SCOTT COUNTY KICKER VOL. XI. BENTON, MO., NOVEMBER 9, i9I2 NO 49. GANG WEEPS. Kicker Wins Libel "Soot." tAfter their Jury had Soaked it to the the Court Ruled that the Verdict was Contrary to the Law and the Evidence. Didn't I tell you they coufdn't John Bom the Kicker? John Boas Is a former who dar ed to talk about conditions In this county. He wax yanked up charged with "slander.'' He Is not familiar with how "justice" la -dished out here. The best thing be could do was to "compromise" and let go of a Tew hundred. It - was upon the advice of his attor ney that be did this as an appeal would probably cost more But the Kicker knows no com promise with Injustice. When it knows It is right It stands pat - and in this case I had their own wouls to prove It. I have never claimed that I could win this case here. I know the workings of the machine too well to make a reckless state ment like that. All that 1 have ever claimed lis that I would pro dure their ownrecords and prove every statement made ny tlie Kicker to be true. AM) TH1 D1T). I could do no more. I ! ! Yet a Jury of their own (election derided that I ought to pay one thousand dollars for telling the TRUTH concerning the public af fairs of Scott county. '.'hey riff up a Jury that la pre Ui ;ieed ogalnKt the Kicker and toetellan, than their lawyers Ig nore ili- facts in the cane and de vote their wind to abuse of Haf .ier and the "dirty, slimy sheet." But it didn't stick. Monday morning Mr. Cramer In troduced a m otion in arrest of judgment. This means that there never was anything to the cane and that the verdict of the jury was not warranted by the facts. Kelly chewed the rag muchly, but he was unable to produce any mw or court decisions to sustain his position although my attor ney agreed to give Elm until art ernoon to do so. Judge Finch sustained the mo tion. which means that the Kick er la out of court. Of course they can appeal, and, perhaps as a bluff have filed such a motion. But it Sumy opinion that they have had about all the dealings with the "Kicker they want for a while. I did not think they could beat their efforts of last April but they did. It is bad enough to nave a jury composed of metn who differ from you politically. but where religious prejudices are added to this, then your name is 'Dannie." Six of the jurors were Catholics. "Nick Pnnnenmuellor, Loo Heuring. I-nwrcnce Btrack, Ed L. Miller, Lawrence Dlabold. chas. Dlebold. By this 1 do not mean that -these men are not good citizens and nelghboi-s. But everybody knows that the Catholic church is the worst foe that Socialism has. and its followers have bad it bred Into them to hate Socialism I KNOW for I was brought up In that church. When the county court picked the jietit jury In September I wrote my attorney, Wilson Cra mer, that we were up against Xlie real thing. But I did not want to lunent on it In the Kicker until . liter the trial. Let s aee what happened In Kel so township. Tint township is the largest in the county and is on-titled to five c f the 84 jurors. There Is no spot in the county where the Kicker has been so bit terly fought as in tiie little Cath olic pariah of Kelso. And four of the five Jurors for that township were from among the Catholics. The other was capt. Llgbtner, the Democratic chief of lllnio. Chaffee, with its more than 2,000 people, had not a juror among the original selections. Neither did Fornfelt with its more than 3.000, nor Rockview. Grnysboro nor the rest of the township. Again let me say that these Catholics are good people as were quite all the jurors but they are PREJUDICED and, very likely, do not know it. But the polltloiano do. The first thing taken up Friday -was the motion to strike out most of the answer. This the court overruled. Next comes the Jury. A large per ceat disqualified themselves. The sheriff was ordered to bring in more. Many disqualified them selves and some were disqualified upon being questioned. By 8 o'clock only 13 had qualified and the sheriff said he could get no more. The court told him to bring more by next morning and the case was laid over. The last Interview I had with Sheriff Goiter was some three years ago when he stopped me on the street, bad his hand In his pocket supposedly on a pistol, and began to curse me because I had told the people how it is pos sible for officials to select any kind of Jury wanted. He has not apoken to me since. He may have been perfectly honest in his se lections from his view point, but to me It looks different However, I was In error two weeks ago In guaranteeing that no Socialists would be picked up as talesman. There were some picked up who are said to be So cialists. Saturday morning, among the first arrivals, I noticed John and Louis Hunter of Morley, and Frank Compos, of Kelso, all for mer stockholders In the court house organ, and Jim Baty of Cary. When I saw this I said to my attorney, "They are going to give us h-11 today." All are good mem In the ordina