Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-06-01
Campaign For New Form OF
Government Breaking Up
Political Associations
CONGRESSMAN HULL IN DANGER
His Machine May Go to Pieces as Re-
& suit of Warm campaisn-Forced In
to an Uncomfortable Position--city,
State and Federal Crowd Fighting
Commission PIan-contest Fierce.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
! Des Momes, June Few persons
outside of Des Moines can appreciate
how the fight over the Des Moines
scheme of revolutionizing city govern
ment is causing a breaking up of the
| old lines politically The far-reaching
consequences Of this fight cannot very
well be estimated as, yet. That 1T will
hnave its effect in the future cannot be
doubted
There is great deal of anxiety as
Ito the effect that will be had on the
congressional politics. 1t is an open
secret that Congressman Hull is op-
[ posed to the plan. In this he is a rank
standpatter. He does not believe In
ripping up the laws. He wants to let
well enough alone. And there never
was proposal which went quite so
ffar in the matter of ripping UP old
laws and effecting revolution as this.
! And so it has come to be known that,
pursuing policies consistent with his
past career, Capt. Hull Is opposed to
the new plan and in favor of the pres-
hent system and the present city govs
ernment.
s. The congressman could not very well
be otherwise. The present city gov
ernment, which is now somewhat un-
der fire, is the product of the Hull ma
/ chime The present mayor, George
/ Mattern, most estimable man, was
lsheriff of the county and always a
strong Hull hacker. In the fierce fight
of five years ago Mattern was chosen
by Hull to be his campaign manager,
and it was largely thru the handling
| Of affairs by Mattern that Judge
Prouty was counted out. And the
whole city government is made up Of
men who got their places largely be-
cause they were identified with the
Hull movement.
Then there has long been a very
close association between the city Off
cials and the federal crowd. In the
federal offices there are strong Hull
men all the way round and generally
they have been men bearing more or
less close relationship to city politics.
fhe federal and city crowds have come
TO look upon their cause as common.
But it is not forgot also that in the
first Hull Prouty fight it was the busi-
ness men Of Des Moines who gave
standing to the Hull campaign. The
business men of the city came out and
demanded the denomination of Hull
solely for business reasons. They made
their influence felt The fact that in
the end 1T became necessary for Hull
to pull thru bn star chamber count
OF the vote of Valley Junction, does not
change the fact that the business men
OF the city stood loyalty by him at a
time when he needed their help
NOW 1T SO happens that these busi-
ness men who backed up Hull in his
hottest fight of his life are the yerv
men who are back Of the commission
plan Of city government. They saw
they helped Hull once and that Hull
ought to help them now. They feel
that this is a more important matter
than congressional nomination. They
| are terribly in earnest in their position.
But they note with sadness that Can't.
Hull after consultation with his local
managers hastened away to remain un.
til after the fight is over, and that
practically. all of his chief lieutenants
here, holding city, state and federal po-
sitions, are engaged in fighting the
commission plan.
/ The result is that the old Hull fol-
| lowing is being rent asunder. Wheth-
er he can come back and patch UP
the troubles remains to be seen; but it
is certain that reliance which he has
placed on the respectable business In
terests will not do for him again
There is also a great deal of dissat-
| isfaction over the appointment 8of the
present postmaster, who is strictly a
cheap politician and not a representa-
| tive business man, and the turning
down Of others more nearly represent
tative of the business interests Of the
CITY, But this is a small matter COM
pared to the i'll feeling aroused by the
fight Hull is making thru his lieuten-
ants on the commission plan.
It is not at all certain there will be
any local candidate for the congress
sional nomination. There has been
talk of two. N. E. Coffin, a brilliant
lawyer who served term in the leg
islature and who would make an ag-
sidered; and Senator c. c. Dowell also
a lawyer with such legislative exper-
fence as would assure him a good
place at Washington, has been regard
ed as possible candidate. 1t is prob
able that one Of these will be in the
race And In that case the old lines
would be wiped out and new ones
formed, and it is a good deal of a
question what would be the fate of the
present congressman.
The fight over the new plan is
really becoming fierce. 1t is not a
one sided affair by any means and it
cannot fairly be said that all the pa
triots are on one side and all the mer-
cenaries and hangers on on the other.
When the fight is over there will be
some scars visible.
The report Of the Burlington railroad