Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-08-09

ual rights of the citizen to cast his
| vote as he desires without interior
ence, 1T was strange that they over
looked this important piece of legisla-
ton enacted by the republican party
When under the domination of corpor-
ate control in it's efforts to disfranchise
the voter This law should be repeal
ed. and if two or more political parties
want to unite on one man let his name
go upon both tickets and let there be
counted for him one vote from every
individual that desires to vote for him.
1t may be said the voter can cross to
another column and vote for man up.
on the other ticket, but you know that
not one-half the voters will do this.
| This law is vicious and undemocratic
and should be repealed, and have not
much faith in the sincerity of the man
or party that will cry for a primary
law and refuse to repeal this.
Railroad Domination.
/ During the campaign just closed by
the Des Moines touchdown we have
heard a great deal about railroad dom.
nation of the republican party, and
that our legislature was dominated by
corporate influence. have lived in
Iowa about thirty years, part of
which time have taken considerable
interest in politics and political affairs.
The democratic party has always in
sisted that these accusations now
made by our republican friends were
true. The man who has observed can
easily see that in state and national
politics the man with the railroad pull
or corporate influence has been able in
this state to generally get the cher
ries from the top of the tree. Demo.
cracy has always battled against these
influences. and while acknowledging
that the railroads and all corporations
have rights that must and ought to
be protected, yet the railroad lobbyists
that infest our legislative halls are a
menace to just and wholesome legisla-
ton. We deplore the condition that
exists as described by our governor in
| his public utterances and as made in
his announcement as a candidate for
third term as governor. I believe that
the statements that he made are true,
and this at time when the republican
party was in control for number Of
years II these conditions prevail as
| claimed by the governor and his
| friends, and we believe they do to
some extent, then tell us who should
be held responsible for that condition?
This state of affairs is not of recent
origin. 1t has existed for years and
continued to exist while the governor
was in good standing with his party
and even before he was turned down
as candidate for United States sen
ator, and at time when he as can
didate for governor distributed free
passes to delegates to the state con-
vention who were friendly to his nom
| nation. The only wonder is that he
did not sooner discover these condi-
tions Strange that it only occurred
to him to make this campaign against
the corporations when 1t was the only
way he could secure a nomination for
a third term. Ii you want to cure the
evils of which the governor complains
you must go outside the republican
party to do it. If sincere in his efforts
he must occupy position that will
}defeat every candidate for the legisla-
ture, every candidate for congress, that
| is opposed to the views he advocates.
How can he accomplish these results
when he stands for the election of
Hull Lacey, Hepburn and other con-
gressional candidates in the state, who
are Numerically opposed to the re-
forms he advocates. If Governor Cum
minis desires to aid the people of this
state to get rid of the conditions that
now exist then there is but one course
for him to pursue, and that is to come
out publicly and announce that it is
the duty of all voters of the state, re-
CARELESS of political party to see that
every man who is candidate for the
Legislature and is identified with the
so-called railroad influence, be defeat
ed at the polls, even though it be a
democrat, and if he desires to carry
out his views as publicly expressed by
him on the tariff he should aid in the
defeat of nearly all, If not all, of the
republican candidates for congress in
the stateI If on the other hand he
does not do this, then we may be justi
fed in concluding that he has only
used these things for advertising pur.
poses, and does not propose to delBer
the goods shown by his hand bills
1t is peculiar co-incident that some
of our republican friends have given
the best days of their lives in helping
defeat the things which they now SO
tvehemently advocate and not until the
people under democratic teachings
have arisen almost in a mass and de.
manded such reform. And they do this
in a manner that would indicate that
they think they have discovered some
thing new, when in fact they are the
very principles that they have been
fighting against for the last twenty five
lears. and for which democracy has
been heroically battling, against an in
trenched office-holding political ma
chine which is almost impregnable.
In all the messages delivered
by the lowly Nazarene, He no
where held out any promise of saliva
ton to any sinner until he first repent
ed and confessed his sins. l want to
say to some of our republican friends
in Iowa, until you have come out in the
clear and repented and been re-baptiz
ed by the spirit Of true democracy and
forsaken the old and put on the new,
you cannot expect the support of the
f1an1ooraay IF Iowa