Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-28
Contest at Des Moines Takes
on Easier Aspect.
FRIENDLINEss is SHOWN
Bowen Men Confident Of His Success
for Speaker-Gear Crowd Confident
aud Happy "A Letter From
Grouse of Adams County.

Des AIoines, Dec. 2s.-Politics is
much more quiet in Des Moines this
week that they We're last week. The
strain is not as great as some newspa-
per correspondents have tried TO make
it out to be. Yesterday the Cummins
men and the Gear men, and Eaton men
and Bowen men, We're found in friend
ly groups. each claiming the advantage.
The rivalry is strong, but il seems to
be taking on a kindlier tone.
The question seems to have resolved
itself into this form: Will all the Gear
men go to Bowen, or will some OF them
stay with Eaton, according to their
previous pledges, or, at least, leanings.
The Gear men called upon all their
friends TO vote for Bowen since Eaton's
candidacy had become identified with
Mr.. Cummins' senatorial aspirations.
II seems to have taken some effort to
convince all the Gear members that it
would be wrong to their side of the
senatorship to vote for Eaton. The
Cummins men have been anxious to re-
tain certain Gear votes for Mr.. Eaton,
because they realized that victory for
the lesserso office would be an advantage
in the greater contest.
The Gear men are now satisfied that
Bowen will poll practically all of the
Gear strength in the house and prob
ably a few of the Cummins votes. They
figure out that they already have
twelve votes more than enough to nom-
mate their candidate, with more TO
gain.
Mr.. Eaton was not here yesterday.
DIR. Bowen is now more than confident.
He says he feels absolutely certain that
he will win. He is now anxious to
make his majority as large as pos
sible.
On the senatorship itself, the Gear
men claim that there has been do doubt
for some time past. Their forces are
growing more and more compact. The
peakership contest precipitafed q fight
in which the Gear men had to partici-
pate, and many interpreted the fight
they We're making for DR.. Bowen to be
a fight over the senatorship itself. The
truth is that had the speakership not
come up as it did, the Gear men would
have put forth less effort in the pre-
liminary fighting.
Mr.. Gear has large majority in the
senate and this is now hardly disputed
by any one. With the house as it now
stands on the speakership, he is GER
tain of a round majority in that body
also.
.'We cannot see," said one of the
Gear men yesterday, "how we can
lose vote of those which we have,
but we can see, and that very clear
ly, how we are going to gain more
yotes.''
There is not Gear man who be-
lieves that the senator can receive
fewer than rs votes on joint ballot. No
one seems to be able TO show that any
changes have been made in the vote
since the fight began in Des Moines.
Drs. Eiker and Prentis are claimed as
gains by the Cummins men, but as !,
matter of fact, SO the Gear men say,
the question marks had never been
erased after the names of the two doc
tors, and it was known to the Gear men
that il the third doctor, DIR. Bowen,
was made the candidate, that Drs.
Eiker and Prentis would desert them.
To offset these losses the Gear men
have been assured of the undoubtetl
Cowles OF Kossuth.
The general feeling in the Gear camp
yesterday was one of confidence and
cheerfulness. The situation, they all
agreed, has never looked better, viewed
from every standpoint.
1t is noticeable that the non-com-
batants in the contest are beginning TO
feel that the Gear men are in the lead
and they will surely win.
There are too many younger men
in Iowa." said one of the non-combat-
ants, ''to allow Mr.. Cummins to run
away with the biggest political plum
in Iowa i'll u contest with one old
man.. for they have certainly made out
Senator Gear to be an old man. Mr..
Cummins may go to the senate, but
it will be after Il contest with num-
ber of the younger men, such as Shaw,
Dolliver, Lacey. Hepburn. Perkins,
Cousins, and, perhaps, others. These
men have not come out as candidates
this year, whether their refusal to
do so is the result of Senatorial com
bine' or not and the people of low,
are not going to decide the Gear sue
censorship until after Mr.. Gear has
ceased to be factor or a candidate.
Then there will be battle royal in
Iowa politics.
Representative Grouse of Adams
county yesterday authorized the publi-
cation of a letter in which he not only
says that he is going to vote for Mr..
Gear but that in his opinion all Gear
men ought TO fall in line upon the
speakership. This letter is important
i'll view of the fact that the Cummins
men have claimed that he was another
one of the Eighth district men who
We're hanging in the balance.
Following is the letter referred to-:
"Hon. d. II. Bowen: In reply to yours
OF December in regard to the speak
;ership of the next house of representa-
tiyes, would say that / think ii is time
that all true friends of Senator John
H. Gear should fall in line aud support
you for speaker. Hence will support
You most heartily, and if there is any
thing that Il might be able to do TO
further vour interest you have but to
command me. Yours very truly,
&c. S. Grouse"