The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1903-10-29
a JOLT For THE JOURNAL.

| Now remember that the railway mileage in our
country is the same that it was fifteen years ago
except that 1t is mile less As our railways
are operated at loss and the mileage is practically
the same that it fifteen years ago how much
higher will Mr.. Cummins advance railway assess
ments i'll Decatur county In he is elected?
journal, June 20th 1901. Supplement Fourth
column.
eve are inclined to the opinion that an intelligent
investigation of the question of RAILROAD taxation,
which takes into consideration all the circumstances
of the cost, earnings and other condition of the roads
spon which decision should be based will show that
the railway corporations taxed nearyf not quite
as high owners of other propcrty."-Journal Aug.
22d, 1901, Page 2, column 3.
The above articles in the journal
were actuated by it's desire to aid the
railroad company in securing nominal
assessment on it's property, and made in
the face of the fact that as shown by
the statement of the railroad officials
as complied by authority of State, the
G. B. & Q. r.. r. from Charlton to Mt.
Ayr, earned S9lS.00 per mile for the
year 1901. In proof of this fact see
abstract of Reports of Railroad compan-
les for the year ending December 81,
1901, at this office or at the county
auditors otiice.-Leon Reporter, Oct. %,
1903.
| 1t is not the mission of this paper to
create discord or to censure those who
from over-zeal or other causes allow
themselves to be caught in a web. How
ever, the citation which the democratic
paper Of Leon, THE REPORTER, makes
from our contemporary the Journal,
would have been impossible had that
paper pursued the only honorable
course for a party paper and not have
allowed their personal ambitions to
dictate the policy of the paper to the
detriment of the party.
1t is shown by THE REPORTER that the
attitude which that paper assumed
something over two years ago and the
attitude which it assumes at the present
time in regard to the candidate for
governor are not exactly parallel, to say
the least. In other words it has changed
front not only on the candidate and the
issues, but it made predictions in regard
to what was then a local issue in
/ Decatur county railroad assessment
which it should have known at the time
would never be fulfilled. 1t said that
We're Cummins elected that railroad as
sessments would be lowered everybody
knows that they have been raised. 1t
said that the railroads of Decatur county
were probably operated at loss, while
the statistics show to certainty that
the railroads of Decatur county have
been making an average of over 100000
per mile annual net profit. Why the
Journal should claim that the railroads
were operated at loss and then hold
the candidate for governor responsible
If their assessments were not raised, is
certainly a sample of peculiar politics.
Governor Cummins stands in the same
relation to the people of the state of
Iowa now that he did before his first
nomination and election with the added
fact that he has been tried and not
found wanting.
The further extract that The REPORTER
makes from the Journal in regard to
Governor Cummins being in any way
controlled by the saloon clement is from
the Journals pre-convention utterances
which had no shadow of foundation in
fact at the time and the journal or any
other publ cation which gave place to
such screed were either grossly mis-
informed or were blinded by over-zeal
for some other candidate to such an ex-
tent that they were unable to accord
common honesty to an opponent.
Just what The REPORTER expects to
gain from thus calling attention to the
Journals pre-convention utterances,
when all republicans now know that
there was no truth in these statements,
we cannot imagine. 1t is conceded on
all sides that Governor Cummins will be
reelected by handsome majority, and
even the journal is giving him their
support, although they have not said
that they have changed their opinion as
to his being in league with the saloon
element nor have they said that they
wish to ally themselves with the saloon
element; but from some cause they deem
it eNpedient to support the ticket, and
perhaps as The REpoRTTR says it is be-
cause two OF it's proprietors were
nominated on that ticket. Be this as it
may, they have said nothing against
Governor Cummins during this campaign
and even the Iowa idea," the red rag
in the republican bull pen, fails to in
furiate them, but upon the other hand
they have ostensibly labored for the en-
tire ticket, and if republicans are salts
fed to accept their service without
asking an Open confession we feel as