The Washington times., 1902-03-10
Mr.. HULL OF iowa
Wins 4 WARM Fight
Carries Primaries in Seventh
Hawkeye District.
JUDGE PR0UTY HIS OPPONENT
Chairman of the Committee on Military
Affairs Had a Majority of Twenty-Five
Delegates-Nomination Is Equivalent
to an Election.

Few members of the House have ever
been up against harder fight for re-
nomination than Representative ]. A. T.
tary Affairs. On Friday last he carried
the primaries in the Seventh Iowa dis
trict and clinched his hold on the Con-
gressional nomination. He will, of course.
be renominated-RepubIica seldom fail
of election in the Hawkeye State-and will
next year enter upon his seventh consecu
tive term in the House OF Representa-
tives.
Judge S. F. Prouty. a stalwart Republi
can, and for many years a wheelhorse in
the politics of Des Moines. the vote of
which sways Representative Hull's dis
trict. was his opponent. The victor had
majority of about twenty y-five delegates.
There is some talk on the part of the
Prouty managers Of taking the primary
results into the courts, but it is not
thought that any such action can make
enough difference to alter the result.
Mr.. Hull Strong in the House.
That the Republicans of the Seventh
present Congressman to the House in
definitely was a matter of general sur
prise to his colleagues in that body. when.
at the opening of the present session of
Congress, it became evident and popularly
known that a strong opposition to Mr..
Hull had developed in his district. OF the
brilliant galaxy Of Iowans who have won
a ba CT Gtot oil
cation in Congress, Mr. Hull has for two
sessions been one of the strongest and
brightest lights..d
During the Spanish, American war and
the period Immediately following that
conflict his position as head of the Com
mittee on Military Affairs gave him, per-
haps, more infiuGnce than any other man
in the House OF Representatives.
In the primary campaign just closed
Representative Hull had walled line of
opposition before wbirh any man might
be discouraged. =
First and foremost was the opposition
Of Governor Cummins and that faction of
Iowa politics known as the new ma
chime" which was triumphant in the last
Gubernatorial election. Representative
Hull belonged to. what was known as the
''old machine" which held the whiphand
of Iowa politics for years.
Much to- Overcome.
Governor Cummins' home is in Des
Molnes. He is immensely popular there,
and the fact that he was tacitly and, to a
certain extent, actively in sympathy with
the Congressional aspirations of Judge
Prouty was a factor of weight with which
Representative Hull bad TO contend.
Representative Hull did not participate
mer. Popular report has it that he en-
tered into an agreement with Governor
Cummins to the effect that il Mr.. Hull
would keep his political oar out of the
GubernatoriaI contest Governor Cummins
would abstain from interference in the
Congressional fight.
So, straightway, soon after the adjourn
ment of Congress, Representative Hull
hied himself to the Philippines. He took
no part in the Gubernatorial fight, which
was the hottest factional disagreement in
the history of Iowa. Lines were closely
drawn. Every man demanded to know
just where his neighbor stood. The posi-
tion of one holding aloof was not regard
ed with popular favor.
Old Machine Bucked.
But Representative Hull did not take
any part in the fight. AS result his
course of action did him no good with the
''old machine" while the Cummins peo-
pie regarded him as an enemy. because
he had several months before launched a
Gubernatorial boom for Mr.. Conger, of
Iowa. the United States Minister TO China.
1t was thought at first that Mr.. Conger's
candidacy would work to the detriment of |
the Cummins cause. but Its effect was of |
little consequence one way or another.
arl, la
in the Philippines, the Prouty campaign !
was outlined Under the banner of Judge /!
Prouty were gathered the accumulated |
enemies of Representative Hulls entire !
political life. and the strong personal fol- !
loving which Judge Prouty possessed The |
organization of the Prouty forces was |
strong from the very beginning.
The absence OF Representative Hull in |
the Philippines resulted in the great