kansas City, st. Joseph, Joplin, Sc
dalia, st. Charles, Cape Girardeau,
Hannibal and other wet cities of the
State, last Tuesday in Moberly, in
stead Of bringing the two extreme fac
tions close together, has only widen
ed the existing breach. Dissatisfied
members Of the party emphatically
announce it is to be war to the bitter
end between the "dry" and "wet"
wings of the "grand old party, from
now on, with the strong rural prohibit
ton element boldly and openly oppos-
ing every candidate certain represent
atives of the powerful dripping st.
Louis machine trot out.
Rural Republicans, especially those
from dry counties of the State, such rs
Grundy, Putnam, Adair, Harrison,
Dade Dallas, Douglas, Hickory, Holt,
Howell, Laclede, Lawrence, Benton,
Andrew, Caldwell, Butler, Camden,
Cedar, Christian, Crawford, Mercer,
Miller, Montgomery, Morgan, Ozark,
Polk, Stone, fancy, Wright, Webster,
and others, say the Moberly confer
ence, unlike the enthusiastic Jefferson
City gathering Of Democrats month
ago, was anything but a love feast.
Instead of the harmony and accord
which had been expected there was
continued strife and wrangling from
the start to the finish, with the fac
tiona fight growing more bitter and
serious as the day advanced. Those
on the inside assert that when some
"wet" Republicans from st. Louis and
Kansas City dragged out the steam
roller and fred up with the intention
of riding rough-shod over all opposi-
ton. wiser partymen from the smaller
cities found it necessary to correll the
that more discretion be used.
The straw which overloaded the
camel came when negro Republicans
from the big cities announced that
there were 10000 Ethiopian electors
in Missouri, representing a fifth of
the regular Republican voting
strength of the State, and therefore at
least a fifth of the places on the State
ticket belonged to them if such honors
were properly distributed, regardless
of color, creed or racial distinctions.
1t was pointed out by the representa-
ltives of the negro element that Sena-
tor Seldom p. Spencer and Superln-
tendent of Public Schools Samuel A.
Baker would not have been elected in
1918 had not the $4,000 colored vot-
ers of Missouri supported him solidly
to man, and, also, that the election
of State Auditor George E. Hack
mann in 1916 was only possible
through this combined vote.
1t further developed in course of
the Moberly meeting that the negro
wing of the Republican party would
not be satisfied and could not be de-
pended upon to vote the straight Re-
publican ticket next November unless
one of the race is nominated in Aug
ust, either for Lieutenant-Governor
or State Auditor. The argument that
several of the most persistent negro
! Republicans advanced for demanding
. this honor for member of their race
. was that it constitutes substantial
recognition of what their faction has
done for the party in the past, and ev-
en- if the nominated negro is badly de-
feated at the next election, such ..
nomination paves the way for fur
Their g. o. p. nominations in the future.
Another development of the Mober
ly confab is that all the dry Republi-
cans of rural Missouri solidly demand
the denomination of Seldom P. Spen-
Ger for United States Senator, and,
it was admitted, that the majority will
not stand for anyone else for this
place, a contention which has been CIV
en- much publicity since it leaked out
two weeks ago that certain wet Re-
publican leaders of st. Louis, Kansas
City and other Missouri cities where
John Barleycorn still has enthusiastic
adherents, were demanding that he be
retired from public life. The surprise
came when it was discovered that most
of the 10000 negroe electors will also
solidly support Senator Spencer if he
again entered the contest. The rea-
son for the united support of the Ethe-
opian wing, it was declared, is that
Senator Spencer two years ago took
} the leading part in raising fund to
erect Y. M. C. A. headquarters for
that race in St. Louis and made sew
eral substantial contributions to the
: movement.
The proposition advanced at the
Moberly pow-wow that leading Re-
publicans of the State, especially
; those from ST. Louis, Kansas City,
st. Joseph and other Missouri "wet"
spots, meet in conference late next
: spring and framed slate to be sub
mitted at the August primary to the
Republican voters of the ia counties,
, thereby eliminating all Objectionable
and weak candidates, is regarded with
: deep suspicion by rural party voters.
There are those who contend that it
is merely scheme of the Republican
, disciples of Bacchus to eliminate and
, thereby punish Senator Spencer for
| his recent dry vote in the Senate. 1t
is also regarded as plan to freeze out
all dry Republicans and make certain
that all nominations go to wet candi-