Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-06-01
WHEN WAS CUMMINS A DEMOCRATS
[By ID. w. Norris, of GrinnelLl

When | replied to a letter from Mr.
j. l.. Burroughs, of NeWburg. con
corning charges against Cummins mad,
by the Grinnell Herald, it did not oc-
cur to me that | was inviting Il news
paper controversy upon personalities
| of no concern to the public. | did say
| that The men who conduct the Her
aid are strange men, and | now re-
peat it, | thought that these false
hoods once exposed would not be re-
peated by the same parties
The Grinnel Herald with .ul
knowledge of the facts, deliberately and
malciously maligned Governor Cum
MINIS, and in order to cvade RESPONSE
blity for so cowardly an act invented
a wheel horse" aud put the words into
his mouth. The thought was that the
statement would not be challenged, and
If Mr.. Burroughs suspicious had not
been aroused, it probably would no.
| have been. Our spondence APP
peared in the T-R. of May 18th. In
the Herald of May 18th these Strange
men reply. In that reply odd repub-
lican wheel horse" is transformed into
"a We'll known Iowa politician" In or
bSl " commune iit pcttDlloil.
There were two distinct charges
made in the first paper. Note them
carefully. Cummins was "a man who
stood with the democrats when Boies
was elected, . who came out OPEN
ly for free silver when Bryan was a
candidate for president in 1896"
In their reply they now admit that
all their charge about coming out
openly for free silver when Bryan was
a candidate in 1896 is based on a let
ter written in 1893, when Bryan was
not candidate, and had never been
heard of. AS the date was the material
thing. and as the historical facts are
not in dispute, you see at once that
the false impression they intended to
leave was both wilful and malicious.
as they had the letter before them
when they first wrote.
The charge that Cummins came out
openly for free silver when Bryan was
a candidate in 90" the Herald now adj
mits to be false and proceeds to print
Il garbled extract from Cummins let
ter to Senator Gorrell, of Jasper coun
ty, written in 1898 when the whole re-
publican party was trying to do some
cause. while Cummins favored free
coinage of silver it was at its intrIn
sic value and not at the Bryan ratio
of Is to !. Had the Herald quoted ten
lines more of his letter this would
have been made clear In Cummins' own
language But the main point is that
when Bryan was a candidate in go
Cummins, as a republican delegate to
the national convention which nomin
ated Mckinley, had made the fight for
the word gold in the platform
against the opposition of Allison and
Lacey and Hepburn and Henderson,
and had become Iowa's member of the
republican committee to man
age Mckinley's campaign against Bry-
an. The Strange men of the Herald
knew this Why did they make the
false statement? Why do they now
garble a letter written in 1893?
In this same issue of May is the
Herald men attempt to prove their
second charge that Cumtnfns stood
with the democrats when Boies was
elected" by quoting from Cummins
speech things which Cummins never
said This forgery is known TO every
was exposed and denounced within |
.wenty-four hours after it was first |
published in the old Des Mones Leader
fifteen years ago. Does Mr.. Burroughs |
~ anyone else now care to have me |
'efute any further statements that
hese Strange men may make? Men
Who will do such a thing cannot be
rusted in the discussion of facts. Is
ny language eXtravagant when I call
hem strange men?"
Personal Abuse.
After waiting four more days. real
zing what a disgraceful thing they
lad done. smarting under the criti-
,isms made and fearing others, the |
writer of the offending article got
madden and madder and finally losing
lis temper entirely. he broke out in
he Herald of May % with a full half
page of personal abuse of myself.
Now, the purpose of this personal
LttacS. if it had a purpose, is to dis
ract attention from the real contro-
.ersy. My personality is not an issue
II this discussion I have been a part
II the business and social life of Grim
lell for over forty years, and l con-
.ratulate myself that neither my char
ycter nor my reputation need any de-
ense I will not be drawn into one,
kept the general reply that nearly
very one of the sneers made at me
ersomally by the Herald men are false
9th in statement and innuendo. 1t
makes no difference whether the things
aid at my door are true or untrue.
low do they affect the question
shether Cummins stood with the dem
Gratis when Boies was elected. or
,hether he came out for free silver
,hen Bryan was candidate for pres
lent in 1896?
Let me now refer to the motives and
he character and the methods of the
len who are thus assaiNing Cummins.
AS to Free Silver.
The Gorrell letter was written in re-
ly to one received from Senator Cor
Ill, of Jasper county. Gorrel was
apublican, but like all republican poll
clans at that time he was founder
lg in the sea of free silver. Cummins
bought the true solution would be to
Din silver, not at a fixed ratio, not at
he ratio of 16 to l. but at its in
,insic ratio. that is at its actual value
5 compared with gold. Cummins was
lso befuddled as to the single and
ouhle standard. Gear was a candi
ate for the senate, so was Hepburn.
nd I think Cummins was at least a
,ntative candidate Hepburn was an
1T and out advocate of free coinage