Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-12-30
State Politics Hopelessly Inter-
woven With Commission Elec-
tion in Des N[oines
ANTI-cuMMINs FACTIONS TRICK
Financial and Corporate Interests OPP
posed to Governor Laying Plans to
Elect Members of New Board-cam-
paisn Tactics Coming to Lisht-oth-
err State News.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Dec. 30.-The cam
paign in this city for the election OF
a mayor and four commissioners un-
der the new commission plan of gov
ernment is tiled up" almost hopeless
ly, with the factional politics of the
republican party of the state. The
connection is SO close and the faction
al lines are being forced in so determ-
inedly tha. it is a matter of vital in
terest to the party and the state at
large.
Of the republican party, ever protest
ing that it is for harmony" "har-
mony," harmony" crying it from the
street corners and the housetops, fig
,uratively, but more accurately from
the columns Of it's newspapers, slips
thru the back alleys to pull political
wires, so it is doing in this city. There
are loud protests that the commits
sion or five men must be non-faction-
al and non-political, but a coterie of
a half dozen politicians stand with
their axes ready to cut the head off
any man who is suggested for mayor
or commissioner who has ever been
known to be the least friendly to Gov
ernor A. B. Cummins.
To set at the root of the matter it
iS tn RI q little
history that has recently been en-
acted. A committee of fifteen of the
men who worked to get the commits
sion plan adopted in the first instance,
net recently to prepare a slate. There
WAS an effort made to get a slate that
the three newspapers would support.
1t was argued that if the three news
papers of Des Moines would support
the ticket it would be elected in spite
Of all opposition. Then the commit
tee came together Homer Miller of
the Des Moines Savings bank was
made the chairman of the committee.
A representative of each of the news
papers was there in attendance. Ho-
mer Miller was empowered to ap-
point a committee of five that should
suggest slate of five men for mayor
and commissioners. This slate must
have the endorsement of the three
newspapers.
To get little back of this, James
G. Berryhill is a heavy stockholder in
the Des Moines Savings bank. Berry
hill is responsible for Homer Miller
holding the position he does in the
bank. Berryhill is politically opposed
to Governor Cummins. He is Hull
man. The Des' Moines Savings bank
has been the depository bank for the
street railway, the gas company, the
electric light company, the water
works company and the Iowa Tele-
ter all the corporation influences Of the
city of Des Moines, and it has the
funds of all the public service cor
porations in the city of Des Moines,
that are of large size, except one, the
Mutual Telephone company. Along
with the determination on the part Of
Berryhill and Lafe Young to fight ev-
cry "Cummins man. suggested for
commissioner is the determination of
the public service corporations to kill
every man who is not friendly to the
corporations. One of the first men to
be killed off was ]. w. Hill, who was
suggested as candidate for mayor.
Hill was president of the Mutual Tel
ephone company, the rival of the Iowa,
and is heavy stockholder in the Mu-
tual. The Iowa Telephone company
is the trust" company that operates
nearly everywhere in the state. The
Mutual is a local company owned by
Des Moines capitalists. Hill was
killed off on behalf of the Iowa Tele-
phone company which wishes to run
the Mutual out of business. Ostens-
ibly at the meeting some one suggest
ed that Fill at some time or other in
the dim and distant past had said
something derogatory to the American
flag and the committee jumped at that
excuse for not running him for mayor.
AS matter of fact Hill was a can
didate for mayor at one time and this
alleged statement derogatory to the
American flag was never discovered
during that campaign.
Anothed good man suggested for the
position of commissioner is Ed. D.
Brigham, state labor commissioner.
Brigham is an honest and capable man
buthi!s name doesn't meet with 1aVof
by the slate makers. Several other
good Cu1nmins men have been suggest
ed, but their names would not meet
with favor They were all Cummins
men. a number of standpatters, men
of the Lafe Young type, have been
suggested. They have all met with ap-
proval.
On the committee of five named by
Homer Miller to name the slate are
five Cummins men: J. G. Olmsted,
/. NJ. Earle. B. S. Walker. John
Cownie, and George n. Van Evera. The
naming of five Cummins men who
should select the five candidates
for the slate looked as tho the thing
was to be fair to Cummins. 1t only
looked so. The five men who We're ap-
pointed to select the slate are all men