The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1903-10-29
IA FEW PLAIN FACTS.
Republican Ring Rule" In Decatur
Countyis Exposed--Says Scheme
is to Elect Blythe to Senate.


is to Elect Blythe to Senate.
EDITOR REPORTER: AS election day is
drawing near, we ask once more your in
diligence while we state to the voters
Of Decatur county some plain facts con-
cerning the political conditions as they
now confront them. Looking back over
the history of the past few years moth
ing can be palmer to the intelligent
voter than the fact that in the Repub-
lican party of this county few men
have tried to manipulate the party in
their own interest and the interest of
the G. B. & @. railroad. So firm had
this Ring established itself that no man
unless he made certain promises to
them could be nominated, much less
elected. When Bryson Bruce became
in the Legislature they
simply turned him down and nominated
and elected another man to fill what
should have been Bruce's second term.
j. j. Evans, l.. p. Sigler, b. w. Garrett
and the present county auditor are only
a few of the men whom the Ring has
tried hard to turn down, not because Of
incompetency but because they stood
near the people of this county and alb
solutely refused to be bought, traded or
sold. The recent republican convention
that nominated ticket, that with one
exception belongs to the @. railroad,
was entertained after the convention by
the Hon. w. p. Hepburn. This distin-
guished gentleman practically said that
a man who would not support the re-
publican ticket after it was nominated
was not good republican. And he
further said that if he was profane
man like the chairman of the conven-
tion he would say that lie wouldn't give
a d-m for that mans republicanism.
That was saying to you, voters of De-
catllr county, that unless you voted the
ticket straight you were not republic
can. Has that distinguished gentleman
forgotten the attitude that he himself
once assumed? Has it got to point
where man in the republican party
does not dare to even think for himself,
much less vote as he thinks is right?
There may have been time when such
talk would hold men in line but the
young man and voter of the present day
will not be spanked into line in any
such manner. The facts are, my reader,
that the whole scheme from beginning
to end is for the sole purpose OF trying
to elect Blythe, OF Burlington, who is
solicitor of the G. B. & Q. railroad and a
son-in-law of John Fl. Gear, deceased, to
the United States senate. In order to-
do this it becomes necessary to elect
Capt. J. d. Brown and Marion f..
Stookey, both ofswhom are known to be
as obedient to the dictates OF, this cor
poration assa ten-year-old schecl hoy is
to the rules of his teacher. Personally
the Captain is a big-hearted, whole
souled man, but has arrived at an age
when he is easily led and is SO COM
pletely under the control of the O. road
that he can hardly say that his soul is
his own without asking Blythe. Browns
natural habitat is with the people, but
he has trained with the other element
for so many years that one of his age
could not be expected to return. In
other words he is woefully misguided
man and practically incompetent to
serve the people in the capacity Of Rep
resentatiye. Mr.. Stookey is a man who
has always looked out for Stookey and
is as narrow minded as any one can we'll
be who leads that kind of life. The
one idea that he has firmly fixed in his
mind is that ]. w. Blythe, of Burlington,
MIol DC W oSIdUOI Sto SOOll DIS d NdCall-
cy occurs. The republican majority in
this senatorial district is SO great that
when man is once nominated he can
hardly be defeated; but are you voter
of this county with liberty entrusted to
your care, and good government your
motto, going to permit his election
without even as much as raising your
voice in protest? This same senatorial
aspirant has for years been the editor
of paper known as the "Journal'
whose name brings to the mind
of the reader it's antiquated ideas
and its hired populistic editor who
spends so much of his time of late in
silent prayer. This paper, OR in other
words Mr.. Stookey's paper, seems to
have had change of faith recently. 1t
seems now to be for Governor Cummins
first, last and all the time, but if. the
writer remembers correctly it sang a
different tune not long ago and until
Stookey and Brown were nominated
that paper never lost an opportunity to
score Governor Cummins and his ad-
ministration. Can it be possible that
they have changed faith, or have they
like Belshazzer of old, seen the hand,
writing on the wall, and with palsied
hand and trembling knee and silent
tongue. stood dumbfounded and be-
wildeEed at their own stupidity.
Never was there better time to
teach this "Ring" lesson than now,
and never did set Of Ringsters need it
worse than they. Now is the accepted
time to let them reap what they have
sown; Decatur county is the place and
next Tuesday is the day. See to it then
that these two men are not on your
ticket aud demonstrate to tie people OF
this county and the Sth congressional
district that you at least are not domin,
ated and controlled by any Ring OF
Railroad element. A REPUBLICAN.
Secretary of the treasury Shaw spoke
at the opera house Monday afternoon
the hall being well filled to hear his
speech, although the attendance from
the country was remarkably small. He
yyoS hrOurht hnrn for tho oypracc o,,p