ry accepted sence, but they nre not the kind of men that I would select to try a Socialist. John Hunter and Mr. Com pas disquali fied themselves. The plaintiff was put on the stand and said he had leen great- ly annoyed, humiliated and gut tallied great injury and the loss of sleep and confidence of the peo ple by the publication of certain articles in the Kicker. lie said that it appeared as if people shim ed him. When asked who so ap peared to shun him he said Silas Finley and Jerry M inter, but ad mitted tliat they were aO godd friends now. That was all the evidence that John McWilliams had been damaged ABSOLUTE LY ALL. In a libel suit it is necessary to prove malice on the part of the publisher. Mr. McWi'liams ad mitted that we had always been friends up to the time of the pub lications of these articles, that he had been my attorney, and that I had sent him business. When shown an insurance policy issued to the Workers Printing Co. he admitted issuing it This was to prove that while these ar ticles were appearing our person al and business relatives were friendly. Now, stick a pin here ! These at tides appeared June IT. 1011. Nine days later John Mr Williams insured this printing plant. If ho felt agrleved THEN, he showed no sign of it. I discovered no signs of "mental anguish" until after that inquisition on September 15, and the papers served on me the day following, it was the raw est frame-up that ever came down the pike. Even Democrats here balk at It some. Then we produced a renewal of that policy by Chrlsmon & Mc Williams In June, 1912. But John, said he had nothing to do with it that Mr. Chrisman issued it and that he, McWilliams, refused to take any part of the commission, Boo-hoo! oJhn seems to think that to prove that I have malice toward him it is necessary lor him to act mad. While a great mass of rubbish was Introduced by the plaintiff I that served only to eo:ifuse the ; III it If it needed confusing-the ; i foregoing is the substance of the complaint. I The confusion in this case comes 1 up in the fact that I am charged I with libelling the county officials. and "particularly this defendant ' J yet the other county officials do not complain. The Kicker haa ! never made any charge against McWilliams. All I did wis to call his attention to conditions In the printing department of the public service and asked Why the law regulating the letting of public printing was Ignored. The Pros. Att'y has nothing to do with the letting of public prin ting, and by no stretch of the im agination could my article be reasonably construed to include him among the grafters, yet the lawyers would read what I said about other officials in that con nection and twist It to make the Jury believe that it meant Me Wiiliams and I believe the Jury did believe it. After the defense had closed Mr. Cramer demurred to the evidence. Ab I remember the language of Judge Finch, he said that even a justice of the peace would hold that there was nothing in the 3rd and 4th counts and struck them out. As to the first and second he expressed some doubt and would therefore let them go to the Jury. Mind you, this was before the defense had Introduce any testi mony. The pourt had doubts as to the remaining two counts be ing libelous even If we failed to prove anything. Yet, after we had proved every statement concern ing conditions In the printing de partmentand the Kicker made no other cha rge the Jury was only about "three shakes of a sheep's tall" in agreeing that I ought to pay $1,000 for having told the truth and proved it. In the short while the Jury was out the Jury could not have read J Kicker for $1,000 the Instructions of the court much less considered or discussed them. But I am an undesirable citizen. Let s turn the picture over. Thos. F. Rucker Is brought here from Arkansas and Installed as an organ-grinder. Suddenly he disappears. The next we learn of him he is arrested In Arizona on a charge of embezzlement in Arkansas. I did not know the man and had never spoken t ohim. Yet on his return here he made a cowardly assault upon me without the least provocation. I shall always be lieve that he was brought here to do me bodily harm or worse with "the law" behind him. There was no arrest and the re port at that time was that the public prosecutor congratulated him and assured him that till deed shouldn't cost him a cent. He became the leader of things social and religious and associa ted only with the "best people." Suddenly he disappeared and you remember how the country was flooded with worthless bank checks. He was located by a Bikes ton bank and brought back from far away Massachusetts. He filled a better bond than I could fill arid went his way rejoic ing. In October he came back and his case was kindly continued by "consent" until after election... That Is the sort of man who need have no fear of -the law" in Scott county. But ' soak" it to Phil Hafner. t Tn conclusion let me ask : Has there ever been a man in Scott county or anywhere else so un mercifully lied about in the press as Phil Hafner? And you wonder why I have never sued anyone for libel? Take, for instance, the Demo crat last year. A judgment a gainst it and its alleged editor would not have been worth the paper it was written on. Official dom hid behind Rucker to squirt Its filth at me and the paper was bankrupt. But you haven't seen anything of that sort since the names of financially responsible publishers appear. Oh. no ! Banker-Landlord Billy Stubble field and Banker-Landlord Lam bert applauded Kueker's attacks on me. But you will not catch them permitting it so long as the paper bears their names as publishers. Farmers, Attention! CAN WE CO-OPERATE ? 