Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-12
Senatorial SPECIALS
Gear Men Charged With Furnishing,
Gratis, One. Sided Reports of
County Conventions.
Cummins' Chances Disparaged and
Gear Gains Exaggerated For
Effect in the State.
Prof Kent to Supervise Agriculture
In the turkish Empire Board
of Control.
Special to Times-Republican.

0pecldl TO 'llmeS-RepuDllcan,
Des Moines, Sept. 12.-"Politics as she
is played" has had pretty good illus
tration in the last few weeks, For some
time Iowa newspapers have been IA
vored with the dropping of mama from
heaven in the form of telegraphic spe-
Gals, prepaid, on county conventions in
Gear territory. They have generally
been signed by some unknown-some
people say fictitious-name, and always
BILE. Considering the expense and the
difficulty of getting prompt service on
convention news, it is but natural that
such specials should be received as evil
dence of the kindly interest of provi-
dence, and that the favor should be APP
preciated. Last Saturday night, for in
stance, the Muscatine convention was
reported to morning papers n a 200
word special which told all about how
Gear had swept all opposition before
him. incidentally it was stated that
after the convention George NJ. Curtis,
of Clinton. ex-congressman from the
Second district, who had been on the
ground in Mr.. Cummins' interest, said
that the senatorial fight was over, and
Mr.. Cummins beaten. If Mr.. Curtis had
said such a thing it would have been
important. 1t merely happens that he
didn't say it, and doesn't believe it. The
AIuscatine dispatch was paid and
signed "Dahlberg" Nobody knows
who Dahlberg is, save that he is set
down as a Gear representative doing
this kind of work for the sake of it's eff
feet throughout the state.
Mr.. Curtis, in the hope of heading off
the false report as early as possible,
sent out by wire denial of it in the
following message, with the request
that it be printed:
"Clinton, Iowa, Sept. 1.-THE dis
patch from Muscatine appearing in nu-
merous papers, quoting me as saying
| that the result in Muscatine county
ended the senatorial contest and that
! Cummins is out of the race, is abso-
lutely false. / am now, as have been
confident that the contest will only be
settled by the legislature.
&c. NJ. CURTIS
This sort OF thing certainly doesn't
look like fair fighting unless it be on the
theory that "all is fair in war That
may be true but it will do no good to
get this sort of war started within the
close counties in the state, and such
methods are liable to lose some repub-
lican members of the next legislature.
Dot
with Nebraskans and gravel-train
gangs voting, and after the Muscatine
contest. with this kind of reports sem
out concerning it. nobody needs be sur
prised if results on election night show
that these methods have reacted
against the party. Muscatine went re-
publican last fall by 305 votes, in total
| poll of 5, ,421 Pottawattamie was repub-
ican by about $50 in a total poll of
91S4. 1t appears that if one vote
| in every tsn republicans should be
changed in Pottawattamie it would
change the result. Judging by the
measure of cussing that was done in
the Bluffs after the result was an
nounced. this is not an impossibility in
a county where there is so much inde-
| pendence as in Pottawattamie.
!
| One of the best Iowans that this state
| has produced is Secretary James Will
son, of the department of agriculture.
Mr. Wilson is not only one of the big
men in the cabinet perhaps the most
Ipopular in the entire list, but he is an,
Iowa man all the time. They say that
down in Washington it is common OBJ
lservation, when an Iowan is known TO
be an applicant for aposition, that
Wilson Will find a place for HIM In
the agricultural department it would be
Impossible to throw bull by the tail
without striking an Iowan, and the
chances are he would be graduate of
the Iowa Agricultural College Mr. Will
son is loyal to his institution. and he
| has a right to be. 1t is the best agri-
cultural college in the country, and Mr..
Wilson knows it. He takes practical
view of the matter. An agricultural
college ought to be the correct place to
prepare man for position in the ag-
lricutural bureau. and the best agricul-
tural college in the country ought to
turn out the best qualified men.
| sss
One of the men whom Secretary Will
son has secured a good berth for is
| Professor d. A. Kent. for many years
an instructor in the Ames college. Some
months ago the sultan of Turkey in
structed his minister in Washington to
find the right man for supervisor of ag-
riculture in the empire and learn what
he would cost. The minister consulted
Secretary Wilson, who recommended
Professor Kent. Name the man and
the price" was the request of the Turk
ish minister. 1t is said that fancy
price was fixed, $4,000 a year being
hinted at. Whether is is correct Pro-
fessor Kent will not say. The recon-
mendation was forwarded to the sui
tan, and he is expected any time to
send for Professor Kent. Turkey is a
big country, and the opportunity to Sc
cure therein market for the agricul-
tural implements and machinery of the
United States is no small consideration.
The recognition given to the United
States, as the best country in which to
find an agricultural expert, and of Iowa
as the particular state from which to
draw, is a compliment that will not be
overlooked the next time the sultan's
subjects butcher a few missionaries.
lssa.ss