Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-06-08


Neither will it be shown by the tables
that the farming communities were es-
pecially favorable to Holden. Here are
twelve counties in which the Corn Belt
Meat Producers Association, and SINH
lar organizations backing Holden, are
strong: Sac, Tama, Ida, Greene,
Buena Vista, Monona, Calhoun, Wash
ington, Cass. Adams, Scott and Hum
boldt. Yet in these counties Clarke
had plurality of 1887 or practically
so per cent of the vote.
If the Seventh district alone is footed
up, where the influence of the Holden
organs was supposed to be greatest, 1t
will be found that Clarke had an enor-
nous majority. If it is contended that
one should go far away to find out the
real sentiment of the people, take the
four corner counties of the state, and
in them Clarke had a big lead.
But the situation in Webster, Black
hawk, Muscatine, Boone and some 9TH
err counties, where an abnormally large
vote for Holden was given, can only
be explained on some theory not con-
nectsd at all with the spurious Liquor
issue" which the anti-Clarke manager
dragged into the campaign by main
force. There is no doubt that on fair
vote with the issues we'll understood
Webster would have given Clarke big
majority. even as Marshall and Cerro
Gordo did. What was the explanation
of the Holden plurality there! Robert
Healy says that on the last day before
the vote was taken the minds OF the
farmers were poisoned by clrcuiar
sent to each and every one in which II
was represented that Clarke is in favor
of increasing the taxes of the farmers.
The circulars were not discovered until
it was too late to get the truth to the
voters. 1t was an old trick Of the
politicians successfully worked.
week before, the farmers would have
voted intelligently. but at the last mo-
ment they were given an utterly false
and inexcusable statement regarding
Clarke, and this Injured to the benefit
of Holden.
That there was general use made
of this scheme by the anti-Clarke COM
mittee is shown by a copy OF the Ames
Intelligencer which reports that on the
last day of the campaign a party OF
Holden campaigners went out in auto
mobiles to tour the county with Holden
and one of the speakers, probably an
otherwise reputable person, told the
farmers that Clarke had said that the
farmers are not paying their just pro-
portion OF the taxes. 1t is also said
that farm paper gave wide clrcuia-
ton to this transparent taisehood 10Y
the purpose of misrepresenting Clarke
to the people of the state. On cleo
ton day it became known to the pro-
gressiye committee that hundreds of
thousands of the circulars making this
attack on Clarke had been mailed out
the last week.
OF course there was never the slight
est foundation for--any such asser-
tions, for Clarke is 4 conservative man
on taxation matters. himself tax
PAYER on farm land, which MS compel
itor is not, and Clarke never at an!
time ever gave utterance to anythahs
that could be construed into deciara-
tion that farmers ought to pay a larger
share of taxes. But the canard old
its work However, 1t only illustrated
the character OF the entire campaign
which had been carried on against
Clarke for a year or more.
Another thing about the vote on gov
ernor is plainly evident. In some way
the word got out to the standpatters to
go soidly for Holden. and in many
places they did SO. In one precinct
in central Iowa there We're 3S votes
cast for Holden and 80 OF them We're
on ballots having the name Of Young
for senator marked. In a precinct re-
ported in the Eighth district of the
votes for Young 80 per cent were also
N
other places. Another thing was the
fact that in many places, SO reports
indicate. Holden and Van Duyn were
coupled I'D together: and Of course in
many places the effort vas made to
swing all the Kenyon votes to Holden
on the theory that since the organ
which assumed to leadership for Ken
Won was the sole advocate of Holden
the interests of the two were identical.
But at no time did the senator or his
close friends sanction any such ar
rangement But for the fact Of the
sending out of the malicious attacks
UPON Clarke in the closing days OF
the campaign and the spending Of
vast sum TO .nisrepresent him to the
ruhlic, his vote would have gone over
the 100000 mark.
AS for the vote on senator. 1t is
so evenly scattered over the state that
it shows only the completeness of the
victory The big majority for Kenyon
was q majority gained for him by the
vote of men who are, or have been,
classed as standpatters. They joined
with the progressives to honor high
minded, clean, capable. well trained
young man. or rather to give the party
and the state the benefit of his SER
vices. II exactly the same manner.
and for the same reasons, these same
standpatters, or former standpatters,
Joined the aggressive young progress
sives of the state in drafting for ser
vice Governor Clarke. If it shall be
said that Clarke owes his nomination
to standpatters it can also be said the
same of Kenyon. But in both cases the
real significance oftile primary is that
of a general trend toward progressive
principles and breaking down of fac
tional lines.