Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-04-01
NOT A GANG VICTORY
Recent Election in Des Moines
Nisconstrued by Local
Newspapers
NOT OPPOSED TO "PLAN"
Three OF Commissioners Chosen Not
Antaeonistic to New Form of City
Government = Only Candidate ldon-
titled With City Hall Crowd is
Mathis, for Mayor.
Special to Times Republican.

Des MONIES, April LIN spite of all
the results of the city election in l)es
MONIES. the first under the commission
plan, held Monday, cannot be construed
as a victory for the old city hall poll
ticians." as some would have the pub
He believe one statement has been
made that the old city hall politicians
and their organization and followers
exercised tremendous influence. They
were opposed to the Des Moines plan.
but they practically captured all the
places and will govern the city for two
years"
The statement last quoted is perhaps
as accurate as most things politicai
that appear in the columns from which
it is taken MacVicar, Hamery and
Schramm, three of the commissioners
elected, and majority of the commits
sion are known to have favored the
adoption of the commission plan and
did everything they could to secure Its
adoption. k,x- Mayor John MacNlcar
has been accused of being a politician.
but no one ever claimed that he is In
working sympathy or any other kind or
sympathy, with the city hall polil-
clans 1t was because he refused to
work with the gang" that he was de-
feated for mayor the last time he ran.
Alderman John l.. Hamery is aid
erman now from the First ward, but 1T
is utter fol de rol to say that he is one
of the city hall gang. He has been In
the minority and at cross purposes
with them ever since he was elected
He started on his career as an alder
man by going into a saloon and taking
a glass of whisky away from police
man who was breaking the city rules
by drinking while on duty. He smashed
all the rules of the city hall politicians
by having witnesses in hiding to see
him bribed by the manager of the
street railway, and then filing an in
formation against the manager for
bribng public official. before JUS
tice of the peace, and the last Thing he
ulu N6ts " SAAo" lAp SAAS ASssSAiASs'' Va
the board of public works in the city
hall by disclosing undeniable evidence
that the board was paying for side
walks that were never laid.
Charles w. Schramm, another of the
successful candidates for commission
err, is now assessor. No one having a
scintila of sense would class Schramm
with the city hall politicians. He has
been elected year after year as assess
or on his record of trying to force the
public service corporations to pay their
just taxes and last year succeeded.
None of the major faction of the city
hall politicians would ever do so fool
ish thing as attempt to make a
public service corporation pay any
thing.
The only many who could be classed
with the city hall politicians is the
successful candidate for mayor. He is
democrat but was elected police
Judge with the assistance of republi-
can votes, otherwise he would not
have been elected and those republ1-
can votes came from the city hall poll
ticians. But the three men MacVicar,
Hamery and Schramm make majority
of the new commission. All favored
the commission plan and all are clean
men. politically and morally.
The real issue in the campaign was
not between the friends of the Des
Moines plan and its enemies but be-
tween the public service corporations
and the people and the city hall poll
ticians. 1t was a three-cornered fight.
In the primary election just one of the
old city hall politicians was elected.
This was Alderman Brereton. All
Others We're defeated for the nominal
ton. Having all been eliminated but
one in the primary the election was
largely a question between the corpor-
ations and the people. 1t is generally
known that the street railroad and
the public service corporations gener-
allv tried to elect Mathis. Ash and
Brereton. They succeeded in electine
two of them Had they elected the
other they would have had majority
| on the city council. The candidates
| nominated from the slate were some
of them good men. Worth and Hanna
who were candidates for commissioner
are classed as excellent men. and Wat
erbrry. the candidate for mayor is al
least the equal of the successful can
didate.