Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-01-02
RAILROADS 1O QU|I
POLITICS. HAVE 1O
Several Good Reasons Why Cor
porations Will Not Partici-
pate in Iowa Campaigns
PETERSON LAW RESPONSIBLE
That Drastic Measure and Primary
Election Law Put Corporations Out
Of the Political Game Anti-Pass
and Candidates Expense Laws Are
Rails in the Bars.

| Rails in the Bars.
Special to Tines Republican.
Des Moines, Jan. 2.-The real reas-
on for the railroads announcing that
| they will not take any part In the
campaign now opening in Iowa is not
alone the primary election law hut
1 first and primarily the Peterson law.
! Recently it was announced from stand
pat sources that the railroads would
keep their hands off Iowa politics this
year because of section 80 Of the pri-
| mary election law which relates to the
| use of money in the primary election.
| AS matter Of fact there Is a gal
axy of laws enacted by the last leg
| islature that are intended to make it
any hand in politics and If these laws
| fail 1t will be because the legislators
were unable to draft them strong
/ enough Here they are: Peterson law
absolutely prohibiting corporations OF
any kind contributing money to any
i campaign or for anyone's candidacy
| Primary election law providing for
| selecting candidates by vote OF the
| people instead of by the caucus and
| convention system that was more cas-
| lily worked hy political wires.
| Anti-pass law prohibiting railroads
using passes for political work.
| Candidates expense law requiring
| candidates to file statements of all
money received and expended either
| by the candidate or by anyone In his
interests.
| The Peterson law prohibiting cor
poratfons contributing money for po-
litical purposes is probably the most
!, drastic. of any of the laws in the line
| of eliminating the corporations. For
years the railroads in particular, but
generally other corporations and cor
poration influences as well, have been
at work actively in every campaign
/ that has geen held in Iowa maneuver-
ing, trading, compromising and pulling
all sorts of political wires to keep
control Of all the state offices. At
the last session of THE legislature the
progressives were in control and they
promptly put on the statute books
the four laws mentioned above.
Recently a meeting of the railroad
representatives with some of the rail-
road politicians was called in Chi
cago. There the matter was taken up
as to what the railroads would 40 IN
\ the coming campaign. Starelng thenl
| in the face were these four laws. Iae
best railroad attorneys In the coun-
try looked thru these laws but could
find no loophole aid it was given out
from standpat sources first from tnls
city that at the meeting In Chlcago
the railroads had decided to stay out
| of the campaign.
| AS significant as this announcement
is it seems to have attracted not
! great deal of attention in Iowa, possl-
bly because the people are unable 10
persuade themselves that after all
! these years they have finally forced
| the corporations out of politics. But
the law that has most to do with 1T is
known as the Peterson law and it's
main provisions are as follows:
| "Section 1t shall be unlawful for
any corporation doing business within
the state or any officer, agent or rep
resentative thereof acting for such
corporation, to give or contribute any
money, property, labor or thing OF
value, directly or indirectly. to any
member of any political committee, po-
litical party, or employe or representa-
tive thereof, or to any candidate FOR
any public office or candidate for NOM
ination to any public office, or to the
representative if such candidate, for
| campaign expenses or for any politl-
! cal purpose whatsoever, or to any per-
son, partnership, or corporation for the
purpose of influencing or causing
such person, partnership or corporation
| to influence any elector of the state
to vote for or against any candidate
for public office or for nomination for
public office or to any public officer
for the purpose of influencing his Of
fetal action, but nothing in this act
shall be construed to restrain or
abridge the liberty of the press or pro-
hibit the consideration and discussion
therein of candidaciesm, nominations,
public officers or political questlons.
"Section 2.-It shall be unlawful for
any member of any political commits
tee, political party or employe or rep
resentative thereof or candidate Tor
j any office or representative of such
| candidate to solicit, request, or know
ingly receive from any corporation or
any officer, agent. or representative
thereof, any money. property. or thing
of value belonging to such corporation,
| for campaign expenses or for any po-
litical purpose whatsoever"
| The other provisions of the law re-
late to the penalty and make a VIOLA
! ton an indictable offense.
There will be so many new laws
| to be tried for the first time in the
campaign that is now opening in this
state that politicians are having to
keep themselves busy st dying up on
what they can and canncS do. Because
] of these lav-9-4sa ca,c.sai ~ i. to p we
ti. rieh.,, oy received q perman, lnJu
nj hand