Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-03-21
IOWA CITY POLITICS
Mayoralty Fight Creating More
Excitement Than Any There
In Recent Years
HON. BALLS SLOGAN ATTACKED
Hon. David Brant, of the Iowa City
Republican, Publishes scathing Edi-
toriaI-First Public Notice of Certain
Alleged charses-Excitins Develop
ments Expected in the Next Week.


Iowa City, March 21.--Iowa City is
in the grip of mayoralty fight which
is the most sensational in recent
years. Men who have been prominent
in the affairs of their party are array
ed against each other and charges and
counter charges are being circulated
with energy The republican ticket is
headed by Hon. Frank Stebbins, who
is a candidate for reelection, while the
nominee of the democratic party is
Hon. George r. Ball, one time member
of the state legislature. The first pub
lie notice of the alleged charges was
made in last nights issue of the Iowa
City Republican. Editorially, the Hon.
David Brant, former member of the
legislature and prominent politician in
southeastern Iowa, says:
when Mr.. Ball was in the senate,
he took hour after hour to tell the
senate that Iowa City was a good
town, free from vices, and he very pro-
perly rebuked the gang of liars who
sought to secure a five mile law by
misrepresenting the city and its in
stitutions What Mr.. Ball said then
was true, and it is truer' now than it
was then. 1t was claimed then that
the mulct law was not strictly enforc-
ed, but Mayor Stebbirs promised the
legislature that there would not be any
further cause for complaint along that
line, and there has not been any. The
saloons have been shifted around un-
til none of them are near the univer-
sity. A petition for saloon near the
Rock Island depot was refused and the
number of drinking places has been
reduced. But despite all this we I'M
derstand that one Of Mr.. Balls cleo
ton slogans is violent charge against
the city administration. Either Mr..
Ball falsifed to the legislature or he
is running upon fake issue now. 1t
is we'll understood that he is playing for
votes and it is not to the discredit
of the city that he thinks that there
are more votes in charging laxity Of
enforcement of law, rather than play
ing to catch the vicious. There is abb
solutely no grounds upon which to
make a campaign such as Mr.. Ball is
understood to be making. Where is
there a city with less need of police
protection than Iowa City? Life and
property are safe. 1t has good order.
Men and women can go anywhere
about the city with safety at any time
of the day or night.
Forms of vice that disgrace other
cities are unknown here. or are so hid
den that the public knows nothing OF
it. The Republican does not claim
that this is,all due to the watchfulness
of the police, for practically we have
none. Two officers are on duty dur
ing the day. but one Of them is prac-
tically engaged all Of the time as a
civil officer in the mayors court, or he
is carrying out the orders Of the city
council.
"Some claim that two officers do not
earn their money, but if this is true,
1t is remarkable that the streets are
SO free from disturbance and lawless-
ness. Who has suffered from the in
activity of the city police officers?
Possibly we would be just as well off
without the day police, leaving the
duty Of serving notices to the city hall
janitor II so, we'll and good. Let the
positions of marshal and deputy be
abolished. But there Is gross incon-
sistency in the claim on the one hand
that the police are inactive and do
nothing and that the city has such ex-
cellent order that seemingly it has no
need of police protection, and on the
other hand that there Is a state of
lawlessness that demands the election
OF Mr.. Ball to right things If the city
has such good order chat police are not
needed, surely it has no state of af-
fairs that demands any experiment in
introducing an untrie.d reform into our
affairs
AS the election is still week off, ex-
citing developments can be expected
in the next seven days.