Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-03-27
DEFEAT OF MACVlcAR IN DES
MONIES BACKWARD STEP IN
GOVERNMENT.
HAD SHOWN CAPACITY
IN CITY BUILDING
Election Of ZeIl Roe Fitting Compile
ment to Macvicars Defeat-WiIl Roe
Rule Over Mayor Hanna Partial
Victory Of Labor Element May En-
courage Strikes.
special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, March 1.-THE defeat
of John MacNicar Tor member of the
council last Monday was municipal
tragedy in the history of Des Moines.
W hatever else may be said of it, the
opinion is almost unanimous among
the business people OF the city that
his defeat is the city 8 great loss. A
great many are saying that the fault
Was all with MacEicar and that he
brought on the crisis himself, which is
all true, yet that does not change the
fact that he alone had shown capacity
for making progress IN municipal af-
fairs. He is unfortunate in that he
lacked tact in the handling of men,
that he is arrogant and Gictatorial; but
ii is agreed that he is fearless and
capa BILE. and it is not too much to say
that his defeat has cast gloom over
the entire city, especially among all
who have faith In the commission plan.
The election of Zen Roe, under all
the circumstances, is Il fitting COM
PIGMENT To the defeat OF MacNicar for
tilere IS no doub, whatever that the
big vote for Roe represents a deter
minatton on the part OF some 1000 or
5000 Des Noinas voters that Des
,io.1szs mast 5c2c:nc . vide open"
city if it is to prosper. He was elected
with the expectation that he would be
again given the department of public
safety and that he would conduct it as
a liberal department. Roe was
elected because of a belief that when
of public safety it was without cause.
and because the laboring men were
convinced that MacNicar vas u party
to that change at the Instance of the
street railway management
Roe or Hanna 20 Rule?
As to what will now happen will de-
pend on whether Mayor Hanna or
Councilman Roe dominates the coun-
eli. If Hanna organizes the control
ling faction, Van LEV y iii be made
head of the public safety department
If Roe dominates, then he will take
that department, and he will have
Needham and Myerly with him. If
Myerly joins with Hanna and Van
LEV then the liberal policy will re-
ceive a check. But if Roe is placed in
charge Of the police, with an organiza-
ton that will be lenient. then there will
be trouble ahead for the good people
of the city in a very snort time. If
Roe is not able to keep his campaign
pledges then his backers will be
righteously indignant
Party Politics Involved.
There is another important element
Of danger for the new council 1t lies
in the fact that for the first time para
political and factional matters creat
into the campaign. The only one IF
the candidates who has much of rec
ord as a politician is MyerlY He is
wealthy and Influential. He has dab
bled in politics of the old kind. He is.
in fact. an old school politician. Some
years ago when Captain Hull got into
a tight place he called upcn Myerly
to take charge of the 'amraign, which
he did, and by the use Of the old ia
miliar tactics he won out. He got his
reward as a postmaster at $4,000 a
year. A great many men voted for
Myerly with some misglvings for fear
that he will undertake to convert the
city hall machinery into something of
usefulness for the standpat republican
organizatio in the state. The pres
sure upon him to do this will be enor-
nous. If he can withstand it he will
make an efficient councilman.
Strike Element Encouraged.
Another phase of the situation has
caused much talk since the election.
The union labor people backed at
least two of the winners and they did
SO for reasons that from their stand
point were sufficient. But it has
caused union labor leaders to feel
somewhat cockey about the situation