Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-15
anything IO bEAI
GOVERNOR CDNN|NS
Same Crowd Which Plotted His
Downfall Four Years Ago
Is Still Plotting
PLAN OF THE OPPOSITION
Arguments Being Used by the Stand
patters Are the Same, But They
,tave the Good Record of cummins'
Administration for Four Years to
Contend Against.
[By Ora williams.J
} Times Republican

iBy Ora Williams.J
Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Jan. 15.--Four years ago
today Albert b. Cummins was inaugu-
rated Governor of Iowa. That he has
been governor in fact and not as proxy
for anybody else for these four years
is hardly disputed by anyone. That he
has administered his office we'll is not
the state. That he has been honest
and economical in the administration
of the state affairs is not questioned
by any honest person of the state.
At this time the lobbies of the hotels
Of Des Moines, where much politics
abound, are filled with rumors of plot
ting as to his successor The chief
coEcern of large element of those who
frequent the lobbies is to have as a
successor to the present governor
someone who will reverse the policies
which he has followed. 1t is the same
crowd which plotted to prevent the
nomination of Cummins four years and
a half ago and the same means are be-
ing used.
The line of argument being made use
of, as far as can be ascertained, is
something like this:
L The governor should be a man who
represents the party,
Governor Cummins is not republic
can,
The republican party consists of all
those who differ from Gov. Cummins,
hence the chief purpose of all republic
cans should be to join those who de-
sire to reserve the policies of the state
administration the past four years.
Plan of the Opposition.
AS indicated in these dispatches be-
fore, the plan of the small but COM
pact organization which was formed
here last week to dispose of political
matters is to prepare for the inevi-
table fight of next summer by demon
strating, If that is possible, that the leg
islature as whole is antagonistic to the
administration and is ready to reverse
the policies which it has sanctioned in
the past This week the preliminary
skirmish comes on state printer and
binder. There are elements entering
into this which make it more available
for disclosing factional lines than any
other fight Then follows the fight on
the primary law and others
Rathbun's Candidacy.
The announcement of the candidacy
Of Capt. Rathbun for governor caused
little surprise 1t is said that only by
having local candidate would it be
at all certain Linn county could be
kept in the standpat column. 1t would
do no harm the bosses say, to permit
Rathbun to come to a state convention
with two or three counties at his dis
posal, for then the delegates could be
used But the situation remains just
as last week with the ultimate object
of the Blythe lobby unchanged as to
the candidate for governor.
The bold utterances Of ex-senator
Harper in the pulpit in Burlington
where he declared fearlessly that the
newspaper expressions in that city do
not represent the views of the people
but on the contrary they are for the
primary law, caused some persons to
sit up and rub their eyes. The idea of
anyone in Burlington having the bold
ness to talk truthfully about the stu
Tho Blythe Lobby.
The Blythe lobby hopes to accom-
plish a great deal by strategy. Here is
a part Of the program on this line. 1t
is known, of course, that HI. w Byers,
W. L. Eaton and Senator Hayward are
all men Of broad minds and wide ac-
quaintance, who fairly represent the
party, and they have quite as warm
friends among the supporters OF the
state administration as among the
Blythe crowd. 1t is said Hayward has
been approached with proposition
that If he will induce Governor Cum
minis to accept the Blythe candidate
for governor the way will be cleared
for his nomination without contest
The same overtures are to be maze
Byers and Eaton. In short, the plan is
to iorce the Eummins people to yield
the governorship under a threat that
unless they do SO the whole slate VIII
be carried off. The Blythe people rely
on the influence of men like Hayward,
Byers and Eaton to bring about the
desired result 1t is known that Gov
ernor Cummins does not desire to re-
main in the office of governor. Ine
Blythe people would be willing to yield
almost everything else If they could get
the governor; but above all else they
hope to get Cummins to show an ap-
parent weakening before the people and
to agree to a compromise as he did once
before and then to go before the peo-
pie and claim that he had been beaten
to a finish.
Perkins and the Eleventh.
A close friend of Blythe declared
Saturday that they are confident they
can carry every county Of the Eleventh
district for Perkins. In the conferences
held last week with Blythe 1T was at
first conceded that at least two counties
OF the district might not be carried by
Perkins, and later a senator from that
district told the conference plainly ana
bluntly that it would be better to con-
cede that four counties would not dall