Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-05-27
"HAMMERING."

The wall of woe which is going up
from Governor Cummlns and his
friends over the exposure of the COVER
nors methods by the Republican
papers of the state. is happily referred
to in the editorial we give below from
the Des Moines Daily Capital:
Every day we have the strongest
evidence of the power OF persistent
advertising.
AS much as fifteen years ago Gov.
Cummins, then private citizen and
candidate for United States senator
began asserting that he was being
hammered More than that, he in
timated that he was not being ham
mered" for the mean things he had
done but for the good things he in
tended to do. His friends all fol-
lowed his lead and now if man cri.
ticises the political course or the pub
lie acts of the governor, he is accused
of hammering Cummins. This COM
munity has heard it for years. You
can hammer Hull all you please and
Cheshire can show how long Hull
has been on the payroll, but if You
apply the same criticism to the COVER
nor, you are accused CT abusing him.
This is trick the governor learned
when he was practic;ng law. He has
won the sympathy of many jury by
assuming an injured air. The bar
we'll understands his policy. He has
been able to make his entire political
career on the doctrine that he is be-.
ing abused.
II you say that he and his friends
defeated Col. Welcome Mowry for
railroad commissioner and drove him
to his grave broken hearted man,
you but state fact. But you are i'm.
mediately accused of abusing the gov
ernor. ~
If you charge that he nominated a
supreme judge to get twenty votes for
himself in the Cedar Rapids conven-
ton if you charge that the commit
tee on credentials in his first and last
conventions unseated men for the pur-
pose of nominating him; il you
charge that in his first nomination
the railroads issued thousands of pass
es with which to help him; if you
charge that he has all his life been
practically a democrat on the liquor
and tariff questions; if you charge
him with the defeat of Harvey Ing
ham for regent of the state university
for no reason except that Ingbam was
not Cummins man; il you charge
him with filling the state house with
his underlings and supporters: if you
charge him with having been elected
to the legislature in 1887 as a whisky
republican endorsed by the democrats
and supported by the railroads; il you
charge him with having the support
of every local corporation in Des
Moines; if you charge him with re.
ceiving thousand dollars a year from
the State Travelling Mems association
every year since he has been governor
without giving any service; il you
charge him with writing letter to
Major Torbert stating that he was not
a candidate for senator; il you charge
him with pledging himself to Con-
gresham B. p. Birdsall not to be a
candidate against Allison; ii you
charge that he pledged Dolliver not
to be candidate against Allison il
you charge that he went to Washing.
ton formerly on the slightest pretext,
spending the states money to pay his
expenses q number of times and then
failed to go last week on the only Oc.
casion when he was needed there il
you charge that he intended to sup
port George d. Perkins for governor
in the spring of 1906 and changed hi
mind when Perkins would no,
| promise to make him senator by ap
pointment ii You charge that he hal
built up the greatest political rims
ever known in western state il yor
charge that he unjustly and unfairly
| claims honors for himself in connec
ton with the rate bill that belong Il
others if You charge that he is JUS
the same as any other ordinary politi
clan out seeking an office-then yol
are accused of abusing or hammerins
Cummins.
The governor is appealing to TIT
jury again for sympathy.
and take his punishment like goot
fighter. He ought to .e thankful tina
| the blows have not been more severe.
Captain Hull never talks back
The people say what they please abou
him. He smiles and the people be
come good humored and vote for him
Hull has been in politics long time
He never whinpers. He never plead
the baby act. He has never charged
one half the republican party Of beinI
bought up in the interests Of the cor
porations. Hull gets along prett,
we'll.
The governors friends love him
Some of them would die for him. HI
is not alone in this cruel world. HI
is handsome. He receives many
bouquets. He has been governor
seven years. He has received greater
honors than Samuel j. Kirkwood. HI
has no honest kick coming. 1t is /,
big thing to be governor of Iowa. TIL,
Office is filled with honors. carries ,
good salary, and has few require
ments.
| The annual sale or unclaimed
freight. gathered from all lines of the
Milwaukee road is being held al
Prairie du CHEN this week. TIL,