The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1903-11-19
DEFEAT OF THE RING
What Caused the Defeat in this
County of the Entire Republican
Ticket This Year.

VHdl CduSCu inc UcIGdI III THIS
County of the Entire Republican
Ticket This Year.
Nov. Sd was day long to be remem-
bered in Decatur county as one of
just, rebuke to few small Ring poll
ticians who attempt to run affairs to
suit their own needs. On Wednesday
morning when the smoke of conflict had
cleared away the political field was
found to be covered with bleeding as
pirants who had fell by the wayside and
a close examination revealed the fact
that they were branded with the letter
q. The defeat of the republican party
in this county can be laid at the door
OF no man or set of men except the
owners of the Leon Journal and the
handful of degenerated republicans
which they can CONTROL. 1t has been
the custom of this periodical to publish
the good deeds of it's henchmen and
suppress as far as possible any of the
merits which disobedient men might
have. Until four years ago they sue
ceeded, and succeeded we'll, the state
ment that when they got ready to NOM
mate man they just nominated him is
reported to have been the expression of
one of their illustrious statesmen,
whether it is, or is not, we do not
know; but that such condition existed,
uo one familiar with Decatur county
politics can truthfully deny. Four
years ago they run against an obsticle
which they could not we'll remove and
accounted for their failure by saying
that the nomination and election Of
certain men, whom they pronounced
lmbeclles, was an accident" To
prove this they spent weeks in writing
articles for the journal" /derogatory
to A. B. Cummins and tried thereby to
make it appear that he had no following
in this county and the editor, who was
at heart Cummins man, was forced to
publish what he was told, and did not
have the courage to resent it. By this
means they succeeded in selecting the
delegates to the state convention and
held out the idea to the old soldiers of
Decatur county that they would support
Major Conger. But when the county
convention proposed to instruct said
delegation for Major Conger they posi-
lively refused, and when at the state
convention they did not cast single
vote for him because they were told
that it was not best for the interests of
the z. When Cummins was nominated
the first time they were completely
paralyzed and returned home sick at
heart, feeling that their dictators were
not the whole thing in Iowa; again they,
told their subordinates the same old
story that the nomination was an "acci-
ftlent. Shortly after this ex-speaker.
Henderson refused to be candidate
for reelected in his congressional dis
trict because of the attitude Of Mr..
Cummins, and the Ring thought that
surely an accident had happened and
| reJoiced that Cummins was the cause.
But the U. s. congress moved on and the
state OF Iowa prospered in spite of the
fact that David B. Henderson was only
la private citizen. They then took up
I the "Iowa Idea" and notwithstanding
| the fact that the so called "Iowa Idea"
was product of their own forces at the
Cedar Rapids convention they miscon-
strued the language and tried to make
the people believe that it meant free
trade. In this the Journal participated
to such marked degree that one editor
was worn out and the second one appar-
emily mentally deranged. The idea
finally struck the Des Moines Capital,
The Burlington Hawkeye, and all their
4 followers including the Decatur County
Journal; that Senator Allison was
the only man to correct the mistake.
They therefore consented that he might
write the platform fer 1908 and avoid
all further accidents" The platform
was written and contained the "Iowa
Idea" in substance just as before. At first
the brethren rejoiced and were exceed
ingly glad but when they saw what the
platform really was they said again, at
was an accident" When the famous
old Q guard in Decatur county shall
have sufficiently recovered from the re-
suit of Nov. 3D. to speak in audible
tones to each other, they will no doubt
again say "It was an accident" And
when the people of Ringgold and Union
counties become as we'll acquainted with
the habits, desires, and natural tenden-
cies of their newly elected state sena-
tor as the people of Decatur county
now are they also will probably say, "lt
was an accident" The people of any
county that are independent enough to
look at county ticket and vote for men
and principle instead of party bossism
are surely to be congratulated. And
the defeat of the republican county
ticket demonstrates that the people of
Decatur county believe in having men
to fill the county Offices who are not
under the Ring rule. We would sug-
gest to the ring not to say "It was an
accident but to acknowledge the
truth which is that the election also
demonstrates that the voters of Decatur
county can no longer be duped by the
misrepresentation of the journal"
And we would further suggest that
when looking for cause they should
look inside and not outside.
"a Wise Member"
If you really want downright real en-
4 iOvmant that wi III mola vn,, COW OTt ~