The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-04-15
A SQUARE DEAL.

The bitterest postofficc fight IL
Iowa was in Leon, where Mrs. caro-
: line Young Smith was appointed over
the protests of several hundred resi-
I, dents, who claimed she was non
resident and a republican. The LeoI
Reporters view of it is this:
1.-THE editor of The Reporter an6
the democrats of Leon made strong
fight against her appointment, but tc
no avail, the rotten state organlza'
ton, which is controlled by MICK
Reed, being determined to put the
Leon deal through, and they sue.
(. ceeded. Nick Reed was kicked on
the state committee by the demo
Gratis of his own district, but manag-
ed to control the state organization
who elected him chairman, and when
he secured his own appointment as
United States marshal he put in
weakened man whom he could con-
troll, DR.. J. w. Reynolds, Of Creston,
as chairman, and Reynolds has been
like putty in his hands, being COM
PEELED to do what his master, Nick
Reed, dictated. He has been chair
man in name only, Reed continuing
to be the real chairman
Now it has often been said that
justice should be tempered with
mercy. In this case, and similar cases,
it seems to the Express that vituper-
alton should be tempered with mod
GRAFTON. We have no authority for
appearing in defense of the state or
ganizatiOn, nor do we know exactly
what may have been all the circum-
stances at Leon. We do know that if
Ollie Hull, of The Reporter, had
been a candidate for the place he
could have had it; Mrs. Smith would
have had no chance for it. We know
that Mrs. Smith is capable woman
+ moro capable, it is claimed, than
the other candidates proposed. just
why Mrs. Smith was named for the
place in the face of such vigorous
protests we do not know, but it is
fair to presume that Judge Wade
and the others who recon- mended
her had what seemed to them good
and sufficient reasons. Nor do we be-
1ieve that Nick Reed is entitled to
all the abuse the Reporter heaps
upon him. You can say what you
please about Nick Reed and his con-
duct of the party organization, but
when you get all done you'll have to
admit that Reed gave the party a
great deal of time and money in the
years when the organization had no
appointments to give out; and the
same may be said of Judge Wade and
Others. And their time and money
and work ,went long way to hold
together the organization and make
it effective. The Express has not al
ways agreed with Judge Wade and
Marshal Reed in the past, and may
not in the future-but it believes in
a square deal and some degree OF
presumption that in these matters
they have been and are at least half
way honest and honorable and actu-
ated by some desire to hold the party
together. Politically, all Iowa demo-
Gratis are in one boat, and it is folly
for anyone to try to rock the boat
The picturesque abuse of dem ocrats
in 1915 will furnish interesting cam
paign matters for republicans in
1916 Knoxville Express.
The above from the Knoxville Ex
press, whose editor, w. j. Casey, was
recently appointed postmaster OF
Knoxville; is given prominent place
ON the editorial page of the Des
Moines Register and Leader, whose
editor, Harvey Ingham, recently re-
marked to the editor of this paper,
'.What is the matter with you fell
lows down at Leon, that you are OBJ
iecting to the appointment of one OF
Des Moines most distinguished re-
publican citizens as Icons postmas-
teri" and it is we'll known fact
that coteric of Des MOines republi-
can politicians have done everything
in their power to secure the appoint
ment of Mrs. Smith, aided by few
renegade democrats who are willing
to sacrifice their party for their own
personal greed. The Knoxville Ex-
press rushes to the defense of the
lWade-Reed-Reyno gang and says
-'they are at least halfway honest
and honorable, and actuated by some
desire to hold the party together. :"
Y1 Gods and little fishes! II these
men are honest, give us thieves, for
we believe they would have more
honor. If they are working to hold
the democratic party together, place
the appointiVe power In the hands OF
republicans, for real democrats
would receive more consideration
from Republicans than the democrats
OF Decatur county have at the hands
Of the Observation-Disclosures gang,
who set themselves up as the demo-
cratic party of Iowa. When the can
.f1idacy of Mrs Smith was first an
nounced, at which time Nick Reed
was chairman of the state committee,
he wrote letter addressed to a Leon
democrat which we have in our pos
session in which he said, "as this Of
sfice does not expire until some time
early next year at which time will
not be chairman, would give the
Inaatter no attention whatever as !
1Ave not . thing to say about it.