50,000 Organized consumers In St. Louis want your Eggs and Poultry Shipped direct. Send for Shipping Tags and instructions how to ship. Coops and cases furnished on application. Any Local wishing to start Operative Shipping or Purchas ing without Capital, write us and we will tell you how If the farmers have the help and support of those who con sume their produce, they can succeed, no matter what the middle men may do. We hove expert Cattle and Hog sale-men at Independent Stock Yards. Also expert Hay and Grain salesmen who are at your service. We alf.o supply your wants. Send for prices. American Cooperative Union Supply Company (INCORPORATED.) ORGANIZED AND OPERATED BY UNION MEN. Wm. S. McAdam, Pre, and M'g'r. No. 404, North First Street. ST. LOUIS, MO. Every Worker Who earns Bread in the Sweat of his face should be a patron of Risk Loss of Home, or Valuable Live Stock, or take Chances of Yourself and Dear Ones being swept into Eternity by a Single Bolt of Lightning when you can get the Electric Pure Copper Lightning Rods At a Reasonable Coat and backed by the Electria Lightning Bod Co. with a Legal binding Guarantee to refund the price paid, with Legal interest, in sue any damage occurs. See W. H. BESEL, THE TINNER, OR AN, MO. WOMAN'S WORK. By Mrs. O. I Wolfe. Shall woman be granted the franchise? The answer invariably Is: "No; woman's place is in the home." Yes, Indeed, Woman's place IS in the home, and because she loves that home, and for the protection of the dearest place on earth to her, are women taking an active interest in the political and econ omic questions of the day. Yrs, woman's place is in the home and not out In the business world, fighting daily a hand-to-mouth struggle for existence! It is a sad travesty upon our boasted Christianized and civilized society that seven million women in the United States alone are wage slaves I What a menace to future gener ations is the drudging and en slavement of woman 1 It begets deformities, sickness and mental weakness. The poor toller In the mills and sweat-shops, the weary wife of the poor laborer, bending over the cradle of her sick babe, watching It die slowly for want of food and medicine, realizes this system is radically wrong; tho' she may not understand the com plex and scientific forms of gov ernment, the scientific side of th" question is brought home to her with terrific force. We well know the ballot will not bring about the ideal condition for woman, but suffrage will help in a measure to place her on a higher plane and tend to liberate her from the abject position in which she is placed by man and the usages of society. Behind every movement for pro gress and reform stands the wo men; to better Child labor laws to improve the condition of the working class are they striving. Who can limit her power or influ ence ? The mother well knows when her son goes forth into the world to begin the battle of life, the sa loon, the gambling den. the pool room, with all their hideous vices, wait to drag him down to degra dation ; she knows that for the young daughter just budding into sweet womanhood awaits the white slaver and the house of pros titution; and in every dark shad ow lurks the social leper. Every despairing soul of the lost Madagalens shall ety out, every little hand of the child slave shall be raised In protest against the subjugation of woman. As the home is created by wom an with man s help, so that great creation, the State, will never be perfected by man alone, but with woman as the helper. And to wo man is Intrusted the divine mission of life creation ; she shall indeed bring forth a newer, higher life, pulsating down to countless gen erations. In whic h she shall stand, as man's co-worker in that per fect state, from which arc banish ed, misery, slavery and degrada tion. Sec. 588. Officers to procure best rates. la procuring the pub lication of any law, proclamation order or notice, as in the next preceding section mentioned, the public officers SHALL. ACCEPT OF THE MOST ADVANTAGEOUS TERMS, NOT EXCEEDING the rates limited In the preceding section." DEMOCRATS LOSE COUNTY COURT ! Bowman and Thomas, Republicans Pledged to an Ex amination of the Books, Elected. --McWilliams Pulls Through by Narrow Margin. Nation and State Carried by Democrats.Other Election Notes. The Democrats carried the state and nation. This is no sur prise with the Republicans split wide open. We will now have "four years of Grover" and by that time the people may have it Jolted Into them that our troubles Is not In men, but in the system. The unofficial returns show Frank Kelly elected circuit Judge and Russell returned to congress. In the county the Republicans won the Judged of the county Read the Kicker The Paper that Tells the Truth And Proves it by the Records Only $1.00 Per Year. AN AGED COUPLE WEDS. From the Maplewood Herald. Married, at Milwaukee. Wis., on Tuesday, April 2, 11)12, Mi.