The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-02-27
POWERFUL cop"
WET MACHINE
(By A. T. Edmonston.)

Jefferson City. Mo-, Feb. 23.-Evi
dence that the powerful st. Louis wet
"gop" machine is behind the PROPOSE
ton to have the present Statewide
primary law repealed and substitute
in lieu thereof old fashioned delegate
conventions, to restore to power for
mer Republican dictators and bosses,
many with pro-German tendency, has
knocked the props from under the
movement. As the story is told the
very wet "gop" leaders object to the
present statewide primary system
chiefly for the reason that it has lost
to them the control of the party reins
through allowing voters who cannot
be coerced or otherwise controlled, to
name regularly the party State tick
ct and thereby break into smithereens
any slate which may be decided upon
by the "wet" and other interests.
The present primary law really al
lows Republican electors, through the
vote of high-class Republicans out in
rural Missouri to nominate such hun
bred per cent "dry" Americans as
United States Senator Seldom P. Spen-
Ger of st. Louis to succeed himself;
Arthur NJ. Hyde of Grundy county for
Governor; and Lawyer S. f. O'Falloh
Of Holt county, the Republican speak
er of the last House, for Attorney
General, when the "gop" big city
bosses want to bestow these plums
otherwise. 1t is the wet" pro-Ger-
man "gop" would-be dictators of st.
Louis, Kansas City, st. Joseph, Sc
dalia, Cape Girardeau, Hannibal, Jop-
lin, Springfield, st. Charles, Washing
ton, Moberly, jefferson City and other
former "oases" of Missouri who are
loudest in their assertions that the
present primary law is full Of defects
and does not answer che purpose for
which it was intended. Amending the
measure to remove the defects and
make it more applicable does not suit
their purpose, but, through hook or
crook, they intended to first hoodwink
the electors of their party through
false representations and then jam
through a Republican legislature an
act restoring boss-ridden and controll-
ed delegate conventions to name fu-
ture "gop" State tickets.
The plan of "gop" leaders of the big
cities to rob the electors of the priv
ilege of naming the ticket they want
to vote for, was exposed by rural Re-
publicans Of Missouri who are enthu-
siastically supporting Judge Seldom P.
Spencer of st. Louis, Missouri's short
term Republican United States Sena-
tor for denomination, Hyde for Gov
ernor and O'Fallon for Attorney-Gen-
eral. The program of the prot German
st. Louis bosses, opened for public in
spection without their consent was to
only nominate Republicans represen-
tatives and State Senators, all over the
State, who favored return to the con-
vention system, and Ito trade every
"dry" Republican on the "gop" State
ticket, with Democrats for votes for
their General Assembly candidates.
Success of the scheme meant chat the
Republican leaders of the bigger Mis-
souri, cities would have controlled the
next House and Senate, and then cas-
lily have put over the measure substi-
tuting the convention plan of naming
State tickets for the present State
wide primary system which bestows
that privilege solely on party elect
ors. To conceal party treachery and
the selfishness Of the design and give
the movement the color of being a
proposition that would benefit the
masses, it was to have been loudly
proclaimed all over. Missouri that the
primary system made 1t Impossible
for poor men aspiring to political Of
flee to make the race. because of the
attached expense, ands also, that bet
ter party tickets would be selected
through party conventions.
The exposure Of the plot of the
wet "gop" leaders to get back into the
saddleAnow makes it certain that Sem
atof Spencer will win out at the Aug
ust primary and again be the Repub-
lican nominee for that plum. This
coming event is now being conceded
in st. sLouis and other "gop' strong
holds by wise members of the party,
the onlySblin and deaf individuals be-
ing The former pfo-German John Bar