Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-10-09
Manchester Press vs. Cummins.

In last weeks issue sof The Demo.
crat We reproduced from the Manches-
ter Press tRep.) J, an indictment Of Gov.
Cnmmins charging him with extrava-
gance In the expenditure Of the public
monies. The Charles City Intelli-
Rencer attempted to sustain plea of
mot guilty" for Cummins, and the
Press In Its issue of Jan. 10, 1906, re.
ferred to it Is follows; "The Charles
City lntelligencer sneers at the charg,
a of extravaganza made against the
state administration. The funny
thing Is that it sneers not at LATE
Young, 81 it supposed, but the exc Gu.
tive council, from whose reports the
figures are taken. The Intelltgencer
should take day off and Post up
The week following this, 1owit;
jany. Is, 1908, The Press accused
Cnmmips OF attempted bribery to
further his political ambition, and
designated 1t as 80 contemplate
piece Of political chieanery.n The
following is the editorial in fulli
"a political organization must be
ju q pretty precarious state when the
only thing that holds it together is
the personslity of ono man. Yet that
fs the condition OF the Cumnins ma
chine In Iowa. The field has been
energetically canvassed for some avail.
able man to succeed Mr.. Cummins as
governor, but not one has been found
who can develop more than mere
l6csl strength. What Cummins hoped
to do was vas to find some strong
oandidstelwho could be relied upon to
appoint him (Cummins) to the United
States senate should Allison or Dol
liver die. Overtures were made 1
George D. Perkins of Sioux City, tf
this effect. but the go-betweens foi
Mr.. Cummins ~4re told by Mr.. Perk.
,iDs that he is not specializing on the
death of either Iowa senators AID
that q man who would enter into suct
a bargain is not fit to be governor.
Then it WAS that the Oummins crowd
discovered that Mr.. Perkins would
DOT do" for governor, Then it wal
that they discovered for the first tins
that Mr.. Perkins IN ''under the inHg
ence of the corporations"
III. w. Blythe had sent . couple
OF henehmen to Mr.. Perkins with 1
proposition 70 sell out for the gov
Arnorsh1p, the Apsogresslve" press OF
the state would have maae the all
blue with imprecations and eEpres'
stons Of dismay at the vileness o,
politics in general and the wickedness
OF Mr.. Blythe In particular. But that
~ precisely what what Mr.. Cummins
the paragon of political virtue hal
done. He has sought to bribe-that.
the word-to bribe Mr. Perkins by Of
feriDg to support him for governor u
the latter would make hard ant
fast agreement with him as to Unitet
States dictatorship. We would like t.
ask the virtuops "pEogEessive" pres
swhat it thinks Of such business2 Her,
is . monumental display Of machine
politics, of bosslsm, which the Gum
mins organs have been .denounelDf
with SO much ytgor. What do the,
think of this piecs OF work on tn,
part Of their leader and bis trusted
lieutenants? And what do they pro
pose to do about it-swallow 1t b,
silence or excuse, or denouncs it as {
contemplate piece OF political chilean
cry worthy only of Boss Platt or Boss
Durham? Come now. What is sauce
for rhe goose is sauce fer the eander
IL II would be 8 sin for J. w. Blythe
whose political record is as pure anc
spotiess ~ the driven snow In com
garrison with 4. B. Cummins, to at
tempt to make such . deal as this
how can they excuse their h9nasome
heros We await the answer With in.
tefsst. y
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