Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1874-09-03
CONGRESSIONAL MATTERS.

0OhCtol kAooVuiply Va tHO hot0tO VI ~ W -
on the question Of regulating the
charges for freights and tariffs on the
several railroads of Iowa. Said COM
mittee shatl indicate the kind OF tariff
bill that will meet tho approval of this
body"
Mr., E. N. Gates was one of that COM
mittee. 1t will be recollectcd that dur
ing the last session Of the Legislature,
the Senate passed q resolution, calling
upon said committee, in most respect
full terms, to make their wishes known,
as stated in said resolution. Light
was wanted uron this vexed question,
= and light was asked for from all avail
able sources. The House, which was
evenly divided in politics, refused to
pass the resolution, requesting the COM
mittee to tell the Legislature what
kind Of q bill they wanted. The
trouble was, some body had to be-
come responsible for legislation to be
had on this great and intricate ques-
tion, and it was dangerous ground to
tread upon. While the House was
tie, the Senate was strongly republi-
can, and the opposition to the republi-
cans desired to cast upon them what
ever Of imperfections there might be
in the legislation. The Grange Anti.
Monop element in the House did not
want to have this committee of twelve
men, among whom were men of much
Legislative experience, make report of
bill and 90 make the Grange respon-
sible therefor. They therefore took
the bold position of declining to in
vite the committee to do what they
had been instructed to do. 1t is true
two or three Of the committee, after
some time, did have an informal talk,
one evening, and gave just brief ont
line of principles to be contained in a
bill, thing which any body could do,
and 1t was laid before the proper COM
mittee of the Legislature. But it was
far different thing to put their views
into bill suitable to enact into law.
Mr.. Gates was not heard from on
this committee with his bill. With his
sort of prominence in the Grange, we
find Gates in the Anti-Monop State
Convention for Office, in June last, aud
failing there, he turns up in July down
here in this city, candidate for Con
gress. He is pre.eminently the can
didate Of those grangers who, like
himself. run politics into the Grange
and through the Grange. One year
ago the County Anti-Monopoly Con-
vention in Mahaska county was held by
delegates appointed, not by townships,
but by oranges. This is entirely con
trary to the rules of the order, and
most subversive of Its best interests,
% we'll % the best interests of the
country. We are satisfied that very
many who acted hastily, year ago.
and without proper reflection, men
who meant well, but were deceived,
will, this fall, act entirely differently
We feel satisfied that Mr.. Gates is the
candidate, as we said, especially Of
these political oranges, and that 1t was
this element which alone acas the real
po,oer and the real reason that has
made him the candidate of his party
Without this element Mr.. Gates would |
never have appeared as candidate. |
He has very industriously profited by
this interest to bring him forward, and |
has not been slow, considering the
shortness OF the time, in placing him.
self where the Office might seek him.
How far he shall work through his
perverted grange interest, which he is
unquestionably making the most OF, OF
course it is not possible for man in
the open political field to know fully.
One thing we know, however, that the
action of almost the entire body of the
republican grangers Of this county
last fall, assures us that they will not
conflict with the rules OF the order by
making use of 1t, or their connection
with 1t, in that direction. We feel as
sured further that Judge Sampson is
too well and favorably known by the
republicans of this county, for his abil-
ity and integrity, to let them be in
dnced for moment to think other
than that he is preferable for Congress
to the man Gates.