Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-21
TIE SENATORIAL fight
Where aud How 1t May Cut q Big
Figure In the Fall Cam.
paign.
Many Close Counties Depending on
Good Faith Of the Senatorial
Managers.
Board Of Control May Ask for a Re.
formatory for Young
Special to Times-Repub,ican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. Sept 21.-The senatorial
fight will soon be in the hands of the
committees and the mathematicians.
Two things are coming to be pretty
generally recognized. One is that the
state committee will not by any means
conduct the entire campaign. 1t will
not be expected to distribute the money
that will go into legislative districts,
nor to do the fine work that must be
done on behalf of legislative candi-
dates. The other is that the next legis-
lature is not going to contain SO many
republicans as has been commonly as
sumed. The Cummins people claim,
and apparently with a good deal of rea-
son. that their chances will be better
II the membership in the republican
caucus is smaller for Gear has to de-
pend on carrying many close counties,
while Cummins candidates have largely
been nominated in safe counties.
sss
In the first place there will not be
over 100 republicans in the next legis-
lature. That is the basis on which fig
ures have been made of late. A good
many experienced politicians say it
Will go down to ninety-five. Nobody
seriously claims over 105. The more the
situation is studied the more it appears
that 100 is a safe figure to AK as max
imum. II there should be occasion for
a special session of the Legislature next
week it would assemble 100 republicans
and fifty democrats. There would be
lthirty-eight democrats in the house and
twelve in the senate. The democrats IS
unquestionably are confident of making
gains in the legislature. Suppose the
Cummins and Gear people get gus
picious OF each other during the cam
paign and begin to turn a few tricks ?
There are strong intimations on both
sides that it may be done. Each side
accuses the other OF bad faith already.
1t can safely be predicted that the first
sign Of disloyalty on one side will be
followed by some dangerous knitting on
the other. Already 1T Is charged that
the republican managers in Des Moines
lcounty tried to get two democrats
nominated for the house. who would
allow the republicans to elect their
Legislators. That would have meant
two easy votes for Gear. But the DEM
ocratic convention couldn't be handled.
to the disappointment of the Gear men.
| 1t will be wonder If the bitter feel
ling between the Cummins and Gear
partisans in counties like Pottawatta-
/ mie. Floyd, Cherokee, Muscat time, Powe-
Shiek and a dozen others that might be
named, does not show an effect at the
polls. There is no doubt that the very
first act of treachery by Gear men in
a Cummins county would lead to retail
alton. Whatever else may be said,
/ Cummins has one powerful force of
voters at his back and it is organized
SO that it will go where it will do the
most good to the cause. That force is
composed af the 10000 railroad men of
the state. Nobody ever denies that
they are for Cummins. If any unfair
ness is attempted it may be expected
that the railroad vote will cut some un-
expected capers. Mr.. Cummins. who
never saw much OF the real inwardness
of practical politics till he got into this
fight, has been learning fast.
| IT the Gear men go to knitting Cum
Minis candidates and the Cummins men
undertake to discourage the candi-
dacies of Gear partisans there will be
a lot of surprises in the results. 1t is
we'll enough to say that the men who
are running for United States senator
are too loyal republicans to do such
/ things But no man can control all of
his friends. even if he wants to. If Mr..
Cummins and Mr. Gear get up a bitter
| fight in this state this fall they may
expect that the returns from the polls
will tell of it.
l The quarterly conference of the SUI
perintendents of state institutions is in
session at the rooms of the board of
control. From members of the board
and others it is learned that the board
| is hating between two recommends
tions as to appropriations for the next
| Legislature. 1t will recommend the es-
Establishment of one new institution, but
| 1t is still uncertain whether to ask for
a reformatory for young men, or coll
ony for epileptics The superintendent
are almost IL not quite unanimous in ia
vor of the latter institution. The board
too, is understood to take the same
view. although the members are not
given to anticipating their report by an
nouncing in advance what they will rec
ommend.
The committee of the board, while in
the east, visited the Craig colony for
epileptics in New York, and investigat-
ed it with much interest. 1t is the larg-
est institution of the kind in the coun-
try, although Minnesota has one, and
several other states have established
them in the last few years., Dr. F.. NJ
Powell, of Glenwood institution for fee
BILE minded children, who has been per-
haps the pioneer in the movement In
this state. says that an epileptic is a
person who, on account of an excess OF
nervous energy, is liable to muscular
convulsions, called fits. controlled by
| the diseased nerves. There are proba.
bly, 1000 epileptics in Iowa, or about the
same as the number Of insane. Two
hundred OF them are being cared for In
DR.. Powells institution and 100 in other
institutions: The rest are in their homes
or on county poor farms. He considers
them as much entitled to care by the
state az any other class of unfortunates
! and adds that they can be given care Z.