Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-06-08
Mr.. Gear Responds.

Newton cOu9IVUt W the cucCC IudC
Hon. John H. Gear was indicted for
selling liquor, plead guilty and paid
the fine attached to the offiense.-
Since that article was written, the
Daily Burlington Haaokeye of June
5th comes to hand with card from
Mr.. Gear, in which, among other
things in his record, he attempts an
explanation of the matter Of his in
dictment and fine for selling liquor.
The portion of his letter devoted to
this subject is as follows:
AS to the charge that l am and
have been for many years whole
sale liquor dealer, let me give you
the facts in the case. Thirty-two
years ago l was a clerk for w. F.
Coolbaugh, now President of the
Union National Bank, OF Chicago
Mr.. Coolbaugh sold liquors in small
way, as did nearly ever merchant in
the territory at that time. Late in
the year lS49 he gave me an interest
IN his business, and in 1854, by the
help of friends, l bought out Mr..
Coolbaugh, and became his success
sor in business. When I succeeded
to the concern 1t had, with other
goods, some liquors, which were
closed out as soon as could we'll be
done without loss. This was over
twenty years ago, and from that
time to this l have not bought, sold,
or dealt in liquors at all, with the
exception of fifteen barrels of
whisky which I took on debt in
1868, which was sold without being
brought into my place of business
For the sale Of this fifteen barrels
of whisky my partner and myself
paid the fine alluded to by the New
ton Journal.
The above explanation in reference
to the fifteen barrels Of whisky is
remarkable rather for what it con-
ceals than for any light that it throws
upon the matter. It looks very much
like subtifuge, an erasion of the
issue; for the offense, as stated by
Mr.. Gear,is not the offense for which
he was indicted, and to which he
plead guilty, as the records of the
Court very clearly show. Now
what is that record? 1t is only nee
essary to examine it to show the
double game Mr.. Gear is playing be-
fore the people of Iowa. We quote:
"At the April term, 1868, of the
District Court of Des Moines county,
an indictment was found, against
John H. Gear and Mark S. Foot, for
keeping or committing nuisance in
this; That on the lst day Of January
1862, and on Diners other days and
times, 6et,ceen that day and the pres
ent time, May 1868, in the county,
aforesaid they did then and there
establish, continue and use a certain
building or place In which they Kept
Intoxicating liquors, to wit: Wis
key, brandy, gin, rem, and other in
toxicating liquors, with the sntent to
sell the same, in violation of an act
of the General Assembly of the State
of Iowa, entitled, IAN act for the sup
preston OF intemperance.'"
On Wednesday, May 10, 1868, the
Record Book, H., page ia, says:
Con this day comes the defendants
in their own persons and enter their
plea of guilty as charged in the in
dictment, and the court fixed their
fine jointly at twenty dollars with
cost Of prosecution" &c.
Now how does Mr.. Gears expla-
nation, that he took fifteen barrels of
whiskey on debt in 1863, which
was sold In another place than his
place of business, and that for the
sale of these fifteen barrels of whis-
key he paid the fine alluded to, chine
with the above extracts from the
court records of Des Moines county?
Does it not prove that he has forgot
ten the facts in the case, or that now,
for the sake of the nomination for
Governor, he chooses wilfully to
misrepresent them? As we have
said before, we do not care so much
that at one time Mr.. Gear was en-
gagged in the sale of liquor, but con-
siderng the high hand That his sup
porters have carried in this canvass,
their excavations of every man or
paper that dared to hint that Mr..
Gear had ever, in any way, engaged
in the traffic, and their hypocritical
talk about keeping the temperance
cause apart from party politics, urg-
ed not 9s principle, but in the in
terest of Mr.. Gear as . candidate for
Governor, we own that we are glad
that the truth has come out, and that
it confounds Mr.. Gear and his super
servisable friends. Mr.. Gears card,
insincere and evasive as it is, will do
him more harm than good, for it will
show the deception he is willing to
practice for the attainment of his po-
litical ambition. The movement In
favor Of his nomination is not spon-
famous one by any means. 1t has
been sedulously cultivated by every
secret means known to the wire
working tribe of politicians, and is
permeated by bargain and corrup-
ton from one end to the other. 1t is
quite possible that some honest men
who support his claims, do not see
this. We wish we could believe
that he is not himself aware of 1t; in
deed that he is not party to it.
THE objections to Mr.. Gear as a
candidate for Governor are not alone
those urged by the temperance peo'
pie. The manner in which his nom-