Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-29
Des Moines Postoffice Fight
Leaves Soreness Among Re-
publicans in District
SOME INCIDENTS or STRUGGLE
Appointment Of Layman as County
Treasurer Has Caused Dissatisfaction
Among Other Candidates for Treas
urer-state Supreme Court Asked to
Reverse Itself at Once.
al to Times- -Republican.

| Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Nov 29.-Despite an ap-
pearance of harmony and general ac-
quiescence in the results attained it is
becoming evident to close observers
| that the outcome of the hard struggle
| for the Des Moines postoffice has been,
anything but harmonizing in republican
| politics in this county. Dr. Schooler,
| present postmaster, was of the clique
| of old and reliable friends of Congress-
man Hull, including the Grand Army
men and the older residents. The move
Iment in favor of Wilcox, who came out
/ as a compromise candidate, proceeded
| from these people also, and TO some eX-
tent Secretary Dobson represented the
same elements. But County treasurer
| Mckay, who won the prize, came on.
with independent strength, ana, IN IacS
represents a comparatively new group
ing OF political forces in the county. he
| had gathered around him first OF ali the
| farmers and laboring men, ana they
lwere with him to a man. Then ne had
| so manipulated affairs that he had with
| him q great many of the younger men
! in politics in city and county. HIS son-
| in-law AL Layman, deputy treasurer,
was manager of the Hull political cam
paign last spring, ant ne left no stone
lunturned to secure the election or Hull
! over Prouty. Layman proved hlmself
to be resourceful and courageous. Capt.
Full could do no more than appoint
| Mckay postmaster, for he made
showing of strength that was simply
iirresistable. But the appointment OF
! Mckay was followed quickly by the an
inouncement of the appointment OF
| I,ayman as county treasurer to fill the
vacancy. and he will be candidate for
nomination next year. This has caused
dissatisfaction among other candidates
| for treasurer. Judge Prouty, ever
watchful of his interests, appears to
have taken up at once with all the dis
i q, sntlet, 4 <s,ts,eiits who were not salts
fed with the appointment of Mckay.
several of the candidates for Sheriff
and other officers who were counted as
anti-Hull have withdrawn, and the
whole force of the anti-Hull and anti
Mckay combination will be directed to
beating Layman for treasurer. Judge
Prouty has not before consorted with
these people. Many of them were bitter
against Prouty. Now they are bitter
against Hull and Mckay. and a combi-
nation has been formed which it is ex-
pected will practically control the
county convention next summer, and in
the end throw Polk county to Prouty
for congress two years from now.
q
WIZ will
postmaster before the end of the year,
| is self-made man, and a sort OF poiiti-
clan of the people He is a Scotchman,
and one need not be told this on meet
ing him, for he shows it. He is a coal
miner. Years ago he was in Webster
and Boone counties, and carried a pick
and little lantern and daily went down
into the earth Then he became fore
man, and finally, when the Angus
mines were opened, he became superin-
tendent of the great keystone. mine at
Angus, which at one time was one of the
most productive mines of the state. The
Angus mines were short-lived and the
city of 5000 which they made possible
has grown up to weeds and the charter
has been abandoned. Mckay came to
Des Moines and managed the keystone
Coal Company, then became alderman,
from which 1t was only a step to county
office.
The attorney general of the state has
asked the state supreme court to re
verse itself Immediately on two erimi-
nal cases recently decided. These are
the cases against ]. e. Brady, of Polk
county, and Mox Wackernage1, of Tay-
lor county. Both We're convicted of
stealing. the chief evidence against
them being that the stolen property was
found in their possession soon after the
theft. In the Brady case, especially,
there was much surprise expressed at
the holding of the court. which practi-
cally changed the rule which has been
uniformly followed for years in Iowa in
regard to the force to be given in such
cases to possession of stolen goods. The
court seems to have confused pre-
sumptive evidence" and "prima facia
evidence" and held that having stolen
goods in ones possession is not only not
positive proof of guilt, but was not even
presumption of guilt. The attorney
general cites scores of holdings in
which it is held that possession of stol-
en- property is presumption of guilt, and
the lower courts have uniformly so in
structed. Unless the supreme court
gets quick action reversing itself it will
effect change in the practice in crin1i-
nal cases in Iowa that will make it
much more difficult to secure convic-
tions in cases of robbery.
O. p. Newman, of this city, is visiting
with his parents a few days, on his way
from Washington to TT. Stanton, New
Mexico. He has been engaged on news
papers in Des Moines and in Washing
ton and goes to New Mexico to become
assistant architect at the marine hos
pital there. The architect is in fact Gus
todian of the buildings and grounds. and
Mr. Newman becomes clerk to him. The
government maintains a marine hos
pital at the military reservation there,
and broken-d down sailors and gunners
are sent there for recuperation. Mr.
| Newman declares that the Iowa colony
of officeholders in Washington Is get
ting along famously. Secretary Leslie
NJ. Shaw" he says. has made great