The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-11-26
WILL HEPBURN CONTEST
Woald Hepburn Accept an Office in
Such Manner and if lie Would
What Would be the RESULT

What Would be the ReSult2
We believe that some of the news
papers that are supposed to De ardent
friends of Col. Hepburn are either doing
that gentleman a great injustice or are
substantiating claims that have been
made against him and which aided in
his defeat. We refer to the continued
circulation Of rumors that he will con-
test the election of Senator Jameson
when the returns show the latter gentle
man elected by substantial majority.
We have thought throughout that Mr..
Hepburn was too good a loser as his
friends say, to cry and try to evade the
voice of the people at the last election.
OF course they base their rumors upon
high and lofty grounds; that it is not Mr..
Hepburn but his friends who simply
want to know if the vote is accurate
and that Mr.. Jameson is really the
choice of a majority. If this is all why
do they not simply ask for recount OF
the ballot? This. however, is not what
the friends say he intends to do. They
say he intends to bring contest.
Let us not be deceived by the mean
ing Of these innocent looking words. Let
us investigate and see what a congress
sional contest means. 1t means, not
the recount or the production of the
actual ballots, but a partisan investiga-
/, tion carried on by a partisan congress
sional committee. Speaker Cannon will
appoint committee on elections. OF
whom will this committee be composed?
AS all committees appointed by the
dominant party, a majority Of the party
that has control in the House. Col.
Hepburn will appear before that COM
mittee and file his contest petition al
leging that in certain precincts frauds
were committed, throwing out sufficient
votes to defeat him. 1t is then up to
Mr.. Jameson to appear and prove the
contrary. Whether he is successful in
doing this or not depends on whether
he can convince committee whose ma
jority is composed of partisan republic
cans that is not true. The ballots them
selves are not the evidence, it is affida-
Wits or personal witnesses. 1t is no
torious fact these cases are not tried on
their merits but upon partisan basis,
and what would thoroughly convince a
jury of any district court, would be no
evidence at all to them. What is the
result? The republican majority report
to the House and the minority can file a
minority report. 1t is then called be-
fore the House for a vote, Or suppressed
by the speaker until the term expires,
as has been done. The majority of that
House frequently know nothing about
the evidence on which the ma jority re-
port was made. They know that re-
publican majority has said that this re-
port is correct and as frequently vote for
it. The democratic minority knows that
) the minority report was filed by the
) minority party and they vote for that.
) The result is that the majority report
frequently is adopted without so much
; as knowledge of the facts or the votes
themselves being brought before the
majority.
This may seem like severe arraing-
ment OF the honor of those composing
this representative body. 1t is not in
tended SO much for that purpose as it
is TO show what is the actual modus
operandi. If it reflects on the honor OF
any one we are sorry but that makes it
none the less true.
II such things are to be countenanced
what is the use of holding elections?
Why not just turn it over to the con-
gress in the first place? The constitu-
tion provides that they are the sole
judges of the qualifications of the mem
bers who compose it's body.
Now would any one suppose that a
man who has been honored by the peo-
: pie of the district for more than q years
would take advantage Of this method of
retaining seat in congress, after a
majority of the people by their vote
have stated that they do not want him
any longer, and about seat that Hep
burn has said he could not live on the
:, salary from the proceeds Of? Wouldn't
a scramble now for that seat clearly
indicate that it was anything for the
"coon?'
Let us see what the effect would be
in the district of this kind of a scramble
Every republican that voted for Mr.
Jameson would feel as though he hac
been outraged; that he had been robbed
of his right of suffrage. In addition tt
!, them every republican who voted for Mr.
Hepburn would feel, if he had any sense
> of Justice whatever, that Mr.. Jameson
had not been given square deal" ant
as result in two years hence MI
Jameson would have such a tremen
; duous majority that no man in the dis
trict would defeat him for years t.
come. Aside from that there would b.
too many sore spots created that i
could be disasterous to any one appear
ing on the ticket in the district for year
to come. On the other hand if Mr.. Jam
!, ieson is quietly seated 1t means that ii
!. two years it is probable that some goot
! republican will defeat him. 1t will leav
no sore spots and will heal those tina
> have been created and leave the part,
> reunited.
!, Now whose interests are the greater
those Of the republican party or thos
Of Mr.. Hepburn? AS we have said WI
do not believe that Mr.. Hepburn woul'
consent to such procedure and WI
= hope our belief is we'll founded.