-s Bour bon Democracy, daughter of Tim Sullivan, by Wm. J. Bryan, and Mr. G. O P. Republican, son of J. Pierpont Morgan. The bride is a dilapidated old girl with a bad cough and can not live much longer. The groom though fat and apparently In good health, is subject to appo plexy, and the doctors are worried about hiru. They say he is liable to suddenly expire at any time. The object of the matrimonial alliance was to unite the rapidly vanishing fortune of the pair both of whom have lived a fast life and are almost all 'n. It Is common talk in Milwaukee that neither one of the contract ing parties can live lonir. and that the next ceremony that they adorn by their presence will be their own funeral. There isn t the remotest possibility of their leav ing any offsprings both beintr victims of sinility in the most ad vanced stage All of the present friends and relatives of the couple were pre cnt and tried to act happy and gay over the miptlals. but anyone could see that the whole company were Alarmed over the haggard face of the bride and the gorged appearance of the jrroom. The former almost looked ready to faint and the latter looked as if about to bust When the bride was aske 1 if she would take Mr. fi. 0 P to be her lawful ipouse and Lord, she nearly swooned 1 and when Mr G. O. P was asked to "oo and cherish the sorry looking old fright he had led to the eltir. he actually vomited nil over the car pet. Mr. B;cr Bl. the scavenger, who was present, cleaned up the filthy mess. The couple has cone to house keeping ill 8 single room, with only one bed and no modern con veniences. Mr. G O. P. wanted the bride to take a bath before he took her to be his mate, bir the doctor sa:d that a she bad never been e'enned. the ihook mlgh kill her The ceremony closed by a "trust magnate and U. S. senator shill ing: "Plunged in a pulf of dark despair." ABOUT OUR CONST1TTION. No matter how wrong a thing may be ; no matter how big a lie a thing mar be. If it is persist ently and continuously pounded Into the people as right, tho peo ple will accept It as right. For over a hundred years the people of the United States have been taught to believe that their national constitution Is a won derful document; that it was framed by patriots; that It was Inspired of God; that it guaran tees freedom and equality to all. This Is what we have been taught In the public schools, from the pulpit, by the press and by the orators of every age. Is It any woriber, then, that the peo ple believe It? Very few people ever read the constitution, and they who do read it do so with the assurance that it Is Just what tt has been represented to tie, and accept It an an "Immortal document" that cannot be Improved on. To view R otherwise would be treason en our rulers and educator tell court from the first and second districts W. Ci Bowman, from the first and Matt Thomas from the second. Both are pledged to an early auditing of the book of the county officials. John McWilliams defeated Ralph Bally for prosecuting attorney by a close shave said to be 10 votes. All of the remaining Democra tic candidates were elected. Matt Thomas and Judge Band y It is a fact, however, that the nations constltut.on was luuuded by a group of business men W ho feared a government by the poo- ! pie. The originul constitution ' guarantees to the masses noth- j Ing. All there is good has been added by amendments the free- ' dom of the proas, speech, assem blage, and so on. And these lew good things are trampled under foot by the nil- 1 Ing class as sj much chaff. "To hell with the oonstutlon," said General Bell as he drove tho min ers out of th.? state of Colorado six years ago at the .Hlnt of the bayonet. "The club is might, r than the constitution," said Po ttos Chief Smittbcrger. of New York, as he broke up an assem blage of worklngmen . It is the buslneaa of federal judges to interpret the cou.