The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-04-30
The Joplin
Convention
(Reported for The Times)

The Joplin Convention was the most
remarkable in many respects of any
State Democratic Convention ever
held in Missouri.
1t was remarkable first for its size
| there being more than 1900 delegates
and the fact that it was the first poll
tical convention of its kind in this
State in which the women partici-
pated and had representation; for the
issues that the war and the adoption
of the prohibition amendment to the
Federal Constitution have forced upon
the country, and the intensity of the
feeling aroused by these issues, es-
pecially those pertaining to the League
of Nations and President Wilson's de-
termined stand on this question; for
the dominant feeling in the party that
Senator Reed should be rebuked for
his persistnet and bitter assaults upon
Mr. Wilson's administration and its
policies, and his malignant, uncom-
promising opposition to the League of
Nations.
1t was remarkable also for the in
terest manifested by the people and
the number attracted to the Conven-
ton outside of the delegates. The at
tendance has been estimated at 5000,
among them many of the old time
leaders and party workers, such as
former Congressman Macenas f. Ben
ton, of Neosho, w. R. Edgar, of Iron
ton; Judgea Sam Davis, of Marshall;
former Lieutenant Governor Clay
comb; Col Ben Anderson, of Column
bia; former State Senator r. B. Oliv-
er, Of sC@pe ,Girardeau; Judge Sam
Priest, of st. Louis, former u. s.
Judge; w. d. Vandiver, former Con-
gresham from the Fourteenth dis
trict, now U. S. Sub-Treasurer at St.
Louis, and many other old-time party
workers whose zeal for the principles
of democracy knows no tagging.
The strongest pro- Wilson feeling
permeated the whole convention and
the crowds who could not gain ad-
mission into the theatre where the
convention assembled. Every men
tion of his name was the signal for
round after round of applause. There
Is no doubt of Mr.. Wilson's populari-
ty and the approval among the Dem
ocrats of Missouri, and his adlninis-
tratlon was indorsed intellectually.
st. Francois county was well and
faithfully represented. A report had
gone out that so little interest was
taken in the convention by the de-
mocracy of this county that even the
delegates elected to represent it failed
to attend. How much truth there is
in this report is shown by the fact
that the following named delegates
were on hand and took the same en-
thusiastic interest in it's proceedings
that all the other delegates and visit
ors did: George X. Williams and j. H.
Jones of Pennington, E. O. Presnell
of Liberty township, w. c. O'Neal and
Miss Keith of Leadwood, John Ball
of Flat River, and Mr.. johnson and
Mrs Lucy of Bismarck. J. C. Watson,
who hasn't missed Democratic State
for thirty years, was also
there, and W. B. Rariden, who is an
old attender of Democratic conven-
tions, who incidentally helped to fill
out the Ste. Genevieve coynty's dele
cation, on proxy.
Like Tipperary, it's a long, long
way to Joplin from this section of the
State, and the railroads which in the
whilom days of Missouri politics took
a lively interest in all conventions,
were not handing out passes nor show
ing favors to delegates, so, that each
one had to pay his own way and hotel
bills, but Notwithstanding this South
east Missouri was we'll represented by
both men and women delegates. Mrs.
Martin of Cape Girardeau, one of the
brightest and most intelligent leaders
Of feminine democracy, was at one
time called to the chair by the Chair
man of the Convention to preside ox-
er its deliberations for time, and |
Mrs. Mary Eversole of Potosi was
placed on the Credentials Committee,
a position which she filled with grace
and to the honor of Washington
county
Senator Reed had some able sup
porters at the convention, who did all |
they could to avert the rebuke which |
The refusal to accept him as a dele !