Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-08-28
A REAL CONTEST ON
Gear and Cummtns Forces Concen.
trate All Their Strength on
Pottawattamie County.
Convention Regarded senatorially
as the Most Important Yet to
Be Held.
Something About the Work Being
Done By Both Sides-Cap.
ital Comment.
mes-Republican.


Des Moines, Aug. pa. B. Cum
minis drove twenty-five miles in Potta-
wattamie county one day last week."
said a prominent Cummins man yester-
day, "and don't forget that he is wor-
rying the Gear people out there. He
made speech to on old soldiers re-
union and stirred things up in a way
that has set them all by the ears. He
has been making personal canvass of
the county, or at least a good share of
1t. His friends out there are working
as they never worked politics before.
They have the advantage of a popular
man at the head of their ticket as a
candidate for the senatorial nomina-
ton. Charley Saunders is county attor-
ney, and there isn't a man in the coun-
ty would make race against him for
! the nomination il there was nothing
else Involved than legislative position.
Charley would be nominated, hands
down. without any opposition, if he
would give up his determination to
support Cummins. But he refuses to
do 1t. He will stand or fall with Cum
minis, and 1T will take the convention to
decide Which crowd is the stronger.
/
There isn't county in the state"
continued the speaker, whose political
situation, placed under microscope
and magnified 100 times, would be so
good a representation of the state as
a whole as Pottawattamie There is the
tOId crowd. that ha : oly.o,-s. al
|cently been assumed to run the county.
They are for Gear, and their number in
cludes all the postoffice people, the other
federal officers of whom a considerable
number live there, and most of the old
timers in politics. The Burlington and
Rock Island roads are both in the coun-
ty, but as usual the Burlington is bet
ter organized for political work.
4 Gear men are about determined on
AS Hazleton as their senatorial candi-
date; in fact think there is no doubt
they will support him. The primaries
in the county Will be held Friday. Sept.
/ |, and the county convention Wednes-
day, Sept 6. This week will see a rep,a-
tition of the same fight that was made
last year for Byers for congress: but
| there will be more of it. Cunlnins has
4 the young men. especially those who
/ have never had much of any prorni-
nence in politics. There are good
many of them. and they haven't forgot
ten the novel sensation-and withal it
was pleasant one-that they expert
lenced year ago when they went into
a county convention, turned down the
4 Old crowd and named themselves as
delegates to the congressional conven-
I ton. They are trying to do it again.
Whether they succeed or not will deter
mine whether Cummins or Gear gets
the county,"
The Iowa State University is going TO
be advanced in the next few years to
the foremost rank of educational insti-
tutions west of the Alleghenies The
regents are now expending almost a
third of million dollars in buildings
land library. The one-tenth mill state
tan, levied for a building fund, and to
run flVe years, Will produce just about
jS2fo,oOO. Then another one-tenth mill
was levied one year for library p,,r-
poses. AT present a big college hall is
\ being erected, which will have cost
when completed about s165.000 1t has
long been screly needed. The old capi-
tol building, in which the first legisla-
ture of the new state of Iowa met. and
which was the seat of government for a
number of years, will be used, 1t is ex-
Ipected, exclusively for the law depart
ment. 1t is a mtter of congratulation to
the state that a useful purpose has
been found to which this historic struc-
ture can be devoted, with the assurance
that it will be preserved for the future
People from the Eighth district de-
clare that the prospects for a big fight
over the next congressional nomination
down there We're never so good as to-
day. The restiveness of republicans.
many OF whom feel that Col Hepburn
has had all he is entitled to, is grow
ing more apparent all the time. The
friends of Judge Horace NJ. Towner, of
Adams county. no longer speak in
whispers of their intention to make a
fight for him next year. They declare
that he will be the nominee.
Judge Towner is AZ or 43 years old,
land has been on the bench almost nine
years. He began life teaching a country
school. When he was little more than
la voter he was elected county superin-
tendent of Adams county and from his
Isalary saved enough to prepare himself
to start in the practice of law. He was
so successful that he was nominated
and elected to the bench nine years ago.
1t happens that his judicial district is
lalmost co-eXtensive with the Eighth
congressional, and he has diligently
made hay, getting acquainted with his
constituents and making himself popu-
lar all over the district. He is favor
lite speaker all over the southern part of
the state, splendid judge. handsome
ut always helps man in politics to be
handsome-cultured. and with taking
ways. A good many people wanted him
to run for the supreme bench this year.
but he had the congressional idea under
consideration. Committeeman Spence.
of the Eighth district, is one of the
Towner men. He was elected a year ago
to succeed John Burrows, a Hepburn
imam. The prospective congressional
fight was In the wind then, and the
ITowner people won the first skirmish by
securing such majority Of delegates
for Spence that Burrows placed Spence
soss, -s,syss