Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-05
The HAWKEYE POLITICIANS.
All the Candidates in the Field Max
ing Vigorous Fight.
FARMERS COMING OUT IN FORCE.
The Corporation Crowd Induiging in
an Immense Amount of Wire
PuIIing-General weaver's
Brilliant Scheme.
Tho Iowa Campaign.

Tho Iowa Campaign.
DEs MONIES, Ia, August 4.-TSpeclal to
THE BEE. THE political contests now going
on in Iowa are absorbing public attention to
the exclusion of every thing else. The pri-
maries are being well attended and the farm
ers are coming out in force Whoever may be
nominated for governor, this one thing is
certGin-the candidate will be the choice of
a majority Of the republican voters and the
platform will be fair reflex of the senti-
ment of the party. The corporation crowd
have given up the idea of securing the repeal
of the railroad legislation of two years ago
aud are bending all their energies towards
calling a halt' in further restrictive laws.
To prevent the enactment of a "maximum
tariff and the '2 cent fare bill'' is now the
main object Of the immense amount of polit-
ical wire pulling that is going on. Sudden
and preconcorted attacks upon the leading
anti-monopoly members Of the last legisla-
ture who are candidates for reelection are
being made. The plan of battle seems to be
to induce o large number of farmer candi-
dates to take the field so the anti-monopoly
strength may be divided and frittered away.
In counties like Cass and Marshall, where
the feeling is all one way, this scheme will
not work, but IN counties like Jefferson, Ma
haska and Van Buren,. where the people are
divided, the result is III doubt.
While the next legislature Is not likely to
be so unanimous as the last, yet 1t is quite
certain that the anti-monopolists will be
strong enough to prevent any retrograde
movement. In Polk county a square fight is
being made on the question of endorsing the
work of the last legislature. Colonel @. II.
Catch, the senator from this county, who
voted against the law making the railroad
commission elective, and stood in with the
corporations all through the fight, is a candi-
date for reelection. The opposition has GEN.
tered upon G L. Watrous, a we'll known
nurseryman and farmer, and the battle is be-
ing wkged on this issue. Indications now
point to the overwhelming defeat Of the
railroad candidate, though the corporations
are making very strong canvass. The city
of Des Moines elects half the delegates, and
if every ward can be carried and one or two
outlying townships Catch will be successful
This nomination would likely result in a big
anti monopoly bolt, which might give the
senator to the democrats.
The contest for the nomination for gov
ernor goes merrily on. The chances are
daily growing brighter for Wheeler, though
his nomination Is by no means assured.
Captain Hull has developed remarkable
strength in some sections that were claimed
for Wheeler, and is having neck and neck
race with Hutchinson in his own territory.
The soldier element is strong for Hull, and
the corporation influence is also sad to be
thrown in his favor. The Wheeler strength
is mainly with the farmers, and where this
d
like it did in Marshall and Hardin, Wheeler
always gets the delegation.
The fight for lieutenant governor seems to
be between Senator Poyneer, of Tama and
Finn, of Taylor. Senator Poyneer is
farmer, but is very conservative in his views
and opposed the radical railroad legislation
of two years ago. Finn, on the
other hand. ls lawyer. but he
is bold and vigorous worker in
the anti-monopoly ranks and fully abreast
with nublir nll live nOitjcal
questions. The genuine anti-mOnopolists
who understand the situation want Wheeler
and Finn, while the other side would be
willing to yoke Hutchinson and Poyneer to-
gether. On account of locality Hull and
Poyneer would not mate well, and should
Hull be nominated Finn would likely carry
off the prize "Wheeler and Poyneer'' is the
war cry of no inconsiderable number espe-
cially in the northeastern part of the state.
The democrats are hopelessly hounderirg
in the sea of discord and uncertainty with no
chart or compass to direct their course. Ben
Hall says ''the republicans are certain
to win and he is not going to run against
same thought, though not quite so bluntly,
and no other prominent democrat will allow
his name to be mentioned IN this connection.
In this emergency the lrrepressible James B.
Weaver comes smilingly to the front and
tremity the democrats may yet accept.
Weaver hopes the republicans will NOM
mate Hull or Hutchinson, in
which case he proposes to run as
'go as you please" candidate
and make bold bid for the granger vote
The republican majority over the combined
opposition is not more than $1,000, and
Weaver is confident that his anti-mo-
nopoly record in congress will draw enough
radicals to his support to lift him into the
gubernatorial chair. This scheme was
hatohed q few days ago by some of Weaver's
henchmen, and is going to be pushed vigor-
ously in case the republican convention does
not take an advanced position on antmo-
nopoly questions.
The democrats who take their politics
straight are endeavoring to put Peter A.
Dey, present railroad commissioner, on the
track, but Dey evidently prefers the fat Of
flee he now holds to the empty honor of a
nomination for governor. That he would
like to step into Governor Larrabee's shoes
cannot be denied, but Dey's strength among
the farmers has been gradually waning
until it is only shadow. His course on the
commission has been vacillatiug and contra
dictory, and to the great disgust of the re-
publican farmers by whose votes he was
elected, he steadfastly refused to sign the
schedule of rates that were finally adopted.
Dey is a dead duck politically, and when the
farmers get chance at him again he will re-
alixe this fact. REX.