Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-10-09
Difficulties In Collecting Cam
paign Funds From State
Employees Exaggerated
CAUSE OF THE FRICTION
The Belief Prevails That Not All the
Persons Who Draw Money From the
State Are Being T-,ated Alike
Practically All Are Willing to Do
Their Share.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. oct. 9.-The story has
Ibeen freely circulated to the effect that
1.-THE state officials. he puties. clerks and
iemployes of the state generally have
declared a strike and are refusing to
contribute anything; to the campaign
i fund this year. Your correspondent
has made some diligent investigation
tof the matter and finds that this is
hardy fair. 1t is true that the con
tributions to the fund OF the republican
state committee have not been as gen
erous as in other years and there is
some disposition to hold back because
| ly needed this year, but there has been
na concerted movement looking TO a
refusal of the employees and officials
Ito make contributions to the funds. AT
the opening of the campaign Chairman
Spence sent the usual request for con-
Itributions and soTne funds were OBJ
ltained in this way. Later he called at
| the state house AMI was insistent that
| contributions be made. One thing
(which has caused some friction is the
belief that not all the persons who
! draw money from the state are being
treated alike. The board of control Of
/ flee, for instance. which has a big pay
roll. has never been called upon TO pay
| for the campaign expenses. The board
lat the outset set / is SIX feet down on
4 the proposition to allow assessments
| and the clerks and stenographers and
iemployes have never been moaested.
| Now the secretary of the board, for
instance, gets better salary than any
or the deputies. Naturally the latter
Gfeel resentment that discrimination
Ishuu,d be made. SO also with the state
library and The library commission and
the state historical department and
| possibly with some other departments.
They are strictly nom partisan and are
not assessable. The janitors and clerks
of the state house in general have not
failed to note this exception and are
holding back. One day this week
Chairman Spence called on some of the
state house people. for collections. and
as responses We're not as ready as
Knight have been expected 1t is stated
that he went SO far as to intimate in
very plain words that unless there was
a change in the situation in regard to
campaign contributions there would be
some changes about the state house.
But this is only customary. The fact
that the state committee Is understood
to be organized on factional lines has
probably had SOM. thing to do with the
reluctance of state house officials to
pay up promptly. 1t will be recalled
that two years ago in the first Cum
Minis guberuatorial campaign the man
agement of the finances Of the CAM
paign was in the control of finance
committee on which both factions had
representation. 1t has bsen pointed out
that this year. for the first time, this
plan has been abandoned and some of
those who usually contribute to the
campais funds are SAYING on the side
that they would like little better ar
rangement before they turn over their
cash-but practically all the state off,
cials and their underMngs have already
given assurance that they will do their
share in support Of the campaign this
year and that thAy have the utmost
confidence in the state COMMITTEES or
ganization. The republican state com
mittee is holding a meeting today, the
full committee being called here to con-
slider the progress OF the campaign.
sE
The congressional fight in this dis
trict appears to he a sort of continuous
performance, and it is going on mer,
rily now. Judge Prouty is slated for
speech making and Capt. Hull has al
ready done some talking and more
mingling with the people than custom
ary In this county the republican
committee is now in the control of
Prouty as it was two years ago In the
control of Hull In recent newspaper
articles. particularly correspondence TO
newspapers antagontstic TO Prouty. it
has been asserted that the judge Is
planning to engage in questionable
methods to control the political affairs
in this county The basis for this is
plan to adopt a new rule in regard to
primaries which would permit the
county committee to open the ballot
boxes and make a recount In the pres
ence of the candidates in case of
contest and a claim OF fraud and re-
port to the convention the facts. This
was what Judge Prouty tried to have
done in the last primary election where
he claimed to haye been cheated out
of the nomination by the Judges of
election who counted wrong. The pri-
mary system IN Polk county is re-
garded as very imperfect and in some
respects a disgrace to the county, but
the committee Is trying to make chang
es that will remedy its defects.
Whether it can be done SO that there
will be fair primary in this county
is an open question.
1t is now generally conceded that
Congressman Hull is making gains in
this county and that he stands very
much higher now than he did two years
ago He is realizing on some of the
projects that he has been working
on for long time and the people Will
see that he Is accomplishing wonders
here For instance, the army post is a