Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-10-25
Davenport Liquor War Believed
to Have a Political Trap
Obscured
HOPED TO CATCH THE GOVERNOR
Effort to Draw German Support From
I cummins and in Favor of Allison
Davenport Riot Will Not Hasten En-
actment of State Marshal Law-The
Rate Hearing.
Special 10 Times-Repnb.ican.

Des Moines, Oct. 25.--ls there poll
tics back of the liquor troubles down
in Davenport and was it expected that
| Governor Cummns was to stick his
| head in political moose and allow
himself to be hung?
The above is a question that was
asked in Des Moines today by one
i who is as shrewd to detect political
| moves as anyone in lows While re-
fusing to vouch for the statement
| that there is politics back of 1t all
| this man went on to point out some
things that give grave cause for sus-
| picion.
] Back some years ago the German
interests were for Allison and have
| been for him strong" said this man
to-day. These same interests have
lately been for Governor Cummins
The troubles in Davenport may have
Ebeen started to estrange the German
element from Governor Cummins In
! the expectation that he would at once
dip into the Davenport situation and
| thus get into conflict with the citizens
There.
Il have been told that Captain G..
w. Neal drew $4,000 in fees as attor-
ney in these liquor cases in Davenport,
which is more money than he has
| drawn for long time in his law bus
| mess. Furthermore Neal has not the
reputation of being particularly active
/ In enforcement of the liquor laws III
Stuart, where he lived for many years.
| The first thing that Neal did when ne
came to Des Moiines was to give out
an interview to the Des Moines Capt.
| tai That paper went on at some
! length to tell how Neal had been
| abused and how it was such shame
| that Governor Cummins did not do
| something to protect the citizens of
the state.
| Il notice too, that the real temper
ance people Of Davenport are some
| how holding aloof from these prosecu-
| tons. The ministers met but would
| not have anything to do with 1t ana
| L find that the anti-saloon league Is
| not taking it up and has not been
back of the prosecutions. 1t looks to
/ me as though there were grave
! grounds for suspicion that there Is
politics back of it.
| Some of the newspapers of the
state and some of the citizens as well
have become confused as to the au-
| thority for the governor to take
| hand in the matter. AS matter OF
| fact there is not particle OF legal
| authority for governor Cummins or
any governor of Iowa to take hand
in the enforcement of the local law.
| He cannot remove county official for
| disobedience or failure to enforce the
law and has absolutely no authority
to enable him to force a local county
officer to do his duty and enforce the
law. Some of the newspapers and
some of the politicians as we'll have
made the statement that the governor
of Iowa has abundance of legal au-
thority to handle all such SITUATIONS
as that arising in Scott county. NO
one, however, has yet pointed out the
section in the code that gives MN
such authority and as a matter OF tact
| there is none.
| Governor Cummins has repeatedly
made statements In his public address,
es, once before the State Marshal clup
| and another time before the Antl-Sa-
loon League, in which he has said thai
| he had no authority to Interfere or
force a local officer to enforce the hq-
nor laws and he has said that he fav-
ored a law that would give him au-
4 thority to remove a county officer VINO
failed to do his duty.
Some years ago sheriff started
with a prisoner to Anamosa. The pris-
oner made the trip alright but at Ce-
dar Rapids he lost the sheriff. From
the penitentiary he telephoned back to
4 the police at Cedar Rapids to look up
the sheriff and they did so and found
the sheriff drunk. A search was made
/ to find authority to remove the sher-
! iff but none existed. The same ques-
| ton came up in regard to enforcing
/ the law when Charles City had neck
| tie party but no law could be found
on which the governor could do any
1 thing but offer reward for the cap
/ ture of the guilty persons and that
4 could be offered only on the applica-
ton Of the county attorney.
Just after the Davenport affair there
was a story given out by a standpatter
L
hasten the passage by the legislature
Of the State Marshal law. There was
no suspicion then but it is seen now
that this may have been with the fur
4 ther motive Of embarrassing Governor
| Cummins by the implication that he
wouldn't enforce the law.
Adjutant General Thrift will shortly
issue an order directing that each
company in the Iowa National Guard
be recruited at once to the full strength
of sixty men to company The
! guard, like the regular army, is found
to be somewhat falling behind in the
number Of men to the company. New
men are not rushing in to enlist and
the old men are dropping out. 1t Is
used by
GallImnf5