Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-10-16
CLOSE CONTEST
N DAVIS COUNTY
III IlEyIN1 mIUnIuvI
Republican Candidate Cur Ar
nounces Opposition to State
Wide Primary Law
SPECIAL ELECTION ON TUESDAY
Democratic Candidate is Man Of E.du-
cation and May Make Hard Fight
Superintendent Riggs Thinks Dis.
trict Division Bad for Schools Of a
Township-capitaI News-comment.
Special tc Times Republican.

Special t. Times Republican.
Des Moines, Oct. 16.-Davis county
republicans to some extent have been
somewhat doubtful OF the outcome OF
the special election in that county to
select a successor to the late Represen-
tative T. j. Prevo and since the issue
of the News Tribune, of Bloomfield, Of
last Thursday in which John H. Curl,
the republican candidate, attacks
Governor Cummins and declares his
open hostility to the primary election
law, they are still more skeptical Da-
Wis county, is said to be somewhat op-
posed to primaries, at least there is a
good element in the county OPP
posed to it. The county has been 90
ing democratic since the election Of
Colonel Moore as representative, but
the majority in some instances has
been down to 200. In the elections of
1903 T. j. Prevo, the democratic can
didate got 1850 votes D. A. Wickizer,
the republican, got 1,543, and j. A.
Shepherd, socialist, got Is. John De-
Mar, the present democratic nominee
for the position, has been school
teacher and is said to be man of abil-
ity and education. He has declared
thru the columns Of the newspapers
down there that he is in favor Of, the
statewide primary election law, which
1t is proposed to introduce in the next
,lican nominee, is farmer of some
wealth and prominence in the county
and also q man of ability. The election
wilrsbe held tomorrow.
2 With small sdemocratic majority
staring him in the face, it would be
naturally supposed that the republican
candidate would seek to unite all the
republican forces. Davis county re-
publicans seem to think that an attack
on Governor Cummins and the primary
election law will not win democratic
votes, and hence are at loss to un-
derstand the article which appeared in
the Bloomfield News-Tribune Of last
week After stating that John DeMar,
the democratic candidate, is in favor Of
the primary election law, and after
cautioning the voters that the primary
minority vote may be Of deciding i'm
portance in the coming session Of the
general assembly, Mr.. Curl says:
when we take into consideration
the fact that number of republican
politicians Of the state think they
see in the adoption of the primary
system a better chance for them to
get into office, among this number is
Governor CLmmins. He has been speak
ing at chautauquas all over the state
this summer without pay in order, as
he told us at the chautauqua here,
that he might get the people ia
adopt the primary system. He has
his eyes upon the United States SEN
ate and expects the primary system, il
1t is adopted, to aid him in his ambi-
tons. When we consider this influence
in connection with the minority rnem-
bers in the house it is then we. eoun-
sci that Mr.. DeMar's vote might be the
deceiving one in fastening this unnec-
essary tax upon the people"
tAA
He then argues against the increase
in taxation that the primary election
law would cause and claims that near
ly everyone in all parties would want
his name on the ticket and thus it
would "see ticket longer thar the
moral law" He closes by saying he
is in favor Of the old method. Of letting
the candidates pay their own expenses.
The outcome Of the election tomorrow
will be watched with great interest by
the politicians over the state as well
as those from Davis county as having
a vital bearing on the primary election
law and it's prospects.
dent, will recommend in his forthcom-
ing biennial report that the district
division in the matter of schools is
bad thing. Professor Riggs has been
investigating the matter and has dis
covered that when the state was yet
but ten years old there was appointed
a commission by the legislature to
look into school matters and they rec
ommende / the division Of the town
ships into school districts was bad
Other commissions investigated 1t la
ter and made the same Recommended
tions and some superintendents rec
that the county should be
the school division. The school di-
rectory, published by the superintend-
ent's office last year shows that the
tax levy in the country districts aver
aged 10 mills while In the cities it aver
aged % mills. Yet there are any num-
Der of school districts in the country
that levy taxes of but 5 and 6 mills.
In .one locality the school people have
sent for Professor Riggs to come and
make them an address, and tell them
what is. the matter of their schools.
They are dissatisfied. On looking it
up Professor Riggs discovered that the
school levy was down to five and a
fraction mills in one district and six
and fraction in another. In none
was it up to the average Of the state
except where there was village. And
ret there is no chance Of getting the