Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-10-16
Especial washington Letter.1
nor some years now Senator Mar.
Gus A. Hanna hath bestridden

lu.
Hon. John H. Clarke, Democratic NOM
1nee for United States senator from
ONO, has challenged the doughty Mar
Gus Alonzo, not to mortal combat, but
to debate the political issues, and Mar
Gus respectfully declines. He is wise in
his day and generation. No Republican
can successfully defend the Republican
record. Senator Hanna's declination
TO free and frank discussion Of things
political is another straw indicating the
direction in which the political wind is
blowing.
Mr.. Chairman Dicks reason why his
chief does not accept Clark's challenge
ID a pitiful subterfuge which does no
credit to either his candor or his good
sense and which will deceive nobody
not even Republicans. 1t is a thing
almost incredible, but the plain, unvar-
nished truth is that the Ohio Republic
ans are badly scared and are afraid to
toe the mark and to fight the battle out
in manly fashion. General Dick saws
that "the Republican party has but one
set of principles" Indeed! If Pro-
lessor Squeers of Dotheboys Hall
were on earth and should read that he
would exclaim, "Here's richness!" One
set Of principles, forsooth! Did Cen
eral Dick ever hear of "the Iowa
idea?" Does he remember the cheerful
warblings of Mr. Chairman Babcock in
favor Of tariff reform? Does his mud
died mind go back to that great day
when, under the lead of James A.
Tawney, William Alden Smith and 9TH
err beet sugar chieftains enough Re
publican congressman broke away from
the party and voted with US to over
throw the Republican machine in the
house? Does he know anything of the
Aldrich bill and Uncle Joe Cannon's
fling at rubber currency?
Query.
If Senator Marcus A. Hanna and his
satellites are so certain of scoring
tremendous victory over Tom johnson
and his followers, as they profess to be,
how does it happen that every Repub-
lican in the land supposed to be capa-
BILE of making even passable speech
is drafted into service to campaign for
the Republicans in Buckeyedom? Uncle
Shelby NJ. Cullom of Illinois, who once
inadvertently admitted that, "after all,
United States senators are human" is
to lift up his melodious voice in aid Of
Uncle Mark. For some forty years
Uncle Shelby has held high Office be-
cause some Argus eyed person discov-
cred a facial resemblance betwixt him
and Abraham Lincoln. No one ever
claimed that the resemblance was
more than skin deep, but perhaps SEN
ator Hanna thinks that even that will
aid him in his desperate fight to re-
elect himself. Even the governor of
Oklahoma is to take the stump in
Ohio. Pension Commissioner Eugene
+. Ware. poet, orator, etc., is to quit
his desk to help out in the present
emergency. repeat, why all this
securing the country for orators if
Republican triumph is assured, as we
are told by the Globe-Democrat and
other Republican organ grinders? My
recollection is that the CD. has fixed
Colonel Myron T. Herrick's majority
at higher figure than that of Bruff,
which has been considered the high
water mark, but what the Globe-Demo-
crat says is utterly worthless because
based on prejudice ard malice rather
than the facts in the case. All this
hurrying to and fro over the country
for orators shows that by claiming ev
erything in Ohio the Republicans are
merely whistling to keep their courage.
up and that really they are scared
within an inch of their lives.
Goodby, Seth.
Hon. Seth Low has been renomi-
mated by the fusionists for mayor of
Greater New York. Nevertheless the
30 called reform forces" are going to
pieces, and it is ten to one shot that
Seth and his crowd will sing very low
inter the election. His following even
MT the beginning Of the campaign pre-
SCENTS the appearance OF dissolving
view. There never was anything to
hold it together except the hope of the
spoils, and, these having been Astrib-
uted in an unsatisfactory manner by
Mayor Low, many of those who
whooped it up for him vociferously An
1901 will be found fighting him tooth
and nail this fall. He is rather to be
pitted. He couldn't distribute tl1e pap
sattsfa ctorily. No human being could
have done that. 1t was Lincolns p1hl-
Rnthropic tale of the paucity Of tents
and surplusage of pigs over again. But
that was the way in which Mr.. Low
lost large following. He lost Others
because in general way his perform
ance as mayor has fallen far shoot of
bis pronunciamento. Many loud, mouth
ed, leather lunged preachers Of reform
have turned against him, chief among
whom is District Attorney William
Trayers Jerome, who seems to think
chat there is only one genuine, yard
wide, all wool, name blown in the bot.
tie reformer in the land, whom he sees
only when he peeps into looking glass.
He pronounces the Low administration
to be fat failure, and he ought to
know, as he is large part Of it.
Mr.. Thomas A. Fulton, secretary Of
the Citizens Union, has resigned his
position in the great aggregation Of
talent which, after the manner of a
skyrocket, went up in blaze Of glory
and has come down like stick.
Undoubtedly when Mr.: Low first as
pired to the mayoralty he had it in
mind to use it as stepping stone to
the presidency, but Czolgoszs bullet
ended that dream by shooting Colonel
Roosevelt to the front. Mayor Low
now perhaps realizes that Uthare is