Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1904-01-06
HUu.PROUTY FIGHT AGAIN
Des Moines Judge Enters Con.
gressional Race in Seventh.
Quarton and Ormsby Will Fight II
Out With conner-Laeey, Hepburn,
Haugen and Smith Will Have No
Opposition for denomination.


Des Moines, Jan. 5.-With the con
ventions still several months away
and none of the committees as yet
thinking of calling them, great dea
Of interest in political circles is de
veloping throughout various sections
of Iowa as to the nominees of the Re
publican party for congressional can
didates this year.
Unless the sentiment which is be.
ing expressed in various state papers
Of the party and by leading members
from the different districts is mis-
leading, or Is only on the surface and
without any real sentiment back of it,
there will be but two or three districts
in the state where the present occu-
pants of the congressional seats can
proceed with the daily duties of their
life calm in the assurance that they
have earned the everlasting gratitude
and confidence Of their constituents.
The greatest fight which will be
made in the state will come in the
Seventh, or Des Moines district, now
and for many years represented by
Captain ]. A. T. Hull of this city. Cap
tain Hull had the fight of his life on
his hands two years ago, and it was
only through the most strenuous eff
forts on the part of himself and his
friends that he was able to control
Polk county, and with it the balance
of the district, and secure the nomina-
ton. The fight this year, which has
already been inaugurated against Cap.
tain Hull, will be followed on the
same lines as that of 1901. His OPP
ponent will be Judge S. F. Prouty of
Des Moines, the same man who OPP
posed him then, and the friends Of
the Judge are this early claiming they
will be able to remove the political
scalp of the doughty captain.
HuIl's Friends Are Confident.
Mr.. Hull and his friends, of course,
will not admit any state Of affairs as
in existence which may be twisted
and turned SO as to justify the predic-
ton of such. result at the conven-
ton. They are firm in the opinion
that their candidate will win much
more emphatic victory this year than
was secured in 1901. They call at
tention to the fact that Congressman
Hull has kept every promise he has
made to the district, and that be-
cause of his long service he has been
able and will be able to secure from
congress more legislation of benefit
to his constituents than any new man.
even one SO popular and so gifted as
Judge Prouty, could ever hope for.
They point to the fact that it was
through the influence of Captain Hull
alone that Des Moines was able to
secure it's 100000 army post, and it
will be through his influence that the
appropriation of an equal amount for
the construction OF a new government
building here must be obtained, if it
is to come within any reasonable
length of time.
CoIored Troops Hold Fort.
One thing which has embarrassed
Captain Hull more or less has been
the fact that the war department has
with $50 negro troops. Such thing
as this ought not figure as an asset
for or against the congressman. but
that it is being USED to aid in forming
sentiment against him is evident by
the manner in which 1t is being pa
raded and heralded abroad as hoax
on the city. 1t Is claimed that glow
ing pictures had been drawn by po-
litical friends close to the congress
man during the last campaign of the
social dignity and power to be given
Des Moines by the quartering here Of
the flower of the white troops of the
regular army of the nation. And to
have this picture fall to the station
ing at the post of handful of colored
troops and those only sent to do gar
rison duty and guard military convicts
has been a severe blow to those who
give the matter no thought beyond the
service. To these stories the friends
Of Congressman Hull reply now that
he has nothing to do with the move
ments of the uniformed men of Uncle
Sans army, and that the colored
troops are only placed here tempo
rarily, and will be sent elsewhere in
the spring when battalions of cavalry
who have already been detailed to the
quarters arrive from the Philippines.
Criticisms Are Unheeded.
The majority of the citizens of Des
Moines are paying no attention to
these criticisms, one way or the other.
They realize that the government has
established the army post for prac-
tical use in connection with the army
and that it is not to be used as a show
ground or place to parade the social
qualifications Of the men and officers
composing the garrison. The facts
which must be admitted by all, are
that the army post has been estab-
lished and that 1t would not have
come to Des Moines except through
the efforts of Congressman Hull. And
this is not saying that another in the
congressman's place would not have
done as much for the city and his dis
trict had the opportunity presented.
1t may be possible. too, that should
the fight between Congressman Hull
and Judge Prouty wax too warmly
third and possibly a fourth candidate