Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-07-16
HUNTER MAKING
ANOTHER BLUFF
Apparently Intends to Force
Consideration of Fake Con-
tests Upon Committee
PROGRAM IS NOW MAPPED OUT
Collecting of Alleged "Evidence' Be.
gun With a View to Giving Commit
teemen Apparent Excuse for consid !.
Grafton of Contests That Have No
Merit Whatever.
[By Ora williamsl
.n n,ines-Renublican,

rBy Ora Willams1
| Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. July 16.-Ed. Hunter
has taken a fresh hand in the game,
| and is again stacking his chips high.
| AN agree that ii is a mighty bluff, but
there is difference of opinion as to
whether or not 1t will be played out to
| the end.
+, Last week 1t seemed, judging by all
outward indications, that all that was
| left of the game was to play for some
of the minor Offices and secondary
places ON the ticket. Honest standpat-
lers all over the state are privately,
and some of them publicly, admitting
the fact that the progressives won out
in the campaign. But at the close of
the week Ed Hunter returned to the
city from trip said to have been at
the lakes" and he promptly called to-
gether his associates for another con-
ference.
The original scheme of fraudulently
ton thru multiplicity of contests" had
been temporarily laid aside when 1t
was found the state committee was
hard to handle, and for time the
scheme was to have arbitration by
persons not accountable to any voters
OF Iowa; but when arbitration was
exposed. then Hunter turned again to
his original plan started early in April.
The conference OF Saturday and Sat
urday night last in Ed. Hunters head
quarters was concerned mainly with
1.-THE general program for manipulating
the convention thru contests. so that
the defeated faction shall be able to
dominate the convention. There were
several tnings considered
The proposed disfranchisement of the
15 900 republicans of Polk county haG
been submitted to an able lawyer, and
his report was that an effort to have
the courts enjoin the Polk delegates
from acting in a state convention
would fail 1t was therefore decided
that whatever is done to prevent the
Polk delegates from acting must be
outside of the courts.
The contests" were considered. The
the .evidence" collected. Most of it is
of a character that would not stand
cross examination in any court, and 1t
generally consists of affidavits from
disreputables that they had been told
or had heard that so-and-so was
democrat, and that he had voted at {:
caucus, and that somebody said he
had voted for Cummins. But 1T was
reported that the material gathered by
Johnston, Parrott, Tedford and others
was sufficient to present to any COM
mittee or commission having desire
to further the contest game.
But the most important matter
which came before the Ed. Hunter
conference was that of the legal status
of the state committee and the right
and duty of temporary chairman in
controlling a convention. The Hunter
program contemplates that the state
committee shall assume authority not
only to organize the convention tenn
porarily by placing a chairman in
charge but shall pass upon the creden-
tials of delegates and reject the cre-
dentials of about $50 of those who have
been delegated to attend the conven-
llOn. IL also llidI IL liAO
state committee cannot be bludgeoned
into making up "a temporary roll,'
then the temporary chairman must as
sumo the right to decide off-hand who
are members of the convention, so that
on the first roll call he shall be able
to recognize from each county where
Hunter has brought contest the
contesting delegations only.
In order that those who are to be
entrusted with the carrying out of this
program may have some semblance Of
backing, attorneys have been at work
for several weeks preparing brief or
legal argument involving the rights
and duties of committees and chair
men. 1t is significant that a promi-
nent firm of democratic lawyers in this
CITY has been consulted. and much Of
the work has been done in this law
office; but the brief has been arranged
by Atty Tom Bevington, of Sioux City,
the personal representative of Mr.. Per-
kins.
The conference in Ed. Hunters
office on Saturday was attended
by Attorneys Tom Bevington, D. c.
Shull, r. G. Henderson. G. N. Jepson,
and A. F. Call. all of Sioux City, and
Ben Salinger. of carroll. 1T was strict
y conference of lawyers to consider
the legal phases of the case. Much OF
what will follow was outlined at the
conference.
Two disturbing elements were re-
ported to the conference. In the first
place the reliance placed on the con-
gressional delegation has not proven
substantial. 1t was announced that
Charley Johnston, who had been select
ed to swing the bludgeon over the
heads of the Iowa men al Washing
ton. had received some pretty sharp
letters in reply TO mis- letter telling the
congressman that they must back up
Ed Hunters nefarious schemes. Sew
eral of the congressman made it plain
that thev world not sanctinn I'VE ste7!.
II is therefore the plan to have the