The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1901-05-16
ATTEMPT TO RAISE A FALSE
TSSVE

Muscatine Journal: We are disap- |
pointed in the speech made by Hon.
A. B. Cummins at the Polk county |
last Saturday. His chief
strength has been in his speechmak-
ing. Put him on his feet before an
audience and he is almost sure to
please, If not to tonvince. But last
Saturday, when he should have been
at his best, he was at his worst. He
was congratulating his neighbors and
them for their earnest and
hearty support of his candidacy for
governor, when his evil genius
prompted him to make this declara-
ton:
1.-THE conflict in this state is not
between these gentlemen and my
self. 1t is Cummins and anti-Cum-
minis, and ]. w. Blythe and N. M.
Hubbard are the anti-Cummins. /
have had occasion to feel the power
of the passes and patronage distrib-
uted by the autocrats from Burling-
ton and Cedar Rapids. When they
sent me a challenge-as oI5e of them
did, that 1 must retire from my can
didacy, or else-to use the classic
and elegant language of one of their
associates in our own city-that l
must be pounded into the earth, it
fixed my determination beyond all
consideration to ask the people of
Iowa whether they intended this dis
tinguished coterie who have honored
me by their enmity to name the gov
ernor of the state of Iowa, When
they sent to me, through mutual
friend, the challenge that l must
either extinguish myself politically,
Of my own accord, or be murdered at
their hands, | chose the fesd of bait
tie, and when / die politicstiy it will
be with my face to the front, and l
at least will not leave behind me
memory of having committed politi-
cal suicide
This is an attempt by Mr.. Cummins
to raise false issue wholly unwar.
ranted by the facts. The Journal,
for instance, while opposed to Mr..
Cummins, is in no way Influenced by
either ]. W. Blythe orN.M. Hubbard.
1t is under no obligations to these
men. 1t has nothing to fear from
them nor any favors to ask of them.
There are thousands of anti-Cum-
minis republicans in Iowa who can
truly say the same of themselves.
They object to being classed as IN"
der the influence of railroad bosses
because they oppose A. B. Cummins
political inspirations. They have
better reasons for this opposition.
The chief reason is that Mr., Cummins
has, not been true to the party to
which he makes boastful claims oi
loyalty in this same speech. He has
not only been disloyal to the party
but untrue to the fundamental prin'
ctples of our government-majority
rule. That was the principle he re-
| pudiated when he supported Boiet
for governor and ran on the demo
cratic ticket for the legislature il
Polk county, beating true republi
can and an old soldier.
The speech of Mr.. CummIns las
Saturday is surprisingly weak on an
| ha hou Mar
sonal grievance against two othe,
railroad attorneys and wants the vot
ers of Iowa to enter into this person
al contest and give him vindica
ton. The late Sam Clark once sale
in his Gate City that "a man with
personal grievance is nuisance il
politics. He wants other people t.
take up his quarrel and as rul
they won't do it,"
The Journal has no defense t
make of the use of railroad passes t
influence political conventions.
deprecates the system and believe
the people should repudiate whoeve
] resorts to it. But the spectacle G
one railroad attorney accusing othe
railroad attorneys of exerting undu
influence looks too much like tn
} pot calling the kettle black. Th
: convention where Mr.. Cummin
made the speech from which tn
, above is a quotation was preside
over by Carroll Wright, attorney fc
: the Rock Island railroad compan!
The Capital, Mr.. Cummins' newspi
per organ, in happy play on word
: said he was the Wright man in tn
: right place. Are we to understand
/, then, that it is a fight between tt
!, Rock Island railroad and the Grei
!, Western (of which Mr.. Oummins
!, attorney on the one side, and IL
! Northwestern and the Burlington Q
i the other. II SO, it is not fight Il
s the people or a contest in which the
n should take sides.
v Hands of, say we. Let the peop
}. stay out Of this kind of controye