Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-02-17
and other courtesies. AS one candi-
date expressed 1t, This included only
what the law required me to report
LIE. -

and other courtesies. AS one candi-
date expressed 1t, This included only
what the law required me to report
Nomination Would Cost 100000.
Il believe no ordinary citizen, I'M
der such law could secure the NOM
1nation for state Office in Iowa for
less than 100000, unless he had back
of him three or four of the railroads
OF the state. Such law would make
possible railroad control-what we
have never yet experienced do not
say that the railroads would seek to
control the state under such law.
only say they could control the state
liz they could agree among themselves.
There are few possible candidates
for any state office in Iowa who are
known to 5 per cent of the people of
the state.
After I had been here about eight
cen months l received a letter from
the cashier of a national bank address,
ed to me at Des Moines as The Hon.
Leslie M.Shaw, governor Of Iowa, com
planning that had failed to send no.
tarial commission in response to a pre-
vious request. If the writer had heard
he had forgotten that my successor
had been in Office nearly two years,
or that I was at the head Of the de-
partment which had jurisdiction over
the bank of which he was cashier.
about year ago received a let
ter from citizen of Iowa, which read:
| The Hon. John M. Shaw, secretary of
state: Please send me copy of the
agricultural report
II do not believe one-half the citi-
Zens of Iowa would be able to recall
that the state ever had governor by
1 the name of Shaw. / was talking the
other day with an Al erican born wo-
man Of culture and refinement, who
speaks fluently two languages and who
I has frequently been the house guest
at Washington of foreign ambassa-
dor, who seriously asked the name of
the president who preceded President
Roosevelt
Hearst Second Only to Bryan.
III we were to have national pri-
mary law and the vote were to be
taken today have no doubt that Will
liam u. Hearst would receive twice as
many votes as any other man save
William Jennings Bryan. The conser-
vative vote would be divided and SUBJ
divided we'll nigh indefinitely. A
democracy upon a large scale, as dis
tinguished from republic, is an i'm
possibility. When was boy we had
town meetings and they were success
full. Every voter of the town (about
1901 knew every man, his character
and his habits.
| "a town meeting in New York City
would not be success. republic is
constructed upon the theory of repre-
sentation. We do not legislate at the
polls and we cannot safely nominate at
the polls. We can however, safely
elect delegates at the polls, who shall
in turn select delegates at the conven-
/ ton to represent them in state and
interstate conventions, and to legislate
for them in state and legislative bodies,
and in that way the people are all
heard and in each instance the individ-
ual acts advisedly. In order to get 10
per cent of the votes of Iowa 1t would
be necessary to have agents in every
county Of the state. The railroads
could maintain such an organization;
private citizens could not afford to
build one.
I'm some states am told the name
at the head of lists of candidates has
never failed to receive a plurality vote.
This is natural. Not one per cent of
the voters know the candidates person
ally and they vote as conveniently as
possible. If the primary law Is intend
ed to carry the government back to
the people and away from organization
then 1t ought to forbid candidates. If
the people untrammeled are to select
their officers then office seeking should
be forbidden. Give the people a
| chance.
How Larrabee Was Nominated.
"The first state convention I ever at
| tended nominated William Larrabee
for governor. went as chairman of
our delegation and took the boys
around from one headquarters to an
other None of our delegates had ever
met any of the candidates and l do
~ j. IS