Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-07-22

is when the lobbying is carried on
secretly and when other improper
methods are used that 1t is an evil.
Republican postmasters who are
asked to resign to give way to a
democrat should refuse. If the adj
ministration cannot wait until the
time Of present incumbents expire
let it trump up some scheme like
the first Cleveland administration
did. In the days of Grover it was
decided that a republican postmast-
er was an offensive partisan and
that the good Of the service demand
ed that he be displaced by an equal
Iy offensive partisan who was a
democrat.
Hamilton and Webster counties
are getting the reputation among
overland travellers Of having the
worst roads in Iowa, and we guess
the reputation is deserved. There is
no richer territory in the universe
than that in these two counties and
the people of the counties ought to
be ashamed to have the world know
OF our poor roads. But it will not
always be so. In another year the
roads in Hamilton county will be
greatly improved and will then
doubtless compare favorably with
the highways OF other counties.
The statement Of Secretary Bryan
that he had to lecture and write be-
cause the salary Of secretary of state
is not sufficient, induced Senator
Bristow to introduce a resolution
calling upon the president to ascer-
tain just how large salary was
necessary to enable Mr.. Bryan to de-
vote his entire time to the public
service. The salary is $4,000 per
year, having been increased to that
amount from $4,000 in 1911. Mr..
Bryan is surely not loyal advocate
of Jeffersonian simplicity II he cam
not get along we'll with such sal
airy.
President Wilson is too busy with
the tariff, currency, Japanese, Mex
lean and other important questions
to give that time and attention to
applications for postmasterships
that the applicants think they de-
serve. There are several millions
of democrats in the country who
think the results of the late cleo
ton meant the people wanted them
in Office. But such is not the case.
1t was simply the fight within the
republican party that landed Will
son. The public cares little who
holds the post Offices. What they
want is good service and the POI
litical brand Of the postmaster
has nothing to do with the service
rendered.
"How would it do" asks the En-
metsburg Reporter, commenting on
the Cummins bill making the imper-
sonation of a congressman a Grimm
al offense, ito have law making 1t
a criminal offense for an officeseeker
to pretend that he was republican
when in reality he did not believe
in single republican principle?"-
Sioux City Journal.
That would do all right. But at
the same time a law ought to be
enacted making it SANDER for news
papers to deny the republicanism OF
candidate whose republication Is
beyond dispute. 1t has come to be
quite the fashion in some newspaper
offices to question the political hon
esty OF everybody who refuses to
bow to the trusts and Illegal COM
binations,. and who has the cour-
age to fight for the people and for
principle regardless of the vaporings
of such newspapers.
IOWA PRESS COMMENT.
The Burlington Hawkeye indorses
the suggestion of Senator Larrabee