Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-09-10
THE SHORT TERM.

dispose Oh the sHoFt term eletltoH
forthwith. Sixty-six republicans, con-
stituting very large majority of the
republican membership of both houses,
having held the customary republican
caucus, have been voting for Governor
Cummins for senator under the as
sumption that party precedent for the
past fifty years would be observed and
the election of the majoritys choice
made possible by the votes of all 9TH
en- republican members. 1t has been
the statutory duty of this Legislature
to elect and 1t was the rightful. GUS
tomary and most natural thing in the
word for majority to seek the cleo
ton OF its candidate. This rule has
always been followed in the election of
senators by our Legislature and was
acquiesced In by Mr.. Cummins when
Gear had only two majority Of repub-
lican members. But in this instance
the rule of majorities has been sus-
pended by the action of the faction
which, for fifteen years. has been en-
gagged in desperate warfare to beat
Cummins. The sixty-six were opposed
by forty-three republicans who signed
a contract never to permit the election
of Cummins to the senate at this ses- 4
sion and deadlock was created.
For appearances sake the forty
three who had thus outlawed them
selves from party precedent and GUS
tom. served notice on the sixty-six
thru the governor, that If the ma
jorlty would yield to no election now
the minority would adjourn until after
election and return pledged to elect
to the short term the man who had
carried the primary for the long term.
To this the governor replied by saying
that the federal laws required an cleo
ton now, that by adjournment the
legislature would lose jurisdiction over
an election to this vacancy and that
if their only purpose was to let the pri-
mary decide both terms, he would
agree to resign In the event that some
one else carried the primary for the.
long term, thereby permitting an APP
pointment of the same person to the
short term and avoid both the doubtful
legality of an adjourned session and
its additional expense. For some in
explicable reason the manifest fairness
of this proposal was lost on the SOL
emily bound band of outlawed repub-
leans and they persisted in their re-
fusal to permit a majority of three
fifths to rule the minority of two-f1fths,
so that with the republican vote d.
vided an election Of 81 republican can
didate was impossible, the democratic
opposition casting forty-six votes for
their candidate.
or course, this desperate procedure
has almost disrupted the republican
party in Iowa. Men grit their teeth
and swear horrible oaths. "They
bolted Cummins for governor in 1906
and now they bolt him again. They
have taught US how is the common
expression of sentiment. And we have
the unspeakable spectacle of a repub-
lican nominee for state auditor, Sena-
tor Bleallly, leading every roll call of
the boilers. Not only that, but the
position to which he aspires is largely
one of insurance commissioner the
peoples trusted watchdog of the insurL
ance companies responsible for the
guardianship of vast sums of trust Sc
curities. This man, an insurance agent
by profession and already under sus-
picion of too intimate personal connec-
ton with the insurance business" which
he expects to watch, has the gaul, the
effrontery and the abandon to cast his
scattering complimentary vote for
Frank Jackson, the captain of the in
surance combine of Des Moines, as tho
it were the homage of the humble to
his creator.
Facing hold-up by a desperate and
unyielding minority there is nothing
left for the majority to do but to ad'.
journ. Every republican candidate in
Iowa, including the electoral, state and
legislative tickets, has been put in dan
ger of defeat, An immediate adjourn
ment becomes necessary to save the
party. If it were not for the absolute
necessity of electing a republican leg
islature in order to elect Governor
tCnmSnins to the senate for the long
term, retaliation on the part or every
progressive republican in Iowa would
be thoroughly justfyable under the
treatment they have received, but tie
conditions are such that they must
"a nture their outlaw and bring him in
alive in order to recover the reward
To kill him politically prevents recov-
ery so, under all probability, an adj
iournment will be taken upon the
terms offered by the minority in the
hope OF returning a republican legis-
iature for next winter which will abide
by the will of a majority as expressed
in the primary vote Of the party. i