Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17

Il
such circumstances.
Denies knowledge OF Blythe.
| The debate as to the governorship
has been going on for year. If j. w.
blythe suggested my name do not
know it. said that If the people of
this district did not want me to be
candidate l would not be. was en-.
couraged by the district and / had en-
couragement from Dickinson and Ply
mouth counties.
II said finally that would enter
| the race as the district seemed to de-
! sire to support me. My own town at
a mass meeting asked me to be can
didate and / accepted. Am l to be
| thrown off the boards because person
al enemies of the governor choose to
support me? Am l responsible for
| the relations he has established? Am
| | to be indicted as being opposed 10
protection because l think some du-
ties too high? But, verify, he so in
diets me.
Il am here to say that am as much
| in favor as any man Of dealing justly
and fairly with the corporations in the
interest of the people.
How did Cummins get to the legis-
lature in 1888? He was nominated by
! so-called independent republicans, fol-
lowed by an Endorsement by the DEM
ocratic party He went to the legis-
lature through the support Of the DEM
ocratic party. I never held office, nor
was ever candidate under such cir
cumstances, and in those days cries
went up from the party and Cummins
l xayac ,0f ia q
a submission of the prohibitory
amendment; I was willing to trust the
! people. The prohibition amendment
was adopted. In 1889 the independent
republicans elected Boies over Hutch1-
son, but not by my vote. In 1891
Wheeler was defeated by Boies. The
republican convention at Cedar Rap
IDS antagonized, declaring prohibition
all off, 1t favored resubmission. 1t
was willing to trust the people.
| Whether the governor voted for Boies
is immaterial. know that his inf1u-
ence was for him."
| Mr.. Perkins then reviewed the his
tory Of prohibition and it's modifica-
ton by republicans. ''The campaign
of 1888 was the greatest ever fought in
Iowa." he said II did not meet Cum
Minis in the fight. The corporation
threat was then more vociferous than
4 now. 1t was said that If we nominal
ed Campbell and Smith we would be
defeated by the railroads.
I II eXerted all my energy to nomi-
nate them. The railroads went to the
democratic convention with the same
proposition and it was accepted. l was
on the stump and everything was in
volyed in the election of the railroad
commissioners against the vengeance
Of the railroads We reelected them
| by plurality larger than that of Har-
rison. Since then there has been no
fight between the republican party and
the corporations, unless the governor
introduced it.
cunmins and Corporations.
'sIn 1888 the governor offered a bill
which was copy of the statutes Of
Georgia, which have since been de-
clared unconstitutional. doubt if the
Berryhill legislative maximum rate bill
was the best measure, but it was the
first one around which friends Of regu-
lation gathered. The governor voted
against the 2 cent fare bill then, and
also the bill to make the commission
elective, which I favored. 1t is not
denied that all during this period the
governor was in the service Of COR
porations. He drew as large salary
as any corporation attorney. I never
was in such a relation.
MANY things appear which are not
1 true and you have only to read leading
newspapers supporting the governor
to find them. The governor denied
one story, but he is given to flights of
oratory and he forgot the story relat-
/ ing to his praying for forgiveness for
things done as attorney. Yet it ap-
peared in the Chicago Chronicle after
one of his flights of oratory at Chi.
cago."
Mr.. Perkins took up the butter and
egg inquiry made by Senator Elkins
Of the governor at the famous Wash
4 ington hearing "Mr. Cummins' con-
haul and was so understood by the
4 senate committee" said Mr.. Perkins.
i HE did not appear there as the
1 representative of the whole people,
4 but of certain industries, and not in
the interest of the farmers of Iowa
Mr.. Perkins read extracts from the
record in an attempt to show that the
governor OppOStu Lie pISotliI egg dIlu
/ butter rates. He said that he was for
/ the farmers of the state. Two things
he said, support their prosperity, pro-
lection and the cheap long haul, which
has populated the central west, and
he declared that he was for those two
things and against Canadian agricul-
tural competition with American
farmers.
'"The governor says he never advo-
Gated such competition" added Mr.
Perkins, and then he read from the in
augural address what Mr.. Cumnins
said on Canadian reciprocity, to show
the governors mistake.
Mr.. Perkins then reverted to thu
long haul proposition before the Ell.
kins committee. and said that the gov
! ernor was not there to hold UP the
Presidents hands He recalled the
governors opposition before the Ell.
kins' committee to maximum rates
J Yet, no word appears in the Dollivel
, bill about minimum rates.
"At the fruit mems meeting at Des
Moines,' continued Mr.. Perkins, "the
governor did not say in his speech
some things he intended to say. (Per-
l,txc ,.ao3 froo, tia fa Ate.