Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-10-12
THE 1897 POLITICAL CONTEST IN
IOWA

I lOtt.As
Never before were there more inn
portant issues pending, calling for the
actions of citizens of this common
wealth than the present.
Vast interests, state and national
must and will receive the earnest
consideration of the people, upon
whom rest responsibilities as well as
the burdens of the government.
In the great conflict OF 1896, ma.
tional interests were in the lead, up
permost in the mind of the citizens
of every state, so all-absorbing were
the national topics involved, that for
the time being questions per-
tanning to local matters were
practically lost sight of. In
the present campaign state issues
will also be prominent. Nevertheless.
let no advocate of the gold standard
and high tariff, both devised to rob the
poor for the benefit of the rich, both
in their results rapidly widening the
line of separation between the would
be aristocratic monied class and the
people, entertain the thought that the
issues of 1896 will be forgotten. They
cannot be forgotten so long as the
causes that have produced the suffer-
ings of the past four years are in no
wise permanently ameliorated, and no
ray of hope for the future exists to
come from any action of the present
national administration. Iowa voters
while devoting a large part of their
time for the next three months to the
cleaning of the Aegean stab
les Of republicanism, where
the corruption of rings, COM
THE STATE - IT'S DENORALIZED
CONDITION.
bines and trusts, and the filth of par
ty pilferings have had full sway for
the last four years, will at the same
time give attention to the national de-
mands.
It is far from being pleasant work
for citizens of state, beloved, as
is beautiful, picturesque Iowa by ev-
eryone of its citizens, to speak in any
way dispairing of it. Be it under
stood, then, that the disagreeable facts
here related, are told reluctantly, and
only from sense of duty, that the
truly guilty parties may be known and
full revelation published, a revelation
that partisan interests tried in vain
wholly to screen.
Further, it is far from intent to
charge to the whole republican party
the abuses herein disclosed. Thous-
ands Of the rank and file of that party,
honest, true men, were not aware OF
the existence of powerful ring, COM
posed of shrewd politicians that had
SO manipulated financial and
monopoly forces inside the party and
out, that nominations for state officers
and many other nominations could
only come by their approval. These
sharp and unscupulous politicians
were prominent in the state central
committee, and in nearly every de-
partment of the state government
with their satellites scattered in most
of the counties of the state.
If the work of these political intri-
guers had been confined to securing
nominations and appointments fol
their legions of friends and perpetual
ting them in power, their influence
for evil would have been less, but theiI
nefarious work extended into broad.
er field.
Some Of these conspirators were by
family relations and financial interests
connected with nearly every railroad
interest in this and adjoining states,
and there has not been session Of the
legislature for many years, that our
beautiful state house has not been
thronged with lobbyists, well supplied
with money to use for securing favor
able legislation for railroad and other