Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-07-25
SUPPORT
NAY Be DIVIDED
Some standpat Leaders Are
Looking With Disfavor On
His Candidacy
HIS PERSONAL FRIENDS INSIST
Trouble Scented at the First Talk Of
Eliminating Him From Race-con.
troversy Over the Teachers Exam
nation--Weaver Interview Causes
Politicians to Read Up on Primary.

Special 10 Times Republican.
Des Moines, July 25.-Col. j. D. Pal
mer is being pressed by his friends
to, be candidate for governor of Iowa.
He has many old soldier friends and
others who are insistent tnat he enter
the race. 1t has developed here lately
that some of the leaders among the
standpatters were not taking favorably
to Colonel Palmer Some of them say
wants except governor, but are frank
to say that they cannot nominate him
for governor, and therefore are OPP
posed to his being candidate.
But Colonel Palmer's own personal
friends do not see things that way, and
are not willing that his candidacy shall
be SO easily dismissed by the leaders.
1t will be remembered by those who
have been in the political game for
some time that Colonel Palmer was
all but in the race six years ago as a
candidate for governor, when Cover
nor Cummins ran for the first. time.
1t has been the coloners ambition to be
governor. and the old soldiers who have
heard him sing and give addresses at
the camp fires in every county of the
state, have been expecting sooner or
later to elect him governor.
Colonel Palmer was eliminated from
the race six years ago by the stand
patters, who thought they would he
able to united either on Hartman or
Trewin. In order to defeat Governor
Cumnins, the fight being then, as it
has ever BEEN of Cummins against the
field. George D. Perkins was in the
race that year, too, but he was gently
dropped by failing to get his own coun-
" and congressional district. The
compromise year of 1904 prevented the
colonel from entering the race then,
and last year he was mentioned in the
early campaign, just as he has this
year with favor, and he would have
been a candidate but for the fact that
the standpatters again eliminated him
in the interests of uniting on one can
didate, George D. Perkins.
Having thus been twice eliminated
by the decree Of the leaders Of the
standpatters, Colonel Palmer's friends
gestion of his elimination this year.
They are getting ready to insist that
the thing shall not be repeated the
third time. 1t is not improbable,
therefore. that if the leaders insist on
Lacey being candidate for governor,
or should unite on some other candi-
date, Colonel Palmer may be a cam
didate also
Attorney Genepal Byers has given it
as his opinion that because the teach
ers' examinations in one-third the
counties Of the state are a day late
the examinations will not be illegal.
The law is directory rather than man
datory. 1t directs that the examina-
tions shall be held in each county of
the state on certain dates. According
to that the examinations should have
been held yesterday and today, but one
of the express companies that was
given about one third of the packages
of examination questions, left them in
the express office from last Saturday
till Tuesday afternoon. Then it was
too late to get them to most of the
counties, consequently the exanina-
tions were late. The long distance
phones started to working early and
all wanted the state superintendent $
office to ascertain what was the mat
ter. That was the first intimat tic I
that the office had that the questions
had not gone out on time. But the
attorney general holds that the exam
nations will still be legal.
The fact that the superintendent OF
the Des Moines schools has given out
an interview in which he maintains
that the state examinations are not
more difficult than they should be, and
that unless the teachers get busy and
pass the examinations city special
examining board will be created that
will not make the questions any cas-
ier. throws a new element into the fight
against the new uniform certificate
law. 1t is the claim Of educat tors,
that under the old arrangements in
some few counties favorites were all
lowed to get certificates when they
were not entitled to them. but these
were not numerous. and that the ques-
tions used under the old system were
furnished just as the new ones are
from the state superintendent's office,
and that the questions now are no
more difficult than they were before.
AS educators see if the difference
lies in this, that formerly the percent
age of failures was never known be-
cause the examinations We're determ-
ined in the ninety-nine counties by the
ninety nine county superintendants.
Now the examinations are finally
passed in Des Moines and the exact
is known and from being
given to the press is common cities
given to the press is common knoWl-
edge. and the public thinks 1t is worse
than it really is. If other cities OF
the state make public the determine
ton announced in Des Moines, the
complaints Of the school teachers that