Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-11-05
USING THE PREACHERS.

L
Cummins has attracted much notice of
late, came to Marshalltown yesterday
by his own request and upon his own
invitation to pursue the work OF his
master. which consists mostly in IN
ducing ministers to pass resolutions
condemnatory Of Governor Cummlns IN
| connection with the enforcement of the
LIQUOR laws in Davenport and other
Iowa points where the open town SEN
| timent and element are dominant. he
came and saw and failed to find re-
| ceptive minds. The ministerial asso-
citation of this city sat down on MN
| in the quiet. christian and gentlemanly
| fashion characteristic OF this particu-
liar ministerial association. Entirely in
sympathy with the movement to re-
strict and destroy the liquor traffic as
they are and foremost i'm every honest
effort for the betterment of the COM
munity, the sensible ministers OF Mar
shalltown looked behind Crafts and
| his emissary and asked for time In
which to delay. To bo caught by
politicians trap was not to be their de-
liberate choice. Mr.. Smith failed to
deliver the goods to those who are
still waiting for him to bring back a
minister's attack upon Cummins from
MarshalltoWn. The expense account
for railroad fare and the telephone
message whereby he begged leave to
appear, must be charged off to the
profit and loss account of his employ
| ers.
| What is the motive Of this peculiar
mingling of piety and politics which
appears in the work Of Messrs. Craft,
Smith and those who are back In the
busheso Some time ago with the
unanimity that is as easily understood
as a signed editorial. certain newspa-
pers controlled by the antf-Cummins
interests began to throw commissions
over the situation in Davenport and
call on the governor to become pros
ecutor Of midnight saloons. This har-
monious call came from newspapers.
some of which are published in cities
where the criminal laws of the state
are and have been openly detied. The
Sioux City Journal was the fugleman
forgetting Haddock. and ignoring the
open law violation which is normal
condition of Sioux City. The har-
mony of voices broke out soon after
Cummins' announcement of sena-
toriaI candidacy and redoubed imme-
diately after Allison's announced de-
termination to abide the results Of the
primary.
Then the Craft bureau got busy. 1t
went seeking resolutions. 1t went into
cities where the Cummins strength
was greatest 1t went to Waterloo
where Cummins' vote overwhelmed
Richards and Al Boehmler and the
corporation politicians last fall and
controlled the county convention. 1t
had aid and allotment naturally and
the ministers of Waterloo without
questioning the motives OF their In
formants. were "conned' into set Of
resolutions that they would be
ashamed Of on investigation. It went
to Des Moines and the ministers who
S,,t1 1tS1
that they had better taken time to
Investigate. 1t came to MarshalltoWn
where Cummins has a large following
and newspaper support. 1t failed here
because the ministry refused to be
led into trap by the private secre-
tary of a special emissary whose ac-
lions speak loudly Of the powers that
be behind him 1t would be interest
ing if all that is behind and involved
in the special effort of Mr.. Crafts
could be uncovered and made clear.
Men who have been trained in the
.political fight until they can detect the
line Of attack from afar, until they
know the men of widely distant locali-
ties who always work in harmony with
| the men Of other localities, can see the
political game in this Crafts propa-
ganda as plainly as tho Mr.. Blythe's
check for expense money were in evil
dence The newspapers that have been
fighting Cummins simply to down
Cummins began it. They spoke in such
unison as to show concert Of action.
The use of the ministry for club
was attempted by them in former
campaign. The entrance Of Crafts into
Cummins' strongholds for his resolu-
lions and the Identical use made Of
this fact by those same newspapers.
tell the whole story to men who can
sometimes see as they run.
Why should the ministers of Iowa be
tricked into an assault upon Governor
Cummins? Personally he represents
the type of citizenship that the minis
try and the religion it teaches are
working to. AS executive his admin
istration has been clean, honest and
for the state instead of for special in
dividuals or special interests. There
has been no Merriam scandal in the
state house, no Dobson scandal on the
pay roll. His bitterest enemy has new