Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-02-17
REPLY MADE
By Chairman Rowe to
Sherman Side of
House.
IN REPUBLICAN ROW
Sarcastic Rejoinder to
the Opposition to the
State Machine.

Chicago, Feb. 17.-Fred II. Rowe,
chairman of the republican state
central committee. has answered the
Cullom- ves-Deere-Stewart-F ST.
mons-Sherman correspondence reIat-
ing to Mr.. Rowe's use of his official
party position in the interest of one
candidate for United States senator
and to the assessment of state en-
ployes for factional campaign
fund. In his statement Chairman
Rowe acts as spokesman for the
Yates Lorimer Northcott Hopkins
combination in state politics. The
Rowe answer was first considered bv
a conference, participants in which
were Gov. Yates, Chairman Rowe,
Lieut.. Gov. ~ Northcott, \. Handy
Jones. pure food commissioner; Ho-
mer F. Aspinwall, secretary of the
live stock board; Maj. Dan Hogan.
grain registrar, and James 5. Neville
land \. /. French of the railroad and
Warehouse board. \ draft of it was
prepared during the afternoon in the
lieutenant governors room in the
day That was submitted to Luman
.T. Hoy, secretary of the state board
of pharmacy and chairman of Con-
gressman Hopkins senatorial cam
paign committee. and then made
public. The answer is document
of about 1000 words. or nearly three
columns of ordinary newspaper
print.
Personal Criticism.
More than half of it is given to
personal criticism of and attack up
on Senator CulIom. Senator Mason,
Charles &. Dawes, National Commit
teeman Stewart and Speaker Sher-
man. Mr.. Rowe denies that the state
committee is being used for the ben
eft of any individual candidate, be-
cause il has not met for more than
a year. He maintains his right as
chairman to support whom he viii
for United States senator by citing
that Long" Jones and John II. Tan
ner used to do the same when chair
man of the state committee, and that
j. Mack Sholl, Ralph y. bradford and
George II. Turner of the present
state committee, have openly sup
ported an individual candidate for
senator. Mr.. Rowe denies that his
letter soliciting help for Mr.. Hop
kins. which is the basis of the charge
of impropriety against him, was
signed by him as chairman of the
state committee. If any such letter
has the word chairman" after his
signature. he says. the same is a for
gery- On this he offers to furnish
the afidavits of himself and his pri--
vate secretary.
OF the resolutions which Speaker
Sherman has been asked 10 help
bring before the state convention,
one declaring for imPartiality on the
part of the state committee as be
tween candidates and the other
against assessment of state en-
ploNes. Mr.. Rowe says:
THE first part of the proposed res
olutions is an axiom. and raises no
issue. 1t is just as true and perti-
nent as a resolution in the state con-
vention that the speaker of the house
of representatives should he honest
and impartial in the discharge of the
duties of that high office, and that
ne should not favor corporations or
individuals To the detriment of the
people. / have no objections to the
state convention passing u resolu-
ton confirming the practice of this
committee i'm being entirely impair
tial as TO nomination.
Political Assessment.
in regard to the second resolu-
ton. that no political assessment
should be levied upon republican Of
ficeholders. l desire to say that that
is question for the Judgment of the
delegates to that convention, and not
one which | as chairman of the state
committee am called upon TO decide.
1t can be said with much reason that
as it is necessary to have funds in
order successfully to conduct po-.
litical campaign, just as it is neces-
sary to have funds to maintain
church or any other organization.
that the parties who should volun-
tarily contribute to this fund would
properly be those who were deriving
the most benefit from the party or
eanization, and that would be those
who were drawing salaries and hold
ing offices. There is great differ
ence between levy of assessments
and voluntary contributions Mr..
Rowe declares that the state com
mittee. during, his craftsmanship, has
not levied assessments. that the gov