The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-27
Il will be Brought into Their Campaign
for Governor and will Play
an important
Part.
MIR. BAsHOR's PLATFORM
Efforts of the Weaver-SuIlivan-Rhine-
hart Crowd to Down Him in
Efforts to Get the
Nomination.
Especial to The Gate City.l


WATERLOO, May 27.-The cam
paign for the democratic gubernatorial
nomination is fast becoming of great
interest, not only to the members of
the party, but to the citizens of the
state in general. for the reason that
1t seems probable the liquor question
will again be made prominent in Iowa
pilitics
For number Of years past neither
party has mentioned this question in
their platform. After the mulct law
took the place of state wide prohibit
ton the republicans looked upon that
question as settled. The democrats
hung onto it as an issue for number
Of years afterwards, claiming that the
law was at best make-shift and that
the question was not settled until eth
er license law or a local option law
took it's place. A few years ago, how
ever, q little coterie of democratic
prohibitionists, headed by General
Weaver, Jerry" Sullivan and George
Rhinehart secured the omission of this
time-honored plank from the democrat
ic platform. Once or twice since then
feeble efforts have been made to re-
incorporate slight references to the
subject. but these attempts failed and
the platform ignored the question en-
tirely. Now. however. one OF the can
didates who will be voted for at the
June primary to head the democratic
state ticket announces his determine
ton to support the local option propa-
ganda. He says this is the only true
way to settle the liquor question and
until local option law is adopted In
the state OF Iowa, that question will
never be settled The candidate who
has proposed return to what may be
called Simon-pure democracy is Hon
S. H. Bashor of Waterloo. Mr.. Bash
or has announced in his speeches and
letters to the democrats of the state
that he believes In local option, that
IN his opinion the party should make
the fight in this state on state issues
and that among such issues the most
vital is the permanent settlement of
the liquor question He holds to the
position that this question can only be
properly handled by the citizens of
the different localities of the state.
not necessarily municipalities, but of
some voting unit to be subsequently
determined in which the people direct
ly interested locally may have control.
This he SAYS is the only scientific
method of treating this question and
ne believes it to be the only true DEM
ocratic method.
The announcement of his platform
by Mr.. Bashor created considerable
comment at first from the crowd who
nave been managing things democratic
IN Iowa OF late. 1t looked at one time
very much as though part OF the old
ticket of four years ago was to be re-
nominated and that Claude Porter was
TO be at It's head. However, when Mr..
Bashor announced himself and project
ed his plan for a democratic platform
before the democrats OF the state. it
seemed to attract much attention and
brought to the front as mis- supporters
many of the old line democrats who
nave not of late been sitting on the
ifont seats in their party councils At
ohe time large fraction or the dem
ocratic party of Iowa consisted of Ger
mans, especially inthe districts along
Doth rivers on the5borders Of the state.
lhese people believed In the principle
Vi local option so far as the liquor
question was concerned and they i'm
.'iedlately allied to the support of Mr..
bashor. The managers of his cam
paign say that lie has received many
assurances of the support of this large
eiass of the people of Iowa, and these
assurances prove that they are taking
more interest in the democratic cam
paign OF this year than they have for
several years past
me friends of Mr.. Bashor are very
aahguine that his cause Is gaining
~ strength daily They say that the
cahdidacy of Senator Moon or ottum.
va VIII not assume any particular pro.
pof''ons SO That 1t may be safe to nut
mn :. IN the Others present" class, AS
y claude Porter, they say he has the
mestige OF one defeat as candidate
~, governor before the people and two
s.net failures as candidate for u. s.
saa'or. ,e. Then. too. they say Mr.. Por-
- IS absolutely silent on the liquor