Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-09-12

THE OTTUMW-A co
caucus. He considers LOT or 10S the
more probable number. Placing it at
lis. his estimate gives Gear majority
of one.
But about the Pottawattamie fight.
The Gear people who We're on the
ground say that the Rock Island road
sent all its gravel trains in the vicinity
of Council Bluffs into the town on Fri
day afternoon, with instructions that
the men We're to be voted for Cummins.
The Burlington, however. was'not to be
outdone in any such style. 1t hada
few gravel gangs OF its own, and I'M
less the management of the road has
been liheled ii sent them from all over
southwestern Iowa into the town and
voted them. But this all wasn't
patching. Wagons and carry-alls came
over from Omaha with patriots who
were willing to vote in Iowa at fixed
amount per. And they voted. too, by
hundreds. One precinct which cast less
than 400 votes for Mckinley in 1896,
and has never cast so many for re-
publican candidate since, turned out
over $50 votes in the caucus. No at
tempt was made. practically. to as
sure honesty in The primary. Nobody's
qualifications were especially investigat-
ed. Men filed into the primary rooms,
deposited their, ballots with the Judges
and filed OUT, to receive the So, which
was accepted as the standard price.
*%s
The Gear people, from all accounts,
had the longer purse. They were able
to keep at it longer. Both sides had
managers on hand from general head
quarters, looking after organization
and the process bf handling the money.
and it was red-hot time. The half has
not been told about it; probably never
will be written. But in the end the
Gear people won out. The Cummins
',eople insist that an honest primary
would have shown different result
but Pottawattamie has never been very
strong ON morality in politics, and the
resut will have to be accepted philo-
sophically by anybody who doesn't like
| it.
Cedar Rapids people who have been
in town today say that Col. w. G..
VOWS, late commander of the Forty
ninth Iowa, will not accept the COM
mission as major in the regular army,
the position for which he was recently
nominated by the president. Col. Bows
made splendid record in the Spanish
war, and no iowa commander enjoyed
larger popularity with his troops. He
had had excellent training for the bus
mess of commanding men. as manager
of great forces OF working men on rail
road and other big contracts for his
father. S. J.. Bows. He proved good
executive, and was especially strong in
| taking care of his own men and look
/, ing after their health and comfort.
| When he was nominated short time
ago for a majority in the regulars he
was away from home and il was not
| known whether he would accept. Since
| then letters have been received Saying
| he will probably decline. although it is
understood he has not yet done so.
Considerable influence has been
brought TO hear to induce him to re-
fuse the commission. as his accept
ance would compel him to decline the
republican nomination for represents
tive in Linn.
Capt. Willard NJ. Finn, who com
manded the Dubuque company during
its service in the Spanish war. is an
other OF the lucky Iowa men, having
| just been appointed a first lieutenant
in the regular army. Capt. Films e:.-
perience in the late war was not Il very
satisfactory one, He got into row
with his company early and il contin-
i ued until the organization was mus
tered out. 1T seems that he Was
charged with promising positions as
non-coms TO men and afterward :urn-
ing. them down. A humber OF the men
claimed that they enlisted on the
istrength of assurances OF such appoint
ments and We're bitter over failure rc
secure what they believed hal been
promised. That wasn't the worst of Il
All their friends in their company tool,
lysides with the disappointed. ones and Sc
4 did their friends at home. q 1t grew int
a reruiar town, feud in Dubuque. Ey-
1 erybody who had any interest at all in
4 the company was on one side or II
i other. The company, down at Jackson
i vile and afterward at Havana, was
1 getting along all right and forgetting
about its troubles, while the people o.
Dubuque, were raising cane about ii q
home. The women of the town got in
to it, and then the real trouble com
menced. a lot of men can stir up ;
reasonable quantity OF trouble in suci
q muss: but for real, downright gric
land torment, the women can do q 9rea
deal worse. When the company 80
home the people of Dubuque didn': giy.
it reception and the row hasn't We
been forgotten.
i TT is stated on good authority tia
when he delivers his speech III Tn
opening of the campaign at Davenport;
September IA, Fred r. White will bca
down hard on anti-imperialism as thi
big issue this fall, and will quietl,
relegate free silver TO the rea1most Pc
sition Asa