Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-11-11
LIVELY FIGHT IS ON
TRAVELLING MEN OF THE STATE
ARE BATTLING FOR sEcRETA-
RYsHiP OF l. S. T. M. A.
ottumwa Has a Candidate in the Per.
son Of Clarence G. Porter, "the Har.
ness Man"-Rule Governing Coming
Election Claimed to Be un.uot.

Inc Iowa State Travelling Mems as
ISOLATION is now in the throes of a
political campaign for the Office of
secretary, that for energy, warmth
and special features rivals that of state
candidates in presidential year. The
membership of the association is about
$4,000 and the secretaryship is a
plum" paying about $1,000 year.
There arc nine candidates in the field,
one Of whom is Clarence G. Porter,
the harness man" Of this city.
The rule governing the election of
officers in the order requires that ev-
cry member who wishes to cast vote
must be in attendance at the meeting
personally, thus barring any opportun-
ity of having any voice in the affairs of
the association unless journeying to
Des Moines, where the election will be
held in January.
While on the face of 1t the rules
seem fair enough the travelling men
state that it's effect is to place the
affairs of the organization in the hands
OF less than one per cent of the active
members, thereby giving it's control to
a minority, something that, the mem
bers state, is against the principles of
an organization.
The election of a successor to Mr..
Haley takes place January 20 and the
place of the meeting is at Des Moines.
The members of the association state
that the fact Of the meeting being held
there places the power. in the hands of
the members of the Organization in
that city, or principally so, on account
of the rule.
1t can be readily seen that those
who live in the capital city can attend
the meeting without the expense of
making long journey or the incon-
venience of losing several days.
Naturally it will be easy for them
to be present in larger mum bers than
from any other town and it means that
those who reside in Des Moines can
practically control the election simply
because they happen to live in the city
where the election takes place.
All Want to. Vote.
To overcome this unjust state of af.
fairs and to give every one who be-
longs to the order voice in it's con.
troll the members of the society claim
that they should all be given the op.
portunity of voting at the election.
DesDire the large membership OF the
association the records show that in
the elections held in 1902 and 1908
there were only cast 1893, 273 and 25C
votes, respectively, less than one pei
cent of the total membership. Many
members, reluctant to incur an expense
equal to their yearly premiums in go
ing to and returning from Des Moines
are agitating a plan as stated above
to have the executive committee sus
pend the rule requiring their personal
attendance and permit them to vote
by proxy. This, they hold, would oper
ate to rescue the management and bi
ennial electionss of officers from dom
nation by few men, who take ad
vantage of their place OF residence d
Des Monies to make the affairs OF the
association close corporation. They
very plausibly object to delegating tc
273 men the control and management
of $4,000 members.