Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-06-04

ought to be that he should yield every
dollar of his ill.gotten gains to his
dupes.
co,ooooooooooooooooooooooo
I8IowA PRESS COMMENT 3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Keep Your Eyes on Shaw"
Washington Press; 1t must be con-
fessed that the Conger movement is
disappointing, in point of animation.
All action, and no go, apparently. Two
reasons for this;
l. When he was asked per cable
about the governorship. he replied: 81
am not candidate, but -" He
meant, of course, that he would take
nomination. if 1t were freely tender
ed, but was not an active fighting cam
didate. That reply was tactical mis-
take. He evidently wanted to swap a
ministership in a hell hole for gov
ernorship in Gods country, and if he
had said, II would like to be nomin-
ated, but am not familiar with the 10.
cal situation" people would have raj.
lied to him. As rule, men do not get
what they do not at least ask for. Hon
ors are not thrust on man nowadays
There are too many aspirants and a
man has to hustle for honors, or the
other chap grabs 'em. Conger is not
SO great man that state would CON-
pei him to stand for office. But while
he took that attitude, other men enter
ed the field, and they and their friends
say that Congsr should go into the
convention on the ground floor, with
them, and take pot-luck.
2. Had the list been made up right
after the deliverance of the legations
in Picking, Conger would have gone in
with a rush. But events move SO rap
idly nowadays, that episode became
| stale and the hurricane of sentiment
and enthusiasm died down into calm.
The situation, then, is this: Conger
must fare like the rest Of the boys; he
has no Fictitious advantage. We see
no evidence that he is being worked
for. There seems to be inertia, il not
slump.
There are Trewin, Hartman, Her.
riott, Foster, Conger, the field, against
Cummins. II the field should unite
against him, with the understanding
that all should 30 for anyone available
enough to win, that would be an out
look. But suppose there is a deadlock
and the convention should get mad,
take the bits in their teeth and go for
Shaw!
| Look out for Shaw.
! What's the matter with Shaw, any
how?
A Democrats Way out.-Colonel AL
| bert w. Swain, wife, and daughter,
are in this country, and will be calling
upon Iowa friends In few days. For
four years Mr.. Swain has been look.
ing out for the interests of his country
as consul at Montivedeo, Uruguay. In
the meantime he has doubtless utiliz
ed his leisure hours for literary work
For a natural lifetime when in this
country Colonel Swain has been an
active and picturesque figure in poll
tics. Whether the regulations of the
/ consular service now require him tc
keep hands off, the Democrat is not
| officially advised. But for the past
| four years at least he has made no en-
4 tangling alliances in this state and he
has not been perniciously active.
In view Of all this and the bitterness
| of the contest Colonel Swain would
make a compromise candidate for gov
ernor we'll worth considering. He
possesses unusual talent for combina
ton. He is good speaker, and an all
around campaigner, He has beer
| through it all In the interest of har
mony why couldn't Mr.. Cummins, Mr.
! Foster, Mr.. Conger, Mr.. Young, Mr.
Herriott, Mr.. Trewin, and the rest o.
/ them do as ex-Congressman Perkins
has done? This line of action would
put a healing plaster on all the wounds
that have been opened.-Davenpor
Democrat.
4 The Supreme Court Puzzle. Picture
It will require the full text of the SUI
preme court opinion in the insula,
cases. and careful reading, to de
termine just what the court decided
Not only was the court itself greatly
divided upon the various questions
presented, but those issues upon which
a majority were agreed will strike the
lay citizen as self-conflicting. And the
lay citizen is not to be blamed for tina,
view of it; for, one Of the members OF
| the court, Justice White, dstinctl,
stated that the majority opinion con
tradicts itself. The opinion in one
case seems to reverse the conclusions
In another. The two may not be ir
reconcilable, but the average either
4 will consider himself excusable TO,
not attempting definitive solution
when the learned judges themselves
are so much at variance.
AS we interpret the polyglot opin
ions, the court sustains the Forake,
act, but at the same tiIae practically
declares that the constitution follows
the flag" excepting when it doesn't
4 Possibly the court found basis fol
4 this conclusion in the wise view of the
Maine statesman, who was in favor OF
1 the prohibitory law, but agin its en-
Il forcement." In general way, and ir
the essentials, the administration ant
the republican party theory, are sus
! tanned; but when it comes to details