The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-05-28
ANOTHER MARES NEST.

ter and Leader has discovered an ex
ceptionally large mares nest and ex
ploits It for all it is worth, and more
4 Because The Gate City printed ths
name of George W Clarke in connec
ton with the governorship in list o
preferred candidates at the comlns
primary the Register and Leader con
lures up "a we'll defined organized
movement of the regulars of this
standpattest district in the state t
i put that list through. With its min
! full of visions of "conspiracies" ane
all that sort of thing it doesn't seen
to have occurred to the r. and L
that The Gate City might have eompii
ed the list in question on its own mo
ton without consultation with any
one. Yet such is the fact. No one
suggested any such list, and aside from
the writer of this article and the print
er who put it in type, no one knew o.
/ the preparation Of the list in advance
of its publication. In the light of tbs
/ facts IN the case the Register and
Leaders charge of "a we'll defined or
ganized movement of the regulars OF
I the standpattest district in the state
disappears like Mississippi river fog
before a September sun.
The Register and Leader wants to
know, How does it happen that the
name of George W. Clarke is on this
ilist9' Lest some of its readers might
be hard of hearing the Des Moines
paper prints this demand for informa-
I ton in capital letters. Not once only
but several times in the course OF its
article. with slight change OF verb'age
! in large type, the call is sounded,
How does it happen that George w
Clarke is officially announced as a
candidate OF the standpatters for gov
ernor9" From the savaseness of this
demand it might be inferred that the
R. and L. had copyrig MI
3Clarke's name and taken out patent
ION his candidacy and that The Gate
City had made use of them without
| permission. The hypothesis is a rea
sonable one, but it is negatived BY
the fact that the r. and i. is not sup
porting Mr. Clarke Though nominal
4ly a progressive paper. its infiu-
ence is thrown in favor OF Professor
Holden. Had The Cate City poacned
on its preserves by including the
name of Holden in the list of prefer
ed candidates there's no telling the
size of type the R. and L. would have
resorted to or the number OF times Il
would have repeated its demand
The plain fact of the matter is that
the Register and Leader is trying to
make political capital out OF nothing.
Naturally this calls for violent effort
and the largest type available on the
linotype machines. BY assuming,
without warrant in fact, that George
w. Clarke is officially announced as
the candidate of the standnatters for
governor the REGISTER and Leader
hopes to ALLEVIATE from him the sup
port of the progressiyes throughout
the state. No conceaiment is made of
this purpose 1t is frankly ayowed,
but it will fail because il is based
upon false assumption. There is no
well defined organized movement Of
standpatters" in Mr. Clarke's interest
that The Gate City knows of, and the
probabilities are it would have heard
something about 1t had there been
anything of the kind on foot. Nor was
the inclusion of SIR Clarke's name IN
The Gate City's list Of preferred can
didates an official announcement,
in any sense Of the term. All suppo-
sitions to this effect are Pigments Of
the Register and Leaders perfervid
imagination. Too close association
with Professor Holden's candidacy
has afflicted it with the habit Of see
ing things that do not exist.
Just why The Gate City included
the name of MIR Clarke in its list of
preferred candidates can be told in
very few words As presiding officer,
first of the house and later of the
state senate. Mr.. Clarke showed him
self to be man worthy the conf
dence and esteem Of the people of the
state, He was eminentlv fair and jul
dicisl and discharged his duties with
~ ~ = StISl'5 u 3tAlH, ptsel ifAbSISStEs VI
the state. When the K5aokuk publici-
ty bill was before the legislature he
aided materially in it's pagsage and
thereby won the thanks and good
viii of this community. Although class
ed as Progressive" he has
never been extensively so. For years
The Gate City has been supporting
pfogressives in common with regp.
lar Republicans for local Offices in
4 Lee county, and it required no effort
on the part of this paper to rise above
mere factionalism and include Mr..
Clarke's name in its list Of preferred
candidates The Register and Lead.
err, as has teen demonstrated on
numerous occasions. is unable 10 deal
with candidates on the basis of their
individual merits and views with sus.
picion anyone with greater breadth Of
i view than itself. Instead of seeking
TO ininre Mr.. Clarke by misinterpret.
ing the attitude Ct The Gate City the