Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-05-29
Stepping Lightly.

stepping Lightly.
The DEBORAH Republican steps lightly
on the political grave of Geo. L. Dob.
son, Secretary of State, merely men.
tioning that that he declines to rur
this fall.
The Marshalltown Times Republican
is very outspoken in condemnation O.
the man and his methods. 1t says.
For the last two years there ha.
been a stencil about the office Of secre
Larry OF state that, while hard to 10
cate, has been very offensive to the
nostrils Of every n at all acquainted
with public affairs. 1t eliminated in
an exposure of the Dobson's son cpl
sode, in which it was shown that Mr..
Dobson was carrying his son on the
pay roll at $50 per month for janitor
service, when the boy was all the time
attending the North Des Moines high
school,. Then came rumors of a very
questionable town site speculation in
which the Chicago & Milwaukee rail
road and railway assessments were in
extricably implicated. The sudden
acquisition of $l5, 600 of stock in the
White Rose coal company at a time
When the same amount had been of
Tered free gratis as q bride to another
member Of the executive council, who
refused it, served to aggravate the bad
odors that were offending the olfac-
tories OF honest men. These things.
combined with the rapid and extra
ordinary acquisition of wealth while
serving the state at a salary of $4,000
per year, all tended to make republi-
cans hang their heads in shame. 1t
mas been said that he was conceded"
a denomination. The Times Republican
challenges the statement, for with
obese conditions known this paper is
proud to heliefeothat 40 body Of re-
publican delegats wouldever have Civ
en- him a nomination of anykind. The
attempt to force him upon the party
was nothing more than an insult to
be resented at the first opportunity"
To all this, that i~ncorruptible and
reliable m%outhpiece of democracy.
The Dubuque Telegraph, responds as
follows, every sentence being a maya
zine of truth:
"Ihese are cogent reasons why, if
ne mad not prudently saved it the
trouble, the party should retire
Dohson. But accepting as a criterion
Fhe fayoritism shown to railway COM
panies in the matter of assessed valu-
atlon, Dobson is not the only member
on The executive council that is the
creature Of corporations. With one
possible exception his fellow members
are tarred with the same stick. His
associates would hardly prefer private
10 pubic interests unless it were to
Their advantage, and it is a fair assump
t1on that they favor private interests
lot the same reasons as Dobson. The
o1ference between the secretary and
them seems to be that he has been
FOUND out. II the members of the
council are not discriminating in
favor of corporations in return for
direct pecuniary benefit to themselves,
They are doing so for the benefit Of
the1r party, because the result oe
1aNorltlsm is corporation sr.as
the party candidates anH .uppolCo u
contributions to the nsrrv pot t'n ya1n
Between discrim' nation parry IN fa luno Is,
private against public interests fo o,
personal gain'asA discrimination TO,
parry gain the're is no difference O,
pflnotple. EaT .ality of rights is denied
snasthe people are as grossly wronged
III one case as in the other. And in
q case as in the other the bribery
ana corruption are the same. The
ohense which the Times Republican
MAKES an objection to Secretary
D!oVson is an offense of which his party
Is equally guilty. Indeed, granting
Dobson's culpability, it is more guilty,
tpr II 1T did not set the example OF
wholesale corruption individual re
publican oticeholders would be les.
disposed to the commission of iniuuity
The party now dominant in state ant
nation has put legislation on thu
auction block. Corporations, trust.
and syndicates may have laws tina
will enable them to rob the public
provided they covenant to contribute
a liberal share of the proceeds of the
robbery to keep in power the politica
organization enacting the laws. Ii
no country under the sun, since gov.
eminent was first organized, have
public corruption and debauchery
been so fragrant, shameless, defiant
and threatening as in the United
States today. In finding fault with
the lapses of DobSon while supporting
a political organization whose mis-.
deeds overtop his as a Himalayan peak
an ant hill, the Marshalltown iourna.
is straining at the gnat and swallow
ing the camel.