The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-06-02
To the Democrats of the Eighth Con-
gressional District of Iowa:

" ilS, w llO Ado UcSll udllSClOuoIy
and as result l have been able to
give but very little attention to my
candidacy for congress. Some weeks
ago l brought Mrs. Stuart to Chicago
in the hope of lettering her condi-
ton, and while there is finally some
improvement, her condition is not
yet such as to render it certain that
can return to the district before the
date of the primary election, which
is now near at hand.
For weeks past it has been impos-
sible for me to reply to the many
personal letters l have received from
different parts of the district in re-
gard to my candidacy, and am fore
ed to ask my friends to accept this
as my apology for not answering
their letters, and also to ask the dem
ocrats of the district generally to
accept this in lieu of personal visits
from me to the several counties of
the district prior to the primary cleo
ton
am today in receipt of letter
which seems to indicate that some
person in the district is specially OPP
posing my candidacy. The letter is
brief and indefinite, the writer of it
apparently assuming that l have
knowledge of such opposition and it's
source But as matter of fact this
is the first l have heard of it. Not
knowing who, if anybody, is specially
opposing me, or upon what grounds,
it is impossible for me to meet such
opposition, except in this general
way. AS the primary election is now
very close at hand, and as it will be
impossible for me to reach the voters
even by letter or newspaper articles
in answer to any special attacks that
may be made upon me at this late
date, so as to make such answer eff
fective before the date of the pri-
mary, 1T seems appropriate for me to
say something at this time.
My record is fairly we'll known,
and stand by it from A to q. For
thirty years ] have fought special
privileges and vested wrong in all
not III some, but in all-their various
forms, without reward or expectation
OF reward, and | expect to continue
hghtlng them whether l ever get an
office or not | have done battle i'm
not few campaigns, sometimes at
the cost of wounds and scars, but
personally | have no cause to COM
plain. | have been elected twice out
of only three times | ever ran for any
once OF consequence, and in the one
losing battle l got many more votes
IMAM any OF us expected in those dark
days. AS to my record, all | ask is
That those who attack it be required
TO quote 1T with eXactness, and to
prove their statements.
7
place where now live, Charlton,
Iowa. Beginning as a boy of fifteen
| worked as a telegraph operator in
numerous towns in the Eighth dis
trlct for four and half years. AS
man | have practiced law in three
different county seats in the dis
trlct, and have appeared profession
ally in the courts of all the counties |
IN the district except two. In the
field OF business | have affairs of my
own OF some consequence. and owe
no man dollar; have at different
times handled affairs of others in
volving considerable money and not
little responsibility, and at the
present time l am executing a trust
of some magnitude In short, l am
more or less known to quite num-
Der of people in the district, and re-
CARELESS of their politics 1 do not
think they will look with favor upon
any effort that may be made to dis
tort my record or prejudice me in the
eyes OF those who are not acquainted
with my position and views on sub
jects of public interest.
| do not suppose that the lower
methods OF political attack will be
resorted to in this campaign. In
these days they seldom are employed
and are never countenanced except
by corporation patriots and their rip
Snorting reformers for revenue. How
ever, ii my private character should
be assailed, all l care to say is that
have never knowingly wronged any
man, woman or child; have been
more or less active in political affairs
for the past twenty-five years, have
received honorable recognition in
three different states, and have al
ways found fairly healthy self-re-
spect and the good will of those who
know me to be sufficient protection
against personal attacks from polecat
politicians and their political plug
gers.
Situated as l am, | am compelled
to leave my primary campaign en-
tlrely in the hands of the democrats
OF the Eighth district, and l do so
with the full assurance that they will
not allow my candidacy to suffer by
reason of any eleventh-hour attacks.
And in conclusion l beg to assure
them that if they see fit to nominate
me as their candidate for congress
man, will have matters so arranged
as to begin the campaign proper at |
an early date, and shall prosecute it |
with vigor in every county of the dis
trlct, to a very probable victory for
the eternal principles of equal rights
and exact justice for all men, women
and children, in all the activities of |
llfe-and I use this expression. not
but in its true politico-
economic sense.
F. @. Stuart
l5lS East 66th Street, Chicago,
ILL.,, May %, 1910.
Hon. V. R. McGinnis, of Leon. was
IN Corydon the first of the week at