The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-10-15
HEPBURN'S RAIL WAY CONNECTION
Southwestern Iowa Thinks His Con,
nections Better Than Theirs.

Southwestern Iowa Thinks His Con,
nections Better Than Theirs.
Hepburn and his aids in the district
have the worst problem in the cam
paign to contend with in the explana
ton of the opposition Of all the Hep
burn salaried men in the southwestern
part of Iowa to the effort of the PEG
pie in that part to secure better train
service. The people of several coun
ties in the west end of the district got
it into their heads that the Burling
ton should give them better train ser
vice. They circulated petitions in q
number OF the towns, but when they
got to a few men they met with oppo
sition. Postmasters, pension examin
ers, owners of postoffice leased prop
erty and former secretaries or clerks
of the colonel were opposed to better
train service. At Mt. Ayr, Rev. j. H
Tedford, editor of the Record-News
and for two sessions clerk OF the
foreign and interstate commerce com
AllIlCCj anu "uOSS sui OCCuplcu lldl
position afterward and now owns the
postofice building at Mt. Ayr, with q
ten years lease at a high rate, re
fused to sign the petition and did moth
ing to help the cause in his county
H. E. Deater, the postmaster at Shen
andoah, went to Des Moines and op
posed the requests of the Tingley PEG
pie at the hearing before the railway
commissioners. At the hearing before
the railway commissioners, Levi:
Miles of Corydon, for thirteen years
district attorney under Hepburn, ap
peared in opposition of the extension
to Mt Ayr and along the line west
from Van Vert. After the commits
sioners had heard the matter from the
Tingley people for an extension along
their line, Colonel Hepburn was ap
pealed to by the Tingley people tc
give them some assistance, but he
was at the palace at Washington and
neglected to answer the letter unit.
after it was too late, and then he
wrote to the editor of the Tingley Vim
dicator, trying to square the thing
rather than to the Commercial club
The editor of the indicator has beer
giving the people of that vicinity
some inside facts regarding the colo
mel, as have the Grand River Local and
the Clearfield Enterprise.
Colonel Hepburn's railroad friend
ships are continually in evidence. He
serves his master with much fidelity
and the service comes to the surface
in spite of the care used in covering
up the relationship.
Reports from all parts of the dis
trict are to the effect that Colonei
Hepburn will be badly defeated at the
polls this fall. Many Republicans, OF
all the factions, are out openly saying
they are going to vote for Senator
Jameson, and all the Democrats are
united for him. greater victory fol
the cause of progressive ideas in gov
ernmental policies could not come te
the Eighth district and to Iowa than
the defeat of Colonel Hepburn, who
udS DSSu Olle VI luS luOoI luoloIcu
and abusive of the standpatters.
Men who hold Office too long gel
careless about keeping in touch will
their constituency, and in time grow
to represent the corporate interest!
and the machine instead of the mel
of the farms Back IN SO Mr.. Hep
burns record had got so bad that thu
voters of this district rose in revol
and gave him drubbing that is re
membered yet by the oldtimers. I
was six years before he dared to shov
his head again, being taken care o
meanwhile by the federal government
with appointive office. In 1892 he re
gained his seat in congress, a chast
ened and subdued man, and the les
son he had received lasted him TO
several years. But as he was re-elect
ed from time to time, he began to be
lieve he had life hold on the office
| and of late years has been driftin
| farther and farther away from tn
| Iowa farmers, and becoming more an
more the representative of the inter
ests in congress and the trusted lier
| tenant of Speaker Cannon in his cor
| troll of national legislation.