Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-12
Retires From speakership
Contest in Favor of Bowen.
WRITES HIM A LETTER
Thus simpliaes the speaRership Matter
and Bowen. who Is Now the Only
Gear Candidatei In the Field.
Will Win Easily.

4
Des Moines, Dec. 11.-(Special.) )-On
the 9th inst. Hon. NJ. L. Temple, mem-
ber of the house from Clarke county,
and candidate for speaker, wrote Hon.
D. II. Bowen, personal letter as fol-
lows:
Osceola, Ia, Dec. 9, 1899.
Hon.. ID. III. Bowen, Waukon. Ia:
Dear Sir: | am prompted to write
you on Il subieea of great interest to
both of us at the present juncture. 1
realize that the subject of paramount
Importance at the beginning of the ses-
sion OF the general assembly is the re-
election of Senator Gear to the United
States senate, thereby retaining to the
state and nation his valuable services
and ripe experience. This outcome I
deem assured in any event. In view of
the pronounced majority for him in
the senate; yet it has been apparent
for some weeks that the friends OF
Senator Gears competitor have CON
centrated their forces upon the matter
of the organization of the house, upon
your friend and neighbor, Mr.. Eaton.
of Mitchell. We cannot over-estimate
the importance of such organization
under existing circumstances. 1t has
seemed to me that these conditions
make it absolutely imperative that the
friends of Senator Gear should like
wise be permitted to concentrate their
efforts and energy in the same direc-
ton, as it is apparent the organization
must be made upon senatorial lines.
have had but little leisure and op-
portunity TO canvass the conditions eX-
isting among our friends, and am nol
able at the present time to say wha,
our relative strength may be, but I
feel that the time for action has come,
and beg your pardon for taking the
initiative.
From the little information that 1
have been able TO obtain. l feel con-
yinced that your candidacy is, in a
broad sense, u safe and desirable one.
!, therefore, beg to inform you, that /,
in ordersit to bring about the end sug-
gested as desirable, cheerfully with
draw from the contest, and ask my
friends wherever they may be found to
give their hearty and earnest support
to yourself.
! beg to assure you, my friend. that
none excel NE in the earnestness and
loyalty of the support given you.
Yours respectfully,
NJ. L. Temple.
The voluntary withdrawal of Mr..
Temple very materially silnplifies the
matter of the organization of the
house. The supporters of Senator
Gear have, in view of the number of
candidates favorable to his interest
heretofore in the field been embar-
rassed. Senator Gear has tifty-four
out OF sighty-one votes in the house.
His friends would gladly have allowed
the organization of the house to pro-
ceed upon lines of personal preference
OF the various members-elect, and very
much deprecated the necessity of or
ganizing upon lines of senatorial pref
erence, but the attitude of Mr.. Cum
Minis and supporters, which has for
some time been publicly known in am
nonncing their determination to sup
port the candidacy of Mr.. Eaton for
speaker, and the frequent reiteration
that Eaton was the Cummins candi-
date, and that his success foreshadow-
ed Cummins' election, has compelled.
the supporters of Senator Gear to
make the house organization an issue.
There is no doubt, as stated by Mr..
Temple in his letter, that Mr.. Gear has
4 very pronounced majority in the sem
ate. Before Mr.. TEMPLES withdrawal,
the best obtainable of the candidates
for speaker We're as follows: Bowen
26, Temple %, Head /, Blake 2, Eaton
%, doubtful 10. Mr.. Bowen. who is
practically row the only Gear 'candi-
date in the field, will win easily.
Conference mt Cedar Rapids.
Cedar Rapids, Dec. 11.-This, the
fifth, congressional district has been
the center of interest in the senatorial
contest during the last week. Every
member of the legislature from this
district is a republican. Scarcely a
member has been openly pledged on
the senatorship, and all have been free
to support whom they pleased. This
was by agreement, so that il the dis
trict should want anything it would be
untrammeled and at liberty to make
such alliance as it saw fit. 1t has been
tacitly understood that no member
should commit himself without con-
sulting she others, and that the entire
representation in the legislature from
the district should make itself felt by
going in body wherever il went.
In pursuance of this policy a confer
ence of members of the legislature
from The fifth was held here last We'd
nssday to determine upon what the
policy should be. All but one, Repre-
sentative Kimball, of Marshall, attend
ed the conference, which turned out to
be very pronounced Gear meeting.
The best informed politicians have all
along said thatthi would be the case;
that the members from the fifth would
be solid, or nearly solid, for Gear. But
the friends of Mr.. Cummins have stead
lily claimed that he would have several
votes in the district, and that circum-,
stances might be such that the district
would be solid. or nearly so, for him.
Every man present WAS for Gear, and
it was definitely determined to vote as
a unit on the senatorial and speaker
ship questions. 1t is said that Mr.. KIM
ball will doubtless fall in with the rest
of the district, though his absence is
Sat explained