Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-06-16


Republican was correct enough SO 1ar
as it went, but 1t did not explain dc
| tails Leon Browns story in the Reg
lister and Leader is open to the same
criticism The Capitals version is alb
solutely false There are Il great many
people here and in Jasper who would
| like to know how and why Jasper
county elected Il Cummins delegation.
| The writer was present as a spectator
only | am going to try to state truth
/ fully the situation and what took
! place. without colorilg. l did not, OF
course. hear all that was said, nor any
considerable part of it, but | could
easily follow the procedure.
! There were 1874 delegates in the con-
| vention and it required SO to control.
! On the face of the returns the Per-
kins people had elected 81 delegates
and the Cummins people 81. But two
| Perkins precincts with delegates We're
! contested, leaving uncontested dele
gates apparently sS Perkins to 81 Cum
MINIS Washington, III which ColfaX IS
situated was presumably Cummins be
cause the city of Colfax went over
whelmingly for Cumnlins. The stand
pat committeeman called the caucus
for Z: 30 In the afternoon of the day
on which the caucus was held, he gave
1t out that the hour would be Z o'clock
instead of $50. Promptly at Z the
Cummins people were on hand In force
but the caucus had been alreauy helu
and delegates named.
In Rock Creek. one Lyman Longiy,
was a candidate for supervisor, and
lad l.
lege of naming the delegates. The
Cummins' people, knowing he would
appoint an nti-Eummins delegation
opposed this. Several well known
Cummins men voted for this motion
because Long1y had told them that
Cummins delegation meant his defeat
When the motion went to the house
Lonely produced package of AMI
dayits-he was one of the judges-and
refused to let any one cast his ballot
unless he would sign an affidavit that
he either had been II republican, or
would vote the ticket in It's entirity
this fall. Several men, some say. sew
en- and some say eight. refused to sign
any affidavits and their votes We're re-
fused. The affidavit contained refer
ence to that section of the code max
ing it a misdemeanoi for member OF
one party to vote at IA primary election
held by the other party. The whole
thing was deliberately planned as
bluff to overawe voters, and 1T sue
ceeded. The Cummins men at that cau-
Gus. by actual count outnumbered the
Perkins men. and SO part of them
withdrew, and held another meeting.
AS good republican as Ed Lynch
refused to participate in the Lonely
caucus. MIN Phipps, gold demo-
crat who voted the republican ticket
in 1900 and 1904, refused to sign an
affidavit and was turned out. The
same thing was done to Young Kelly
and to the three Whitcombs
Hickory Grove was reported then
over the phone as to l for Perkins,
everybody supposed this meant the
vote at the caucus, but on MONDAY
morning it was found it meant the
delegates stood 4 to 1. 1t seems the
vote in Hickory Grove stood 39 TO SO,
but on the first ballot Jas. Lowry. act
Ing as secretary. fogtft to vote. so three
Perkins men got 80 votes, one Cum
minis man got SO. All the rest IS. They
then cast lots for the fifth man. The
Perkins people won, and named Jasper
Lehman. He was net present and had
not been consulted. Hickory Grove
township in Jasper county is ony few
miles from Grinnell, so j was asked to
go to Hickory Grove and ascertain who
the Cummins delegate was. l went and
found that Robert M,adill was the man.
l also found that Lehman was for
Cummins, and not desiring to attend
the convention, he gave his proxy to c.
Clay.
When Clay got to Newton Tuesday
morning he nearly caused panic. His
proxy made the uncontested vote stand
Cummins SS and Perkins 81. AL! the
Perkins committeeman then met The
chairman was not present: mo- Cum
Minis committeeman were present.
There they made up slate to seize
control of the convention, but they had
no leaders, except such tricky fellow
at Haines of Dss Moines. Dewitt {!
Oskaloosa. and fellow named Hunt
er. a cousin of Ed. Hunter
Nilt McCord was active, but McCord
was not even a delegate. The Cum
Minis men got on to- the scheme and
promptly at II O'Clock. the hour set,
George Hunter, the county chairman,
called the house to order and read the
call He then announced Phil Craigln
as temporary chairman, and Edge and
Carrier as secretaries. According to
the custom prevailing in Jasper and
Poweshiek. and in the state conven-
ton, Chairman Hunter was clearly
within his authority.
The Perkins people were seated on
one side of the house, and the Cum
minis people on the other No attack
on the temporary organization was
made Milt McCord Immediately went
crazy He beloved and paved the
air, and the whole Perkins crowd went
to yelling. A man named Silwold was
lifted to the platform, and he immedi-
ately tried to act like a chairman.
When the Cummins people saw the
contest was on, they went right ahead
Just as if nothing had happened. The
motion to make the temporary organ
ization permanent was carried by ac
clamation while the Perkins crowd
were trying to stop the procedure by
yelling Next. a motion to appoint the
committees was carried, and all the
time pandemonium reigned on the
Perkins side of the house.
While the committee We're getting
minis side orderly and quiet, the Per
kins side, led by McCord and Morgan,
still yelling. The 'credential commit
tee reported in favor of seating the
contestants from Washington and