Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-02-18
Political Conspiracy and Pos
sibly Blackmail Being Devel-
oped in Des Noines
STRANGER PEDDLINe STORIES
Comes to Capital to Circulate Imprint
able Tales Concerning Taft, Cummins
and Others Story Being Prepared
for Yellow Journals Based on tH's
Statements.
peciai to Times-Republican

| Special TO Times Republican.
! Des Moines, Feb. 1S.-Developments
in d somewhat far-reaching political
conspiracy, having for its object the
| material affecting of national politics
or for sheer blackmail purposes, or
both. are rapidly reaching a head here.
1t appears that two weeks ago well
dressed man came to the Chamberlain
/ hotel and took room. He spent
nearly week loafing around the sa-
looms and disreputable places in Des
Moines and was drunk most of the
an ardent Taft man. He said he had
| sustained very close relations to Taft.
He told a great deal about Taft and
!, much that was not printable. One Sun
day he was especially talkative because
! of his drinking and he got woman
! into his room at the Chamberlain and
| told a remarkable story of series of
+, alleged events connecting a good many
prominent politicians in and out Of
Iowa. 1t seems that he had an espec
, ial grudge against the governor Of
! Iowa. 1t has since developed that he
| had been in conference with men in
Washington whose chief purpose in life
at the present time is to destroy the
good name of the governor of Iowa.
i !, S,,ly
and leaning over the bar, told all sorts
of stories and most of them were so
exaggerated that the listeners would
not consider them for truth.
But the stories were told to men
! in Iowa whose chief object in life is
! to drag the name of the state and Of
it's governor into disrepute. The stor-
les were circulated freely among the
| band of editors of boiling newspapers
that gathered here last week. Plans
were laid to get them into circulation.
/ 1t now appears that the smooth
stranger, with the political game, is
thoroughly disreputable, and knowing
that his stories would not be accepted
by anybody on his say-so he inveigled
others into his trap and let the whole
political coterism here into his game.
1t is stated that intimations were
given that for consideration the stor-
les would be suppressed, but otherwise
they would be circulated with view
to having effect on the political situa-
ton in Iowa and perhaps in the ma
ton.
Thus far no newspaper has been in
duced to publish any of these bar room
| yarns, but a prominent press bureau
man here who has done yeoman serv-
| ice for the corporations, is said to be
preparing story for the Hearst
newspapers, and for general circula-
| tion in the state.
| News has reached here to the effect
that the Taft people We're struck with
astonishment at discovery that the
plan Of the standpat leaders in the
middle west is to ditch Taft. They
were especially surprised at the an
nouncement in Chicago papers that
Shaw is hard at work rounding up the
| midland delegates for anybody but /
Taft. Shaw is on record as declaring |
that Taft cannot be elected if nomi-
mated, practically a threat that those !
with whom Shaw has been associated |
will elect Bryan rather than have a
continuation of the Roosevelt policies. |
But in Iowa it was represented that |
Shaw wanted delegates on his own
account and not to be used to go into |
the combine against Taft. At WASH
ington the Taft managers have coun- |
seled freely with Shaw, Dolliver, Hep
burn Smith, Allison, Hull and others,
and Taft has believed that Shaw was
entirely loyal to him. Now it is dis /
closed that not only is Shaw actively |
engaged in rounding up delegates to be i
against the Roosevelt program, includ-
ing Taft, but that his political associ-
ates in Iowa are engaged in the same
work. 1t was regarded as a little re-
markable that the standpat organizer
for Iowa should be one A. U. Quint,
manager of a small insurance scheme
here, who started about the same time
that Shaw got into the insurance bus
mess in Des Moines. 1t was repre-
scented that Quint was engaged in or
ganizing for Allison, and incidentally |
for Taft. Now it is known that Quint
has been writing out letters to friends
indicating that what he wants is con-
troll of the first convention, and that for
the purpose Of securing an anti-Taft
delegation. He is giving the Shaw
movement boost. and Shaw is out of
the state knocking on Taft. The So
called Allison crowd, which is the bolt
ers, is working under the direction of
Quint and others associated with him.
Despite this fact, it is now regarded
as certain that Iowa will have solid
delegation for Taft and for the Roose-
welt policies.
Unless the congressional committees
have acted in the calling of district
conventions to choose delegates to the
national convention. then all district
conventions win be held in Des Moines
All the time of the state convention.
The republican state committee had 1T
in mind at the last meeting that thel