The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-09-08
Iowa Comm unicatiOn.
w. F. Toy,
Harwood. Texas.

Winterset, Iowa, Sept. 6. 1897.
The game Of politics is becoming
warm in this state. All of the parties.
viz: Republican, Democratic, National
Democratic. Peoples party. Prohibition
and Socialistic Labor, have nominated
full tickets and are before the people
asking for support. The Democrats
opened their campaign Aug. 18th, and a
sorry day it has proven for them. Fred
White and General Weaver spoke In the
18th district Walter 1. Hayes, the DEM
ocrat from the I'd district, who fought
the endorsement of the Chicago plat
form in the Democratic convention,
opened at Manchester and Ex-Governor
Horace Boies at Marshalltown. The
campaign opened In other districts but
these three places are the most import
ant because they indicate what are to
be the tactics of the Democrats. Before
analyzing this opening it will be Of i'm
portance to consider briefly the ccmpo-
sition of the Democratic ticket which has
the support of Weaver and the fusion
PCpulists. The nominee for governor,
Fred White, is a good man and himself
not Objectionable to the reformers. B.
A. Plummer, candidate for lieutenant
governor, is national banker who COM
pells his borrowers to sign gold notes.
F. A. Reinhart and S. B. Crane, candi-
dates for superintendent of public in
struction and railroad commissioner re-
speotively, are silver men and in this
much unCbjectionable. L. G.. Kline,
candidate for judge of the supreme
court, is an outspoken gold Democrat.
Objection to him was raised at the state
convention on the grounds Of his I'M
soundness on the financial question, and
General Weaver to secure his nomina-
ton by the Populists, stated that he
would vouch for Judge Kenne as being
as sound on the silver question as he,
Weaver, or any other Populist. Since the
convention a letter Of Judge Kenne's,
written June 18th, nine days before the
fusion convention, has been published In
which he states that he Is not in favor
of free silver and says: "If l must say
l am in favor Of the Chicago platform
in order to be nominated for judge, l
will not be nominated" He Is also the
author of the court decision on a rail-
road case which makes the Temple
amendment necessary. These things
were known to the Democrats and must
have been known to General Weaver.
Some considerable demand from the sill
yer men has been made for Kenne's
withdrawal and the Des Moines Leader,
| commenting on this, in effect says, TINT
If Kenne Is forced off the ticket forty
thousand gold Democrats who, 1t says,
| will support the triple alliance on state
issues, will also go. The Leader is
gold Democratic paper and supported
Palmer and Buckner last year. The
policy of the triple alliance now becomes
apparent; it is any thing to win and the
fusion Populists are as deep In this I'M
| savory mire as the vilest of the Office
| seeking Democrats. This policy was
! carried out In the opening OF the cam
| paign. In silver districts, the silver men
made the opening speeches. In the
| doubtful and gold-bug districts, doubtful
men and god-bugs were placed to speak
! We do not know what the unspeakable
Hayes said, and for that matter it is un-
! important. for his position is we'll
| known, but Ex-Governor Boies' speech
has been printed in full. The ex-gover
| nor, who was a candidate for president
| last year on the Chicago platform and
| was Weaver's running mate for elector
at large last year, takes square stand
against sixteen to one. He says that
| that ratio Is no longer feasible. That
the people pronounced against it last
year and that no future party can win
with it as platform. He is doubtless
posing as the Democratic candidate for
president in 1900 on compromise plat
form. Thus you have the situation so
] far as the triple alliance Is concerned