-rtitu-tion. It is the "business of state judges to interpret state consti tutions. And it doesn't matter a cuss what the writeu word may J be what these judges say goes. And there is ever an increasing army to back thoni up. Few people are aware that What We call our federal consti- tUtion w-as never legally adopt ed, and that the people had lit tle or nothing to do witn its fra ming. In the Painters and Decor ators' Journal A. B Basset t has this to say : Although there was a tendency toward neutralisation tLruout tho revolutionary war, yet at its close, there was nothing Which approaohed a national govern ment. Nor was there a way in which this could be legally pro cured. But a convention which had been called at Ann ip.illa to settle some questions concerning the navigation of the Potomac, and WHICH HAD NO MORE LAW MAKING POWER than a modern trades union convention, proceed ed to Issue a call for a national constitutional convention. This was later Indorsed by the con vention, or row well-nigh de funct constitutional congress. Only a very small minority were Interested In forming a con stitution, and they were any thing but democratic in their ideas. That the constitutional convention was nothing but a straight business proposition may be seen from the following "The delegates to Annapolis, and later to Philadelphia, were brought together in response to the demands of the business men of the country, not to form an Ideal plan of government, but such a practical plan as would meet the business needs of the people. "Just how much our humanita rian motives had to do with the making of the constitution may be seen by reading the speeches of these same delegates. Elbrige Gerry said: "The evils we experience flow from an excess of democracy, the worst of ail possible evils." John Dickinson "A limited mo narchy Is one of the best forms of government in the world." Gonniag Bedford "Are we to act with greater purity than the rest of mankind? Our votes are actuated by interest and ambi tion." Gouveneun Morris "The senate. must have greater personal prop erty ; it must have the aristocra tic spirit; It must love to lord It thru pride. To make It indepen dent It should be for Ufa PROP WOTS reported a tie until Perkins came in. That gave Thomas about a dozen majority. What thfl Socialist vote of the county amounted to cannot yet be given. However, it is known that there was a heavy falling off tn the tenant districts where so many were forced to move. But Ln the remainder of the coun ty the Socialist vote Increased. Anyhow, the voters made a detit In their ring the county court. ERTY is the main object m soci ety." Roger Sherman "The people Immediately should hae as lit tle to do as may be about the government." James Msdisofl "In future times the .'eut majority of peo ple will not only be without land, U( T ANY SORT uF PROPERTY. IF THEY COMBINE, the RIGHTS OF PROPERTY WILL, NOT BE SAFB IN THEIR HANDS." Alexander Hamilton, who de clared it his object to make an alliance between the capitalist class and tne government, and who had m re to dj with fash ioning the constitution than, per haps any other man except Mar sha i:, declared: "The Britlb government. I doubt if anythii short of it will l) in Americ The house of lords is a most n ble Institution. 1 do not thii well of democracy. Inequality. PROPERTY is the great fundi mental distinction in society." in disscusing the slavery que tion James Ellsworth said, "Li us not intermeddle: as population increases TOUR PEOPLE WIL BB SO PLENTIFUL AS TO RE DER SLAVES USELESS." While John Adams declared, "1 is of no consequence by wha name you call you poor people whether by that of freemen o slaves THE DIFFERENCE I: IMAGINARY. WHAT MATTER! IT WHETHER A LANDLOR1 EMPLOYING TEN LABORER ON HIS FARM GIVES THEM ANNUALLY AS MUCH AS WILL BUY THE NECESSARIES uF L i ;:, OR 01ES THEM THESE NECE3SA RIES AT SHORTHAND. When the constitution was for raulated, the question cr lt adop tloa by the States came up. Many people are under tho Impression that .t was adopted by u major ity vote" Wood row Wilson sn.vs, "There were probably not more than ono hundred and twenty thousand m i who had a right to vote out of rer four million inhabitants." Even the-, few citizens were not allowed to vote directly, but were only permitted to choose delegates to conventions. in the conventions of all sta 0; lied to consider its adopt on were men who were opposed iis adoption, but none sta their arguments with tba viwoi and eloquence of Patrice Hsu j Among other things he " .', "This constitution is said to hi . beautiful features; when 1 co to examine thoeo features, s r, they appear to me horrl3:. frightful. Among other defori ties, it has an awful squinting; it sqints towards monarchy I" The constitution once adopted by the states. Its effect on the. country is described by McMat- en as follows: "All who possessed estates, who were engaged in traffic, or held any of the final settlements and depreciated cer tificates, felt safe. "The multitude, however, were indifferent. The great masa of the community whose lot it was to eat bread ln the sweat of their face, thought It a matter of no1 importance whether there was one republic or three; whether they were ruled by a monarch on governed by a senate, so tons; as tneir crops were MgB and food much the Ewnsonee nr vse 4 r ; 11 mi m