Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-10-12
SENATORIAL.
(Chapter XI.}


At the time that DR.. F. W. Daubney
made the announcement of his candi-
dacy for state senator, Mr.. A. X. Bailey
offered the doctor the support of him
self and his paper, the DecOrdh Repub-
Hcan, providing he would pledge him
self to support Harry Goddard for
postmaster of Decorah. Mr.. Bailey ac-
companied this offer with the threat
that unless this pledge was made by
DIR. Daubney he would have to fight
him. The doctor refused to purchase
Mr.. Bailey's support in this way, which
fact is the cause of the malicious fight
now being waged by the Republican.
Had DR.. Daubney agreed to the propo-
sition, he would have received the sup
port of Mr.. Bailey and his paper.
AS the canvass progressed it became
evident that DR.. Daubney would sue
ceed in securing the nomination for
state senator, and that Mr.. Bailey
could not control the delegation to the
state convention. Then began per-
sonal attack upon DR.. Daubney in
reference to private business affairs.
The political enemies of the doctor are
directly responsible for this attack.
Mr.. Bailey foreshadowed it in SANDER
Gus personal letters signed by himself
and sent to individuals in different
parts of the county, telling what would
be done, providing the doctor received
this nomination, and on the morning
of the county convention, in his paper,
issued several hours before its usual
time so as to facilitate its distribution
among the delegates, he made vim
dictive and libelous attack upon DIR.
Daubney, which he declared would be
followed by legal proceedings. In the
face of this attack DR.. Daubney re-
ceived decisive majority Of the dele
gate votes on the first ballot i'm the
convention and was declared the nOm-
inee of the republican party for this
county. Mr.. Bailey reiterated these
threats in the next issue of his paper,
but at the district senatorial convention
held at Calmar, DR.. Daubney received
the unanimous nomination for state
senator by acclamation. The opposi-
ton made good their threat by secur-
ing an order requiring the doctor to
appear before Judge Fellows and testify
concerning certain papers received by
him from his deceased uncle. The
doctor was questioned fully and at
length concerning the transfers, at the
conclusion of which, the judge finding
that the transfers were regular, dis
missed the case.
Still more abusive tactics were now
adopted. An unusually long petition,
full of malicious charges, was printed
in the Republican, which petition was
not obtained from the office of the
county clerk, the proper custodian of
such documents. The publication of
such petition is a very unusual affair,
and was entirely for political effect.
These disgraceful proceedings were ac-
companied with a spiteful demand that
the doctor should withdraw his name
from the ticket, and since that time the
editor of the Republican has further
showed his venom by committing the
before unheard of act of Omitting the
name of the republican candidate for
state senator from his official list of
candidates in his paper. Owing to the
action taken by their attorneys in the
above case, it was not allowed to be
tried at the last term of court, but was
postponed until after election, without
giving the doctor an opportunity to
vindicate himself.
All the charges preferred against DIR.
Daubney can and will be proven false,
and would have been at the last term
of court, had he been given the oppor-
tunity. The whole fight against him
is being made for political purposes,
and is one of the most disgraceful, de-
grading signs of political venom we
have ever known of Such methods
should be repudiated at the polls.
TO be continued)