Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-02-20
PASS BETWEEN the TELLERs.

Frederick Lawrence Knowles.
PASS BETWEEN THE TELLERS.
Governor Cummins in his letter to
Iowa republicans yesterday gave his
reasons for his candidacy for a third
term as governor Reviewing the
struggle against corporate control of
politics that has been waged here in
Iowa for the past four years and else
where, the governor. as the accredited
propose to resign in the face of the en-
envy, when the crisis Of the battle is at
hand. Urged by the friends of popular
government he will stand for the office
again, not to satisfy any greed for per-
sonal honor, but with the ambition to
assist in keeping for the people what
has already been won in Iowa, and Of
winning more. The movement to COM
pei corporations to be upright, square
and decent" is not to be denied his
services when they are demanded
The governors picture of the situa-
&ion is fidelity itself when he says:
The corporations have concluded,
FIRST, that they will defeat every reg
ulation that can be defeated; second,
that IL they must be regulated they
will be regulated by their friends; and
their campaign is to secure control OF
the legislative and executive power.
Closely bound together, not only In
sympathy but in interest, are corpora
lions which represent more than one
fourth of the aggregate wealth OF the
nation; they move with absolute
unanimity; they have an organization
as perfect as money and skill can make
it; they have innumerable avenues
of approach to the selfishness of man
kind; they know how to fight and they
are willing to fight; they have fought,
and fought successfully; they are
fighting now in this state a desperate
battle to regain their power and pres
tige: and the question that concerns
you more deeply than any other is,
will they win?
Mr.. Cummins' candidacy is pledge
that they shall not win, If the progress
i've wing of the republican party in
Iowa can prevent it.
Cummins' letter will be the signal
for the corporation claque to break out
in personal revilings of the speaker.
We shall hear more of Governor Cum
Minis personal ambitions" "egotism,"
etc, etc., ad nauseum. Coming on the
heels of Shaw's absurd denial of active
railroad influence at Des Moines it joins
fairly the issues of government by the
people or by the corporations. That
is the question before Iowa. Shall we
return to that simplicity of state poll
tics when Hubbard and Blythe sat at
Cedar Rapids and Burlington while
prospective candidates for state office
cooled their heels in the ante-rooms
and when the two railroad bosses re-
ferred to above were granted the right
of peremptory challenge against the
first two men the governor of Iowa
should suggest as his appointee from
Iowa to the United States senate? Or
shall we keep the more complicated
and uncertain process of actually Sc
lecting and electing by popular vote
state administrations to serve those
who elect them? That is the interro-
CATION point Of the Cummins' candi-
dacy. That is THE question before
iowa.
1t is useless to deny the premises.
Everyone who knows anything about
Cummins has stated the case correctly.
When Secretary Shaw denies the activ-
ity and influence of railroad corpora
tions, every man in public life knows
the utter falsity of his assertions.
Every city administration knows where
the local railroad attorney may
where his political influence will
be exerted even in a word
caucus. Carroll Wright was an active
influence when he proposed that Cum
minis stultify himself to satisfy the
claims Of Wright and the Rock Island
for support in the gubernatorial cam
paign of five years ago. Hubbard was
an active influence when he gave his
yelled order to Shaw for Shercliffe's
parole, because congressman who
had voted for the million dollar steal"
needed votes in Nebraska. He was an
active influence when he became in
terested in L. NJ. Shaw of Denison,"
that time when SHAW stock rose rap
idly ten days before the convention"
This was at the time as Mr.. Per-
kins informs us when some jealousy had