Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1890-09-25
WHY THE FARMER WAS DEFEATED
Bad Record Of Democratic Candidate for
Secretary Of State - lie Votes
Against Farmers Interests
He Opposes the Safety Car
Coupler Bill.

\
convention to defeat candidate whose
honesty and independence render him
obnoxious to the corporations, they
| usually manifest the two-fold sagacily
of opposing a good man and favoring
bad one. If the man they desire 10
defeat is excep ionally able and popu-
lar, they are sometimes obliged to
"kill him OFF, with another good man
but they never do this unless driven TO
1t, and then they endeavor to hamper
the better man by putting him under
obligations to themselves. Ii they
have personal animosities to crafty,
they are generally shrewd enough TO
do it in such way as to also further
their corporation interests. No poll.
tician is so cold blooded as the profess
sional railroad lawyer in politics.
RAILROAD LAWYER DICTATES.
The defeat of Mr.. |. l.. Woods for
secretary OF state and the nomination
OF Mr.. w. III. Chamberlin for that Of
flee by the Democratic convention at
Cedar Rapids furnish u perfect illus
tration OF what the railroad lawyer
will do in politics when he is able to
secure all that he aims at. The re-
suit was the work of John T. Dun
combe, the attorney of the Illinois
Central railroad. In defeating Mr..
Woods, gratitied personal and aotion-
al spite, and defeated man identified
with the farming interests, man who
In the legislature stool as faithful
representative of the people as against
the special and selfish desires of the
corporations; and in nominating Mr..
Chamberlain, he secured u place at
the head of the Democratic State ticket
for a subservient instrument OF the
corporations, and man who can prob
ably be relied upon to vote in the ex-
ecutive council to continue to assess
1920, 900, 900 worth OF Iowa railroad
property at 3,0o0,0 when that
amount of farm property would be
assessed at $3.50, 900, 900, and would
therefore pay more than three times
as much taxes.
PRUDENT TO STAY AT HOME.
Mr.. Chamberlin represented Blu
chanan county in the Twentieth,
Twenty-firSt and Twenty-third general
assemblies. He was not member oil
the Twenty second, the faithful body
that gave US our excellent railroad
law, House File 1913, and the election
of railroad commissioners. Why he
dropped out for that session, we dc
not know; out If we are to Judge by
his previous record. it must have been
because popular Indignation at his
monopoly preferences rendered it pru.
dent for him at that time to take
refuge in private life "until the storm
was over"
CONTROLLED BY MONOPOLY.
The Twentieth general assembly
was completely controlled by the mon
opoly element. The demands of the
people for reform were quietly and
smilingly ignored and Chamberlin and
his corporation friends Of both parties
had things all their own way. Mon.
opoly committees postponed and indi-
rectly killed most of the bills to which
the railroad lobby objected, and the
sitting committees completed the work
of betrayal. Few bills that the peo-
pie asked for came to vote. Most
| of them died in committee or were
| committed to the oblivion of indefinite
postponemeut without a yea and nav
vote.
In the Tweuty-first general assem-
bly,, however, there was large anti.
monopoly element, which elected the
speaker and controlled the committees.
| Some excellent measures for the re-
lief of q long suffering people were
| forced to vote and the monopolists
were compe led to answer to roll call
on several good bills which the farm
ers and business men OF the state were
! demanding. Among these were bills
to make the Office of railroad commits
sioner5 elective, TO give the com mis-.
sioners power to make rates, to abolish
! free passes for officials, and to require
! foreign corporations to re-incorporate
! Iowa courts. Mr.. Chamberlin made
a record which proves he is II man
who should never be elected secre tary
OF state and thus given n vote in the
executive council upon the assessment
of railway properties. The record j.
in public documents accessible to al
and it leaves it perfectly clear why the
attorney OF the Illinois Central rail-
road Unanswered at Cedar rapids &c
! secure Chamberlin's nomination.
KILLED RAILROAD COMMISSION BILL.
At the foundation OF the reforms de-
manded by the people was an elective
railroad commission, composed of mer
chosen by the people, responsible t.
them and pledged to do their will.
Mr.. Chamberlin helped to kill thai
measure in the legislature OF 1886
The friends OF railroad legislation haC
succeeded in getting the elective com.
mission bill made a special order fol
the afternoon Of March IL, the bill be.
ing a substitute for house files Nos. 8
"a, 40, 20, etc. When p. m, the
hour for the special order, arrived, /,
motion was made to consider Ii. T.
492, bill to abolish the Office OF dis
trict attorney, instead of the election
bill. An amendment was offered &
strike out ii. +. 492 aud insert thu
substitute for house files Nos. s, "a
40, 20, ETC.. the elective comm ssior
bill. Mr.. Chamberlin and major,
| ity OF the house voted no." he thu:
showing his sympathy with the cor
porations, and his opposition to the
people electlng their commissioners
The record is on pages 81 and 372 o
the journal OF the house OF 1886.
STOOD IN WITH THE LOBBY.
Next in Importance to tho election
OF railroad commissioners was That O
| pi vino than npwar IN ra,1 M ,.at NJ, =, =,