The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-05-28
citizen, and therefore cannot have any
interest in public affairs"
GLIB GUBERNATOR-
IAL GLEANINGS
by A. T. Edmonston.)

VShNI SiSyt AAOsy way
, From information CLEANED during the
: recent powwow here of the Democrat
ic State Committee and party lead
ers the indications are that if the wet
and dry question continues to remain
the paramount State issue for both
, parties, as it threatens to do at the
: present moment, the race for the gu
bernatorial nomination, the "Only
: Reliable Party" will finally narrow
: down between the suave, polished
prohibition leader, John M. Atkinson,
and former State Senator Frank H..
Farris, who through his spellbinding
abilities has become known all over
the State as the Ozark Orator.
1t is certain that these two Demo
cratic hypnotists will stay in the CEN
ter Of tie primary limelight, a posi-
ton they have now held for three
months, if the topic of discussion
whenever friends meet, continues to
center around whether or not there
shall be return to light wines and
good old fashioned lager beer with
less than five per cent pep to it
With the advent of summer when out
door activities and recreations take
the places of the tanner ones which
prevailed during the colder months,
the beer and VINE problem will grow
in Importance in the larger cities
where liberalists predominant.
Mayer and Garrett Also Liberal
While it is true that Judge Charles
H. Mayer of St. Joseph and Col. Ruby
| d. Garrett of Kansas City, the sol
dier-lawyer, are as pronounced il
their liberal proclivities as former
State Senator Farris, but neither has
been as active in presenting their
Bacchanal doctrines and principles to
Democratic electors, probably for the
reason that they consider other issues
more important. Judge Mayer is fast
gaining fame over Missouri as the
'businessman's candidate" Col. Gar
lett has long been regarded as the
man the demobiized soldiers, sailors
and marines favor for the nomination
and finally, to be Missouri's next Gov
ernor. During the last two weeks the
political incantations of Senator Far
ris have been of character to draw
many columns Of space in the metro
politan and rural papers of the State,
Republican as well as Democratic,
and, if publicity counts for anything
he has therefore made great Roadway
in his campaign.
AtkinsOn's AdrOit Arid Attitude
While Atkinson has not covered as
much State territory since May / as
Representative Farris, Judge Mayer,
the meteoric campaigning of Senator
Farris in southeast Missouri on the
proposition to modify the Volstead
act enough to restore beer and light
wines to the people, has kept that Sa-
ha1a gladiator constantly in the pub
lie eye for the sole reason that he is
the only avowed and accepted dry
champion of that wing of Missouri
democracy. In other words, the re-
cent telling energies Of the Ozark
IOrator, which have pushed his candi-
Idacy to the front, indirectly has done
as much for Atkinson through calling
widespread attention to the fact that
ne is the only Democratic guberna-
torial candidate who stands fairly and
squarely for the variety Of national
prohibition and anti-saloon league
lpromulgates, the variety which is in
effect now and which includes the
drastic Volstead Federal Enabling
Law. Atkinson is already in a posi-
Ition which required no extensive cam
Ipaigning or expenditure Of money to
lexplain to the electors what his poll
cies will be if he is elected Governor.
He is the only Democratic candidate
for the Executive nomination who has
been Endorsed by all prohibition fore
es of the State and their solid vote
will be handed him on primary day.
Senator Farris is the Democratic GU
Ibernato1ial candidate the Anti-Saloon
is bent on heading off, the nomination
of either Judge Mayer or Col. Garrett
being preferred if Atkinson should go
down in defeat on August 8. The
democratic element which insists that
light wines and beer be restored are
fast rallying to the Farris standard
Iall over the State. 1t will take the
primary result to tell the story of how
strong this wing of Democracy is.
No Campaign Barrels to be Opened
1t developed in course of the State
Democratic conference that, so far,
the ward leaders and other party die
tators of st. Louis and Kansas City
had not centered their support on any
gubernatorial candidate, chiefly for
the reason that it is positively known
that each is running solely on his own
merits and platform with no large
elastic campaign fund to make life in
teresting for the "boys" before and
on primary day. 1t was the general
opinion of wiseacres earlier in the
year that the railroads of the State
would contribute generously for one
of the candidates, the financial and
banking interests for another and the
breweries for a third, but, up to the
present moment, anticipation has not
been supplanted by realization. There
fore the $4,000 Democratic votes the
ward bosses of the two big Missouri
cities generally deliver on primary
lday for liberal inducement to some Sc
lected gubernatorial candidate still
remains in the balance awaiting the
highest bidder. The price, regardless
of the present high cost of living,
may be marked down before primary
lay from $1,000 ward to $500, and
then find no takers for the reason
that the five men who are in the pres
ent melee for first honor on the next
N u