Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-05-08
THE cuMM1Ns.PRoUTY MEETING,

The address of Governor Cummins
at the opera house Friday night was
one not of a candidate for governor Of
Iowa, but was direct appeal to the
people for support in a campaign for
the United States senatorship. Mr..
Cummins said nothing, whatever, about
state matters. Practically all that he
said bore upon national issues. Many
things that he said received the
hearty approval of his audience, be.
cause they are what all good citizens
believe. But neither Mr.. Cummins,
nor anybody else, has any right to ap.
propriate them as indicating spe.
cial brand of civic uprightness that be-
longs to one person more than anoth-
er, Mr.. Cummins says that he be-
lieves in unfolding the President In
his fight to control and regulate the
corporations; SO does every true re-
publican in Iowa. But that is no rea-
son why Mr.. Cummins should be nom
mated for third term as governor of
this state. Mr.. Cummins says the
Standard OIL Is an octopus trust,
that should be brought under the dom
ination Of the law; and so it should.
Every true republican says the same
thing! But that, does not mean that the
aforesaid octopus will gobble us all up
bodily, or that political liberty in this
country will come to an end If Mr..
Cummins is not nominated, forthwith,
for third term for the governorship
Of Iowa
Mr.. Cummins says that somebody
told him that the railroads are CAPT
talized for $6,500,000 more than they
should be. We do not know whether
they are or not: neither does Mr..
Cummins. But whether they are or
not, what will Mr.. Cummins' nomina-
ton for third term as governor of
Iowa have to do with this matter.
Mr.. Cunlmins says that he would
rather be A. B. Cummins and be able
to hug and kiss his grandchildren to
his hearts content, than be John d.
Rockefeller, with a billion dollar for
tune, and have to send greetings to his
grandson by telephone, because he
could not dodge the sheriff who was
waiting for him on his front steps. In
all of this, the public will heartily
agree with Mr.. Cummins, but what
does this have to do with the governor
ship of Iowa and how can it be con-
strued into valid reason why Mr..
Cummins should be nominated for a
third term as governor?
To get right down to the marrow of
the governors speech, what does 1t
all mean? What is. the inevitable i'm
preston that one obtains in listening
to the governors address? If it
means anything, it means this:
The people are now engaged in an
irrepressible conflict to curb the
trusts and bring the great corpora
tons under legal control and regdla-
ton. President Roosevelt is leading
this fight. 1 propose to stand by the
President
So far, all right. All the people
cheer and cry amen" but right here
is where the governor, with all his
assumed innocence of card games,
tries to befuddle his hearers and play
the "joker." In effect he says:
"Your delegation in congress has
been tried and found wanting. In all
Iowa, l am the only exclusive, una
dulterated, simon pure, al, Xxx
schampeen' of the great American
people. Just elect me to the govern
orship for a third term Though have
already had two terms with an extra
year thrown IND and and Theo.
Roosevelt will bust the trusts. carve
the teatacles off the octopus. rdn, reg
ulate and control all the railroads. and