Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1906-07-25
REGULARS WILL NEVER LIE DOWN
Would be Unfair to Majority Of Real
Republicans.

convention ought surely to bear fruit.
Gov. Cummins has declared that he
wants square deal and Mr.. Perkins
has announced in his newspaper and
also on the public platform that all
he or his friends ask for is square
deal.
The managers of Mr.. Perkins
campaign also declared that they pro-
pose not only to ask for square deal,
but to see to it if possible that square
deal is accorded to everybody whose
interests are in any way to be con-
sidered by the convention. In other
words, that every citizen of Iowa who
is candidate for nomination Thy the
republican state convention is entitled
to fair treatment and shall have his
rights protected.
1t has been the program of the Cum,
minis people not only to claim every
thing but to declare that the other
side proposes to deprive the governor
of his rights by barefaced theft. Ever
since the Cummins machine began to
fear results this cry has been set up.
They have charged a gentlemen whose
honor has been unimpeached and
whose honesty has hitherto been I'M
questioned, with deliberately entering
into combination to steal" GER
tain OF the delegations to the state
convention. This charge, however,
fell fiat, because the people themselves
knew Geo. d. Perkins as a man of
honor and they knew neither he nor
his supporters would lend themselves
to any scheme whereby anyone would
be defrauded. Then finding that
this sort of argument did not create
the desired sensation, the machine
changed it's tactics and began the
charging that the managers of the Per.
kins campaign had given up the fight
and that Mr.. Perkins himself was
ready to withdraw. This sort of talk
was solely for the purpose of trying
to create the impression among the
people that Cummins had won and
that while the friends of Mr.. Perkins
might appear to keep up the campaign,
yet they were only looking for a
chance to get out of it gracefully.
This sort of argument is just as tai.
lacious and devoid of truth as the
charge that the Perkins people pro
posed to steal the convention.
Briefly, the condition is as follows
The friends of Mr. Perkins art
certain that a large number of the
delegates which are claimed by the
governor were obtained by the as
sistance of democratic votes and by
irregularities in the manner and
methods of holding conventions and
eaucuses which ought not to be
winked at by the state organization.
OF these things they are certain. The
proof is positive. 1t has been col.
lected and prepared ready for presenta.
tion 70 the committee and it is so com
plete that any man who places the good
Of the party above personal ambition
cannot fail to recognize the justice
of the claim that Gov. Cummins has
not been endorsed by majority of
the republicans of Iowa.
Both Mr.. Perkins and his managers
have given these cases careful at
tention and have weighed evidence
produced with fairness and for the
purpose only of making up their minds
as to whether wrongs had been com.
mitted which should be brought to the
attention of the governing body of the
party. After having weighed every
detail Mr.. Perkins and his managers
have become convinced that it would
be an injustice to the party to permit
the methods which have been used by
the machine in many counties of the
state to go unrebuked. They have felt
Justice TO Mr.. Perkins and themselves
and the future welfare of the party
demands that strong protest be made
against the seating of delegates whose
credentials were earned by the work
of democrats and the manipulation of
caucuses and conventions.
Never at any time has there been
nor is there at this time any thought
on the part of the managers of Mr..
Perkins of DESERVING their friends in
the various counties who have been
putting up such loyal fight against the
efforts to debase the party conventions
and caucuses by combination with
democrats, populists or persons of no
political party allegiance except such
as is pointed out by the greed for gain.
Mr. Perkins managers feel that this
is critical stage in the history of the
party in Iowa and they feel they
would be Sinking their duty should
they fail to demand equal justice and
tine protection OF the rights of all. For
this reason the managers of Mr.. Per.
kins expect that the republican state
committee, the credentials committee
and the membership of the state con-
vention which, in the end, will be the
arbiter of all questions, shall do their