Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-26
Dss MONIES Correspondence.

Des Moines Correspondence.
After passing the anti-fusion amend
ment to the ballot law some of the
republican senators who had at first
favored it, put their ears to the
ground and heard the rumblings of a
dissatisfied public opinion and con-
cluded the safe plan would be to re-
consider that vote and leave the law
as it is at present, so that any party
can nominate who it pleases and
have chance to vote for him under
its own colors regardless of whether
some other party has nominated him
or not. So on last Thursday there
was quite spiritual debate over the
matter in the senate, ten of the re-
publican members expressing them
selves in no uncertain sound as op-
posed to such a measure, not only as
an unfair and unprincipled method
OF doing business, but as fatal step
for the republican party to take.
Healy was particularly emphatic in
his warnings to his party to go slow
in the matter or it might find itself,
within a yevr or two, the agrieved
party, in the minority, DESTROYS of
forming an alliance with some other
weakling, and unable to do 80 be-
cause of its own fool action. For
this he was accused of entertaining
undue friendliness for the silver
forces because his brother, NJ. F..
Healy, is the silver democratic state
chairman. Senator Cheshire, of Polk,
also took decided stand against the
amendment as did also several others.
But it was no use, it went to a vote
and was passed, 81 to II. Republi-
cans voting against it were Byers,
Chesire, Ellis, Ericsson, Garst, Cor
rell, Healy, Lothrop, Pussy and
Young. At this writing the lower
house has not taken the matter up,
but there is no doubt but that they
will put it through with a whoop, be.
lieving it to be the only hope for re-
tanning the republican party in power
in this state.
If, as is generally believed, the
Funk investigating committee was
appointed for whitewashing pur-
poses, it run up against something
last Friday for which it was not
looking. Most of the witnesses ex
amined, no odds how much they may
have known ano publicly told here.
tofore, suddenly became as dumb as
an oyster and can give no informa-
ton whatever. But 1T was not SO in
John Robinson's case. He was for a
long time janitor in the state house
and all the time had an eye on what
was going on. Not only that but be
wouldn't keep still about it. Wher
the governor and other goody-goody
officials and their friends let hin
catch them making a saloon of the
cloak room he refused to clean ur
the muss and never know it. And
when women were let in and out OF
certain departments of the state
house at all hours of the night, Rob
inson thought it was not right, and
the people ought to know about it
so he let it be known. Finding they
could not bride, scare or beg him in
to keeping mum they found an ex
cuse to lei him out, and when the
investigating committee got hold o.
him the other day it heard things
that opened the members eyes, and
made them wonder how they car
manage to tell the people that all ii
right in the face of such evidence al
this. Several months ago the Farm.
ers' Tribune exposed a lot of crook
edness in the state house custodian.
department, and Robinson's evidenc,
backs up every charge made at tina
time. He furnished the committee
with figures showing the difference
between the charges made for paint.
ing by Metzgar and the same work
as done nnder the Boies administra
ton. The horticultural room, for in.
stance, cost the state. $3.50 only 8
few years ago, while the present Gus
todian presented bill of 1857 fol
work of u like character and amour
on the agricultural quarters. A pro
portionate difference exists in tn,
case of the library room and others
He also testified to one instanc,
wherein waste paper had been solo
to junk dealers, the money for which
he believed, had never reached tn,
state treasury. He told also of a tim,
when liquors were regularly kept il
the cloak room of the senate, AM
mentioned several occasions whel
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