The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-09-01
>. Q. STUART INTERVIEWED.

There was conference of the
leading democrats of the state held
at Des Moines last week and the
Register and Leader interviewed
some of them. Among those inter-
viewed was F. @. Stuart, the demo-
cratic candidate for congress in this
district, and the Register and Leader
says:
The assurance of victory felt by
the democrats was illustrated yester-
day by the views expressed by Frank
Stuart, who was in attendance at the
conference and who said he was well
satisfied with the political situation
in the Eighth district. He said he
felt quite confident of his own cleo
ton as congressman from that dis
district. In the first place. he
said, this is an off year-that is,
it is not presidential year-and
for that and certain other reasons
the republicans feel free to vote their
sentiments and convictions as men,
rather than as mere partisans.
''In the second place, they have
we'll defined sentiments and convic-
lions as men at this time, and these
sentiments and convictions are of
such character that they cannot
be harmonized. The differences of
principle and not of policy.
I'm the third place, while | am a
democrat l do not believe have ever
been offensive to sincere and earnest
republicans. Many of them believe
almost exactly as l do on most pub
lie questions, and / venture to be-
lieve that l enjoy the confidence and
respect even of those republicans
who differ from me most widely in
political belief. The support I have
heretofore received and am now re-
ceiving from them is proof to me of
this fact
''Some years ago l was considered
radically advanced in my political
and economic beliefs. was pion-
eer in most of the reform ideas that
have now become popular. But to-
day | find that the voters, as rule,
are fully abreast if not a little ahead
of me in thought and sentiment, and
begin to regard myself as conser-
vative.
Nearly everybody believes in the
election of United States senators by
direct vote of the people. When
first advocated it, more than twenty
years ago-and 1 have been advo
eating it ever since-it was not &
popular idea.
Now, most of the voters are op
posed to corporation influence in po
litical affairs. 1t was an uphill figh,
when l began first to work for this
reform. Most voters who read the
n11h1in nrintc hot no
for this reform all through the nine
ties, and that those who with me
labored for it achieved decisive re
suits in our party late in the nineties
called special attention to the fac
in my speech as temporary chairman
of the state convention in 1898. AT
i forwards noble band of republic
cans took up the same battle in theil
party and achieved results.
Il have been battling for conser
walton of natural resources all my
adult life. l lived in Colorado fol
about eight years away back in tn.
eighties, and | there assisted in or
ganizing settlers rights association!
for the protection of homeseeker!
against the aggressions of the big
corporations. We memorialized con
gress, and in one instance prevented
a land steal of about 100000 acres
as remember; and as member o.
the Colorado legislature l assisted il
preventing another land steal
81 have continued to work in the
cause of conservation from that day
to this. And when President Roose
welt called his now famous meeting
of 0f -,
Washington in1907 or190S, l at my
own expense got out large amount
OF printed matter and sent it all ovel
the country to help along the presi
dents movements for conservation
Il have been equally active for {
number of other reforms that have
now become more or less popular;
actively supported and voted for &
bill in the Colorado legislature il
1857 to regulate and fix reason.
able railway rates in that state
The bill passed the house, but was
defeated in the senate; l introduced
and passed eight bills in that legis.
lature, all of which became laws
One of them to inhibit and prevent
nonresident allen ownership of lane
within the state was repealed by the
next legislature. Another prohibited
and punished the blacklisting of dis.
charged employees.
II notice that Senator Cummins
ia his recent convention speech com.
mended the principle of direct legis.
lation-the initiative, the referen-
dun and the recall. have been ad.
vocating that idea for a great many
years.
"And observe that Colonel
Roosevelt has recently advocated the
idea of, recalling from office federal
judges by vote of the people. l have
for many years believed in and adj
vocated the election of federal
judges by popular vote, and their