The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-10-15
.HEPBURN'S sun z.
IS SETTING.
All Signs Indicate His Early Re.
tirement to Private Life.

There ere many peculiarities in the
| vote in this Eighth congressional dis.
trlot slowing the changes that have
taken pace IN the PERIOD between the
| election OK Roosevelt and the present
| time.
III 1904 President Roosevelts ma.
] jority over Parker in this district was
14,SS7.
In the same year Hepburn's major
ity was 1905.
In the following contest in 1906 Hep.
burns plurality was only 3,4l6.
Claude Porter, Democratic candidate
against Cummins that year, had ma.
jority of 2,5o2
The Republican highwater mark OF
the district was reached in 1901, when
the presidents plurality over Parker
was 1887 In that year also Hep,
burn performed the notable feat OF
carrying every county in the district
but with all the influence of the Roose.
welt landslide his highwater mark was
l2,CS5, 2,S02 less than the head of the
ticket, or a slump in the district OF
an average of 255 votes to the county
At this time there was no fact.onal
quarrel IN the Republican party and
there was no particular reason why
Hepburn should not have run even
with the ticket, especially as his op.
position was an unknown Lucas coun.
W man, who made no campaign what.
ever. and the Democratic party was
utterly demoralized by the nomination
of Parker.
Two years later Hepburn succeeded
IN carrying the district by a plurality
of 3,416 votes, without the assist.
ance of the Roosevelt boom, of 1869
Yet he was not entirely without the
assistance of the president, for it was
during this contest that he sprung
Roosevelt's famous certificate OF
character" which he used during the
campaign to reassure the people, who
had known him and his record fol-
many years, that he was not false to
their interests. 1t is generally ad.
mitted that but for this character"
Hepburn would have been in danger
He knew of the danger himself or he
would not have humbled himself. That
he had to secure such an Endorsement
shows lamentable lack of faith and
the conviction that he was mistrusted
on account of it, His record since
fairly shrieks with the evidence in
bad faith from the president, but the
| fact is not surprising or important
| The presidents letter answered for
the time being and won back to him
sufficient number of votes to put him
| over the line. Since that time he has
not disturbed any trusts or corpora,
lions or any transportation companies
i No measures of reform that he could
| prevent has come from him or his
committee.
However, the table which is given
elsewhere is interesting in other ways
than merely showing Hepburn's
growing weakness; during the last
campaign the figures show that while
he carried the district by reason of
the timely aid Of the president, the
same counties which gave him a plu
rality gave a plurality against Gov
ernor Cummins, who was running on
the same ticket with him, of $500
The fractional fight in the Republican
party has begun to take root. The
colonel is of course to be commended
for what he and his friends did for
Porter, who would have been elected
II the other Republican candidates
for congress throughout the state had
contributed as much to his success
They dared to be less outspoken, how.
ever. and the election of Cummins
could not be prevented, though his
majority was greatly reduced.
In the second campaign with Nc.
Kinley in 1900 Hepburn fell short OF
the presidents plurality about 1000
votes, and in 1896, in Bryans first
campaign. he defeated Mr.. Robb by
less than 800 plurality, and this time
running behind the head of the ticket
about the same amount. The normal
Republican majority in this district
is from $500 to 1000 votes. This
year, however, with Taft, the reac.
tionary, against Bryan who is com.
mitted to carry out the Roosevelt pol.
icies and other reforms, the Republic
an vote will no doubt be considerably
diminished. Hepburn is at best 1000
votes weaker than his ticket. With
the friends of Cummins with good
reason hostile to him, in addition to
this it Is close to demonstration
that Jameson, who is strong candi.
date with strong organization be-
hind him, will retire this tool of the
interests to private life, where he be-
longs.
There have been some regulations
imposed upon the trusts. corporations
and railroads since the election of two
years ago, when the district gave Cum
Minis the severest jolt he received in
any part of the state. but it is signifi-
cant that they have not come from
Hepburn's committee or from con-
gress. Congress has done absolutely