Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-03
CURTIS IN field
FOR SENATORSH|P
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CONTINUED From Page ~

Senator Delivers death-has Occas-
| toned lot Of squirming on the part OF
his progressive brethren. II he never
accompIishes anything else in polit-
ical way Mr. Young will always have
the knowledge that he has caused an
uneasy half-hour for several of the
active young men who have fathereo
the progressive movement.
1t Is little hard for one inexperl-
enced in the ways of politics to see
how the progressives are going to get
around Mr.. Young's primary election
Curtis. AS it now stands, several or
the leaders in the cause have publicly
refused to consider the plan, on the
ground that the legislators, being re-
Gently elected as standpatters or pro-
gressives, are able to express the
views of their constituents upon the
senatorship without the necessity or
spending something like $150.0O0 on
primary But this argument, it is fear
ed by many progressives, will be a
hard one for the legislators themselves
to make to their constituencies II they
refuse to sanction primary election.
The rank and file Of progressive re-
publicanism includes many men who,
in the good old days when factlonal-
ism was unknown in the republican
party in Iowa, took little or no inter-
cause was sprung they regarded 1t as
a movement representative OF good
citizenship. The direct primary vote on
senatorial nominations has come TO De
regarded as one Of the cornerstones 81
the progressive institution, and When
Senator So-and-so, or Representative
This or that goes to these his consult
uents with the economy talk as MS
sole excuse for refusal to endorse
IN
is going to be lot Of them who can't
see his point.
With the leaders of the progressive
faction, it is a question as between
very probable defeat for them and
victory brought about by the repudia-
ton of one of their principles. 1t would
seem that many Of them have decided
in favor of the lattern horn OF the dl-
lemma, which shows that they are
looking for the immediate results from
their political activities. With the field
full of progressive candidates and only
Mr.. Young representing the standpar-
tiers, it would seem very probable that
he could carry a primary, even II some
of the opposing candidates should
withdraw.
The standpatters have good argu-
ments to back them in refusing to en-
ter caucus on the senatorship. Mr..
Young has demanded a primary, has
apparently agreed with the faction he
had previously fought. Why then.
should the standpat legislators go into
a caucus?
cumrins Maintains Silence.
The past week has been full OF con-
ferences, but there has been notable
lack Of expressions from candidates
and their hackers. Senator Cummins is
breaking all long distance records for
silence by keeping still in at least six
different languages. Some Byers talk
has been heard, but some Of 1t seems
short on logic. 1t doesn't appear very
likely that as some of the progress
sives claim, the attorney general will
receive standpat support from his
home district, the ninth, in recognition
Of his work for Congressman Smith
after the latter had defeated him in
the primary. None Of Mr.. Byers'
friends seem willing to divulge the
names Of the standpatters who are so
grateful to Byers that they are willing
to desert Senator Youngs cause and
vote for him. 1t is hard to decide, after
the names and records OF
the standpat Legislators from the
Smith district, just who among them
would allow his gratitude to carry him
so far.
There is wide difference of opinion
as to how much hope Mr. Young can
ouild upon the situation he has created
BY demanding a primary election.
Some politicians who are credited with
wisdom insist that he
holds the whip hand and will eventu-
lily force the progressives into a prim-
ary unless the Curtis boom carries
everything before it. Others, equally as
wise, hold that the progressives will
prefer to go on record as opposed to
the primary in this case, in order to
slip one Of their number into office