Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-05-15
LINN AND MAHAskA.


noted In the Courier's news columns
yesterday. are not in favor of Cover
nor Cunmins' denomination on the re-
publican ticket this year. They held
their convention on Thursday and In.
structed their delegation to the state
convention to vote for Captain S. W.
Rathbun as long as his name shall be
before the convention or until he may
release them. Mr.. Rathbun is stand
patter, one of the kind that hail from
Standpatville, and he is candidate
for governor on that proposition al.
most entirely. He has nothing to
commend him especially more than
has Mr. Perkins, but Linn county is
for him, because he is Of Linn. Cap
tain Rathbun has war record, both
in the rebellion and in politics, Of
which he may be proud He has al
ways been fighting for the republican
party since there has been republi-
can party and his, position has always
been one of steadfast loyalty to the
party. He is editor of the Marion
Register.
In Oskaloosa yesterday the republi-
can primaries went strongly in favor
of George D. Perkins candidacy for
the gubernatorial nomination. This
indicates, almost beyond doubt, that
the county convention will instruct
for the Sioux City man. In fact, this
has been something of an anti-Cum-
minis week. Although the governor
has lost nothing during the time, the
reports have been coming in from
some of the counties in the Perkins
territory, and these reports indicate
that the whole state Is not for the
governors denomination and that,
when some Of the counties in the
southern part Of the state get started,
the delegates in the Perkins column
will begin increasing in number. The
fact that the Cummins counties held
their conventions first helped out the
impression that the governor would
have walk-away in the state conven-
ton. But that there are others" is
something that politicians are realiz-
ing now.
There are other facts, too, that poll
ticians are beginning to see more
clearly than they have heretofore. Mr..
Cummins served the state as COVER
nor for nearly five years before he an
nounced that the railroads were
against him, and careful examina-
ton of the facts in the case fails to
show where the railroads have been
against him. They were not against
him in 1901. They were not against
him in 1903, either, and the announce
ment that they are against him now
looks like an effort, and pretty sue
cessful one thus far, to create an "is-
sue" in order to make some excuse for
his unusual request that he be given
seven years as governor. Every one
who has paid attention to the cam
paign knows with what vehemence
the governor has proclaimed the rail-
roads to be against him, yet all who
have had anything to do with the
campaign know that the railroads
have done nothing except where they
have helped him The Chicago &
Northwestern railway has always been
considered one of the political roads"
Governor Cummins has carried every
county on the line of the Northwest
ern excepting Linn. 1t really seems
that Governor Cummins has had all
the benefit of his anti-railroad cry and
none of the disadvantages of railroad
opposition.
The fact is that the Iowa railroad
issue is no issue at all Mr. Cummins'
past history in connection with the
railroads units him to criticise, and
without any cause, too, whoever is ap-
posed to his seven year term, and to
call them dishonest and tools Of the
corporations.