Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-03
PEANUT POLITICS
Lack of Interest in Great Is
sues Admits Some Very
Small Ones
REPUBLICANS USED TELEPHONE
Labor Union Paper Makes Eleventh
Hour Campaign Attack on Republic
ans Because the Committee Had to
Use the Boycotted Telephone Lines
fractional Politics Arouses Interest.
special to mines REPUBLICAN,.

4
| Des Moines, Nov. 3.-The absence of
any considerable political issue be-
tween the parties this year had made it
possible for the vendors Of peanut pol
litics to get before the public in a few
places with some very small matters.
There has been little chance for dis
cussion of issues save as some of the
Republicans have tried to get up a joint
discussion among themselves on the
tariff trust issue An illustration of
the smallness of some politics is found
| here in Des Moines where the Saturday
issue of the Iowa Unionist," labor
paper of local circulation and very linn
lited bore cartoon intended to re-
fleet on Chairman Spence of the repub-
Ilican state committee and Mr.. Dawson
lof the speakers bureau. This was
accompanied by a double column
"roast'' of these gentlemen and the
republican party. 1t was all on ac-
count Of their having made use of
telephone connections with the long
distance lines Of the Iowa Telephone
company as well as connection with
the independent lines. The assertion
was made that when headquarters were
opened the gentlemen named went to
an official Of the labor unions and made
inquiry as to whether or not they would
make any complaint if the committee
made use of the Iowa phones thruout
the state. This was true. The MEM
bers of the committee knew there was
a boycott on against the Iowa phones
and did not care to do anything con-
trary to the wishes of those who We're
engineering the boycott. But it was
explained that the work of the commit
tee would be with every part of the
state and it might be necessary to
make use of all phones and telegraph
lccsnpanies as well as the mails. To not
do SO would be to largely increase
the work Of the committee. But the
labor paper states that the members of
the committee promised not to make
use of Iowa phones. This is untrue.
But no Iowa phone connection with
the toll lines was placed for some time.
This made 1t necessary for Mr.. Dawson
to make about a dozen trips day to
the office of the Iowa toll lines a block
away. He was being called up from
every quarter of the state and had
to respond to these calls. He had
placed in headquarters telephone to
connect with the toll lines and for sew
eral weeks has made use of it. No OFF,
Ger of any labor union has protested
or raised any objection. But an at
tempt has been made to gain votes for
the democratic ticket by circulating
the story that the chairman of the re-
publican state ticket and the manager
of the speakers bureau have deliberate
lily insulted lahoring men in Des Moines
by making connection with the boy
cotted telephone system to save time
and shoe leather. The same paper
makes a savage attack on Judge Nc
|Vey, of the district court, an appointee
of Gov. Shaw to the district bench.
ssa
If the republican vote in Iowa falls
short of that Of last year by 10000 or
10000 it will demonstrate that no pos
sible political organization can over
come the Generalization influence Of a
popular belief that things are just right
and ought to be let alone and the way
to do it is to cease troubling about
politics. The political speakers who
have gone about the state Of Iowa
the past few weeks report that 1t is
with them not a question of getting
their audiences to agree with them on
political issues but question how to
get them to realize that 1t is a part of
r ri, a;1 ;1,io Ip,fx- IN 90
work before election and on election
day. The party organization in Iowa
is simply perfect The republican state
committee makes business OF keeping
up organization. From year to year
the records are handed down. The
names of party workers are known in
nearly every precinct. Every county
Of the state is well organized and the
chairman of every county committee
has been in correspondence with the
state committee for two months. Hun
dreds of thousands of pieces of free
literature have been distributed to vot-
ers in the state. Every speaking date
has been cared for and the wants of
the different communities have been
supplied. All the details have been at
tended to, and this with much less
expense than in former years. In fact,
the state committee has not made any
effort to raise a big fund this year and
has not collected any great amount
of money for use. But the organization
has been perfect and If there is any
virtue in organization and systematic
methods of reaching all the voters then
the republican majority this year will
compare favorably with those of other
off years. There are some bright spots
in the situation. Aside from the fights
in three or four congressional dis
tricts there are contests in a few of
the judicial districts and these have
the effect of inspiring voters to ae-
tivity. Then these are number of
county contests which will do good. Ii
a local contest can be made it will in
yariably bring out the vote in good
shape. A candidate for congress may
arouse enthusiasm at the county rally
but 1t takes an active candidate for
constable to fetch the voters to the
polls. The fact that in few coun
ties the democrats are so nearly dor