The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-07-25

tudC uO uIkut uSe IL TO LQ0 0mO8ff0SS-
ment of Cummins as soon as the latter
came out; others have said Mr.. Hull
held the cablegram that he might use it
later as leverage to threaten the friends
OF Cummins, unless the latter agreed to
not interfere in the Seventh district
congressional nomination next year;
still others have said Mr.. Hull, not re-
alizing the Importance of the matter,
simply drifted, keeping the cablegram
in his inside pocket without any special
motives. However it was, certain it is
that the retention Of the cablegram de-
stroyed the possibility Of Major Conger
being candidate for governor under
the conditions he specified.
Then Mr.. Cummins cabled to Major
Conger, telling him that four candi-
dates for governor were in the field
and asking him if he was candidate.
Major Conger replied simply and EN-.
phatically that he was not. Then Ma
jor Conger started for home. He was
met at the gang plank by political
agents; mail sack of letters, many
written under instructions from the
central anti-Cummins bureau, were
poured out on his table; a carload of
anti -Cummins politicians met him with
a special car at Ogden. The tenor of
all Major Conger heard or read NAV
be imagined; he was told that the re.
publicans of Iowa were unanimously
clamoring for him; that 1t was his duty
to permit the use of his name, which
was all it was necessary for him to do.
Appealed to on the side of vanity and
on the side Of duty, with everything
misrepresented to him, it is not strange
he gave out the unfortunate statement
which he now knows was q mistake.
The precise time when Major Conger
became undecieved is not known;
false atmosphere was kept up about
nm for some time and when he at
last saw the game his embarrassment
was not lessened. 1t would have looked
yaclllating and have been misinterpreted
If he had issued supplementary state
ment along the lines of his cableeram to
Mr.. Cummins. But what took place
must have been exceedingly disagree
able. He saw a man, never known as
his friend, and only known to state
politics as an agent attached to the
Gear bureau during the senatorial con-
test, made his camtSalkn mauasar. sup
piled Mith-r N oney from some unk now.
source; he saw all effort In his behalf
confined ito territory. Yhera it, would i
lns6ai III smbsrt Nj: GnmmiAs, to
ConRer was under per- !,
sonal obligation, he saw. and this prob !,
ably was the worst Of all in every
that he picked up outside of
Iowa the statement that the admins.
tration was seeking "to get rid of
Conger," and to this end was endeavor-
Ing to shunt himself of on the Iowa
republicans. These humiliations were
brought upon him by selfish political
cabal, which cared nothing for Major
Conger except as he might he used as a
pawn.
Certainly nothing in the history of
Iowa politics has been smaller, pettier,
and more unmanly than the sneaking
and cowardly way the confidence of
Major Conger has been abused by men
who came to him in the garb of friend.
ship. 1t is gratifying to learn that,
before leaving San Francisco, he added
also his condemnation to the general
detestation in which such conduct is
held. Major Conger has right to feel
disgusted over his treatment
Moines Leader.