Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-11-16
IT'S SHAW'S VICTORY
Chief Executive Deserves Credit
for Election Result.
HIS HAND SHAPED THE ISSUES

bore the Brunt of the Iowa Campaign
The Senatorial Contest Practic.
ally Unchanged by Election
= lserry's Defeat.
Des Moines, Nov. 11.-Leslie NJ. Shaw
has come out of this fray in pretty
good shape, thank you. Having borne
the brunt of che fight all over the state
even his friends have expected that he
would be severely punished for his
prominence in politics and affairs. He
led in every fight and was the. topic of
discussion everywhere in the state
throughout the campaign. He shaped
the issues and directed the discussion
to very large extent. He was not
afraid to accept responsibility for
whatever his duty required him to do,
and he never will be. In short, he is
one of the kind who is not afraid to
stand up and be counted" He has
stood, up and been counted by the peo-
pie OF Iowa, and they have agreed that
there is good deal to him. He will
enjoy the high distinction of having
the largest majority, probably, ever
given to any man for governor of Iowa.
Some of the persons who uttered the
threats against him early in the cam
paign because they could not control
him on the senatorial question would
do well to reflect upon the situation.
#H# LEI
1t will take sixty votes in the re-
publican joint caucus this winter to
nominate United States senator, for
the republicans have 11S members, as
shown elsewhere. This great majority
in both houses is dangerous thing for
the party, for it leads to carelessness
and recklessness of legislative action.
The future of the party, and by that is
meant the usefulness of the great or
ganization for good, depends upon the
moderation and good sense of this big,
unwieldy majority. just now every
one is inquiring what will be done
about the senatorship, and what effect
the election has had on the senator
ship. 1t is too soon for an intelligent
and complete answer to this question,
though the general opinion of well in
formed and discerning politicians is
that it is confirmatoT of the previous
opinion that Senator Gear has good
command of the situation and will be
successful, barring some unforeseen
and improbable accident. No combs
nation can tbe effected against the in
terest of Gear, because he has too ma
ny supporters who regard his interest
as first. AS the Fort Dodge Messen-
ger, in its famous leader, said, the can
didates for senator have selected the
legislature instead of the legislature Sc
lecting the senator, as the fathers in
tended in their wisdom. Where close
contests have been fought out on this
line, the representatives of this or that
candidate are pretty well tied up, eth
err openly or secretly, and will hardly
go astray. Whoever is able to do one
thing will be able to do another. 1t is
hardly likely that candidate for
speaker who starts out with the sena-
torial brand on his collar will be able
to get more votes for himself than are
welded to that candidate for senator
whom he represents. But the election
has not made much net change in the
situation as between Gear and Cum
minis. Both have made gains and both
have made losses. 1t is fine thing
for Senator Gear to have such trib-
ute from his home people, who have
elected republican to the house for
the first time in many years, and all
on his account The friends of Sena-
tor Gear say hewill have "A to &c votes
in the joint caucus. Mr.. Cummins'
friends have made no claims, further
than to dispute this claim and say they
are in the lead.
The defeat of Senator Berry will be
regretted by many who knew and adj
mired him for his ability, though
sometimes regretting that he repre-
scented a constituency that demanded
him to be at times SO narrow and I'M
reasonably 1t seerss now that he has
not been aMle % satisfy that eXacting
constituency. Just how he was beaten
is not yet fully known. The republic
cans of Clarke county have the salts
faction of being able to clear their
skirts of any of the mire. They gave
him a majority of 81 and he was beat
en- by his own county. Clarke did
pretty well, electing Mr.. Temple rep
resentative and giving Governor Shaw
majority of over 300. Senator Berry
was considered strong congressional
possibility, who was only awaiting his
time for entrance to the arena. Now
he will have to wait spell.
Webb Byers, of Shelby, former
speaker of the house, is one of the
most loyal friends any man ever had,
and it was this loyalty that led him to
make the hard fight necessary to carry
Shelby county and bring vote into
the Cummins column. He could not get
any other man to do it, so he deter
mined to do it himself, though there
were heavy odds against him. His
success is gratifying to his many
friends in the state, who admire the
courage and unselfishness of his posi-
ton in the contest.