Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-05-14
Farmers on the Reservation
Taught to Fear the Primary
as an Evil Thing
THEY WILL REFUSE TO VOTE
Prosressivss Strong in the Cities -
Vote in Northern Section Of State on
June 2 Will Be Up to Average =
Allison Committee Seeking to In
fluenee G. A. r.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. May 14.-Standpat
chickens are coming home to roost. In
the reservation over which Blythe and,
his newspapers rule the standpat press
has for some three years been engaged
in belittling the primary election law.
It has been criticized and the progress
sives have been criticized for passing
it. The farmers in the reservation
primary is horrible thing and now as
primary election day approaches they
are disposed not to have anything to
do with it. 1t is the result Of the edu-
cation that has been given them thru
the standpat newspapers which for
years have been about the only kind
of newspapers printed in the southern
part Of the state.
The farmers in the southern section,
the reservation, are generally stand
patters. Those that are not disposed
to stay away from the primary De-
cause it is "a horrible thing" are not
alive to the issues of the day, have
never seen primary, have not been
educated to attend caucuses because IN
THAT section only four or five are need
ed to select the delegates to the coun-
ty conventions at a caucus and hence
they are not going to vote. The matter
is one Of some desperate concern to the
Allison people, tho Adams, the mana
ger Of the Adams campaign mas
claimed he will elect Allison by pro-
gressive votes.
A progressive who one time repre-
sented a reservation county for one
term in the legislature visited Ees
Moines today and gave a graffic de-
scription OF the conditions down there.
In the cities the progressives have
nearly always carried things. The con-
ditions are very favorable for the pro-
gressive ticket in the reservation. A
politician closely informed on the sit
uation has given it out that several
standpat stronghold counties will go
for Cummins this year.
| In the northern part of the state
where the people have been educated
| to the issues of the day, where the
| Corn Belt Meat Producers Associa-
tion and other such institutions have
| stirred the farmers up and kept them
alive to the issues Of the day and the
i Importance of the primary there will
be a good vote from the farmers on
primary election day. The farmers
+. there will not hesitate to drop their
work long enough to go and vote and
l 60 ho0onaa
/ there is lull always after corn plant
/ ing With favorable conditions on
June many politicians believe that
| the republican vote on primary day
will be nearly If not quite as large as
the republican vote of two years ago
!, in November when the largest republi-
! can vote was about 235,000. 1t Is be-
lieved in any event 1t will not be be-
low 100000.
i Much amusement and some political
!! indignation is being expressed in this
/ city among old soldiers because OF an
attempt on the part Of the Allison
/ management at Dubuque to use the g.
! A. r. organization of the state for po-
i litical purposes Letters have been
sent out by Adams to the G. A. R. posts
| on the Allison headquarters stationery.
i
The letters are as follows:
1--WE mail you today number OF
COPIES of an article on Senator Alli-
son and the union soldier which we
have no doubt will interest the MEM
bers of your post and civil war vet
erans generally We hope you are In
terested in Senator Allison's success
at the primary June 2 and will assist
to the extent of placing the article IN
the hands of every veteran within your
reach" The letters are sent to post
officials and are signed by John 1.
| Adams.
This is the first time in the history
of the state that an attempt has been
made to drag the G. A. r. organization
into politics The circulars sent out
with the letters claim for Senator Al
lison the credit for getting the In
scriptions on the Shiloh monument
changed so as to give credit to the
Iowa soldiers who were engaged In the
conflict a matter in which Governor
Cummins spent great deal OF time
and on which Allison did next to moth
| ing