Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-09-14
steadtast.y refused to be In any way

steadfastiy refused to be In any wa
contaminated with democracy.
The first suggestion we have froi
Mr.. Cummins showing that he ha
awakened to the fact that Iowa wa
being controlled by the railroad.
was after he had served as governo
for nearly five years and about tn
same time that his ambition to b
governor for the third term, as tn
lonly man who fully answered tn
emergency" was made known tx
the public. From that time on. man,
and vigorous have been the verba
assaults he has made on the railwa,
companies of this state; and after
strenuous campaign, the like of whicl
has never occurred in Iowa, vel
known to all of you, the republican
party was persuaded that the "emer
gency" had arrived, and that Mr.
Cummins was the only man who full,
measured up to it. With committee
on resolutions, headed by the able
editor of his official paper, how
strange it is the emergency" which
required this unusual procedure, is
not more fully disclosed IN the plat
form presented to that convention
In less than dozen lines of printed
matter, is contained the entire dec
laratiOn of that platform on this i'm
portant question; and while the dec
laration is made that statutes are fav
ored which will purge from the poll.
tics of our state and nation the in
fluence of corporate power, the meth
cd how and when this is to be accom-.
plished is left in oblivion. After such
a campaign and violent assertions
that this was campaign of princi-
pies and not men, this plank of the
platform reminds one of the old story
.of the great mountain that growled
and rumbled and oiled, and 10, it
brought forth a mouse. How strl.A-
ing in contrast the plain and specl-
nc declaration of the democratic plat
form. Not content alone with declar-
ing our purpose to eliminate the rail-
roads from the politics of the state,
we go to the very root of the matter
by pointing out a way to remove the
inducements the railroads have to
enter politics. l am at a loss to I'M
derstand how it is, that there is a
single thing in this campaign on the
part of the Governor, except his
election to third term as means OF
reaching the United States senate,
why it is not to be found in the
lengthy platform written by his
friends and adopted by a convention
absolutely in his personal control. No
man however wise or discerning. I'M
acquainted with other facts, could
read the platform and from that be
apprlsed OF the crisis" that had rem
dersd imperative his third nomina-
ton. $40 a..
Few Of us realize the great power
vested in the executive council in the
matter Of the taxation of the rail-
roads Of this state. The importance
of this work cannot be overestimated.
By conversation with many people, I
nave found that they have not stop
ped to think that while Inc property
of the individual taxpayer is valued
oy man living in the same town
snip and supposedly acquainted with
Values, that the 10000 miles of rail-
Dad in Iowa, with the gross earn
ngs in Iowa of about $60,0OO,OOO and
IN assessed valuation at the present
line of about $60,OOO,OO0, is invested
n the hands of four men, in addition
o their responsibility of their several
'espective offices. | assume that. as
rule, the men who are selected for
ne OFFICES of governor, secretary OF
'tate, treasurer and auditor, are usu-
lily selected with a view to the other
lutles OF those respective offices; and
apprehend, for Illustration, in the
election of an auditor of state, that
he people have in mind, when test
ng his qualifications, the duties that
certain directly to that office; the
control of the insurance companies
md banking interests of this state,
tc., and that he is not selected with
view to his knowledge and ability
o pass upon the value of the railroad
property. And, undoubtedly, in times
'ast, while the people of this state
lad in mind making their selection
or the four offices composing the ex-
cutive council the qualifications
which render the candidate fit or I'M
it for the duties appertaining to that
articular office, that the railroads
lad in view but one of these pertain
ng to that office, the fixing Of the val
alton OF their property on which they
must pay taxes in each taxing dis
riot in the state. No man in Iowa is
etter qualified to speak along these
ines than Lieutenant Governor Her.
lott, who for several years, while fill
ng the office Of state treasurer, was
allied upon to assist in the making
t the assessment of the railroads. In
published article reprinted from
Wallace's Farmer" in 1900, / find
his statement: "a study of the as
essments of any one year or series
I years shows that neither gross
arnings nor any other fact has been
Uniformly taken by the executive
Ouncil as a basis or determining fac
or. There has been neither sense
or system in the assessment of the
Chaos is the only descrip-
I'VE in Webster applicable. am not
lone in SO thinking; the most vehe-
aent denunciation of the method, or
ack Of method, in vogue In assessing
have ever seen or heard
las been uttered by the attorneys and
ak commissioners of Iowa railroads.
t the annual hearing before the ex-
cutive council. An exhibit of the as
essments clearly demonstrates the
rave injustice inflicted on the rail-
Dads and on the public and explains
ne enforced participation of our rail-
Dads In politics and the severe con-
lemnation of the procedure of our
council by all who have given the
natter any serious thought Permit
ne to digress long enough to remark
hat back of 1900 Mr.. Herriott seems
o have had some idea of the roal-
Dads participation in Iowa politics,
hough at that time Mr.. Cummins was