Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-29
Senator Penrose Fears Primary
Election Law Would Create
Bitterness In Close Counties
DoLLlvER ExcITEs DEBATE
Obscure Passages in His Speech Read
at Grant Club Banquet, Open Up
Lively Discussion in State Papers
Club Feels That He Owes 1t An
Address-News From the Capital.
eeia1 to T,mes-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, April Ex-senator %. q.
Penrose, of Tama, who was in the city
to attend the Grant Club banquet, be-
lieyes that in the close counties of the
state the primary election will not be
a desirable matter so rar as the couh-
ty offices are concerned. "In our coull-
ty. we would not be adverse to hav-
ing primary law for the selection OF
state and national officers" said Sera-
tor Penrose, "but on county offices
believe such a law would not be SO de-
sirable In close counties like ours the
feeling aroused in the breasts OF the
defeated candidate and his friends
would not be so serious a matter under
the present arrangements as under a
primary election law. If the primary
law is made optional with the counties
believe it would gain greater popu-
larity. There is room for a fruitful
discussion on this subject of the pri-
mary election and ann glad to see 1t,
but fear that in close counties pri-
mary election law would simply mean
in effect two elections with their at
tendant bitterness"
There seems to be feeling in politi-
cal centers today that the speech of
Senator Dolliver, read at the Grant
Club banquet, contains enough obscure
passages in it to become the subject
for a very lively debate in the columns
of the state papers, and that his state
ments on the railroad question are
about of the proper stamp to open up
matters more than to heal. There is
'seeling among the members of the
t..raat Club that Senator Dolliver has,
not done the proper thing by the club
in the past in not making more of an
effort to address the club. In the pres
ent instance there is no one but recog-
nizes that under the situation he would
not have been expected to attend and
that he would have been thought less
of if he had. The sad death of his
father following his sickness of some
days is matter of regret by ALL But
in the past Mr.. Dolliver has been invit-
ed to address the club but has never
found it possible to attend and deliver
an address. The club feels that he
owes it an address. When he was
asked this time he put The matter off,
Fit is claimed, to SO late a day that it
other man.
Ex-State Superintendent r. c. Bar
rett says that he is not candidate for
the president of the new Nebraska
State Normal at Kearney, Neb., and
that he has given his endorsement to
Professor Barr of Drake. A story
which emanated from a Nebraska
school has been printed here and else
where to the effect that one or tia
other of the two Iowa men would be
given the appointment of the presi-
dency of the new school which opens
in September But Mr.. Barrett while
in the city yesterday said that early
in the campaign he endorsed Professor
Barr and that he is not a candidate
himself.
Des Moines state house politicians
who were acquainted with Jud C. We'll
liver, editor of the Sioux City Tribune,
expects to see fun emanate from Wash
ington. D. c., when Mr.. Welliver goes
there to edit the Washington Times,
as it is reported he will do. 1t has al
ways been Mr.. Welliver's particular
delight to drag out of the closet OF
Secretary Shaw all the political skel-
etons that he could discover and 1T IS
related that on one occasion Mr.. Welli-
yer was invited to dine with Mr.. Shaw
and asked to call off his dogs. 1t is
presumed that in Washington with a
wider field to work in he will still fur
ther give vent to his particular pas
time.
The abstract has been filed with the
clerk of the supreme court in the case
of John Ward against the Marshall
town Light, Power and Railway Com
pany The suit in the district court
was won by Ward. He asked $4,000
damages for being struck by a street
car as he was crossing North street,
June Z. 1904. He claims that the COM
pany allowed the car to be operated By
boy and so were liable.
The Historical Society has lately
come into possession of the correspon-
dence of the late Senator George w.
Jones of Dubuque. There are oyer
| 1000 of the letters and Curator Aid
rich proposes to have them properly
bound in a book and preserved. The
assistants are at present engaged in
sorting the letters. Senator Jones was
the last democratic senator from the
state and is held to have been great
man but unfortunately was demo-
crat. At the time of the breaking out
of the war he had an extensive ac-
auaintance, with Jefferson Davis, Rob
ert Lee. Charles Sumner. and other
| noted men of the time. Letters from
Jefferson ] Davis lead to his arrest and
imprisonment for time notwithstand-
ing that he was senator. The let
ters however, were of a social nature
largely, tho they discuss the political
questions of the times. The arrest was