Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1906-04-18
TO DEFEAT DOLLIvER.

| oihphSsb tllt DluA-
ayers at Des Moines and the partisan
members of the Cummins machine in
the alleged "solid" Cummins coun-
ties OF the state, to accomplish the
defeat of Senator Dolliver before the
next Legislature, says the Fort Dodge
Messenger.
Within the past IS months Gov.
Cummins has served notice upon Sem
ator Dolliver that he, the Governor,
was under no obligation to keep out,
OF the fight to capture Delivers seat
in the US. Senate for himself. The
only deviation from that announced
program was the Governors public
Endorsement of the Senator at the Fort
Dodge meeting Feb. 21.
The claim is made in the press, and
by many of Senator Delivers friends
that this indorsment was given for
tactical purposes, to blind the public
as to the real object in the minds
of the Cummins management and to
promote the success of the Governor
candidacy for third term in the
gubernatorial Office.
The Messenger would not willingly
misrepresent any phase of the political
contest now going ON in Iowa, or i'm
pugn the motives of any of the parties
thereto but here is some evidence to
substantiate some of the claims made
by the state press, or at least enough
evidence to cause the friends of Sena-
tor Dolliver to try to guard his
interest.
Governor Cummins' feelings with
regard TO trying TO capture Senator
Delivers seat in the Senate have not
been concealed. Again it is an unfor-
tunate coincidence that at the very
time Governor Cummins was handing
out verbal bouquets" TO Senator Dol
liver at Fort Dodge the Governor
chosen candidate for state senator.
residing at Webster City, according
to the public press, was holding
schoolhouse meetings in Hamilton
county denouncing Dolliver and de-
claring himself in favor of Governor
Cummins for u. S. Senator.
Moreover when the Hamilton Coun-
ty convention was about TO be held,
early in March, the friends of Senator
DOlliver at Des Moines telephoned
the Cummins' managers in Webster
City asking that a resolution be pre-
scented to the Hamilton convention
for the Legislature to support Senator
DOaiiver for reelection to the u. S.
Senate. To this request reply was
made that the Hamilton County man.
agers of the Cumnains campaign could
not present such a resolution without
The sanction and consent of the Cum
minis Headquarters in Des Moines.
What the Cnnnnins7 managers al
Des Moines really said to this propo-
sitiOn is not known. 1t is known that
no resolution, as requested, was passed
by the Hamilton county Cumn,ins
convention.
All these things, while they may
not constitute conclusive evidence o1
a we'll defned plan TO defeat Dolli.
yer" in certain sense warrant the
criticisms that are being made in the
state press impugning the motives OF
the Cunmins campaign management.
If these criticisms of the state pre- \
are at all well founded, of course tia,
Question IN Webster county becomes
Shall the Republicans and friends O
Senator Dolliver here enter upon any
plan having as an ulterior object Ih,
defeat Of Senator Dolliver.
1t is time the real situation il
understood by the people of Webstel
county
Most of the "Cummins Cur bust
newspapers of the state last weel
sprung a Cunnmins supplement, print
ed and sent out from the Cunmin
press bureau, in charge Of priwat,
secretary John Briar, whose salary il
paid by Iowa taxpayers, who puts il
his time whiting articles for Crnmin
i papers and looking after the duties o
4 Governor of Iowa while the nom ina
il governor is tearing over the stan,
crying the downfall of the govern
ment, etc. These supplements are paid
| for out of the Cunumins campaign
barrel, the chief contributor TO which
is Millionaire Hubbell president OF
tise Equitable Life Insurance corpora
tion. Among the many misleading
statements Of the supplement- is tina,
railway assessments have been raised
23 per cent during Cnmmins' admins
tration, but craftily omits to mention
that he has increased farm assessments
So per cent, or nearly twice as much.
No, he's the friend of the farmer. -
There are many other misrepresenta-
tions, but the above is enough to
show that the whole thing should be
read "with pinch of salt. if read
at all.
4 T.. - r. \ q.