Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-04-10
rBy Ora williams.l

p. Hepburn was here and spoke be-
fore the joint assembly one Afternoon,
on the program of the Pioneer Law
makers. he took issue sharply with one
who had preceded him and declared he
did not share with others the declared
qualification over the disappearance OF
craftsmanship and political lines in the
legislature. He pointed out that every
great forward step in government,
whether under republic or modern
monarchy, was forced thru party es-
pousal. He pointed out, Also that with
the disappearance Of party lines there
would not ordinarily be disappearance
of politics, but merely that it would
be present in a different form. There
will be division of sentiment and I'M
less that division follows lines Of par
tisanship it must follow some other
lines, with parties gone there will be
cliques or groups or individual con-
| troversies. Now that is apparently
f! just what has happened in the Iowa
legislature. The nearest approach to
anything like a political party visible
/. just now is what is loosely referred to
as the new Johnstonian party, which
J
there is no party leadership. referring
to republican and democratic parties,
hence no guidance or purpose in the
legislature in either body. About all
that would be visible to the casual
spectator would be series of groups,
with personal leadership, Ringing upon
some local or incidental issue or as
sociated with the personal ambitions
of men prominent in the public eye.
| This condition may not be due to the
disappearance of partisanship; but the
! coincidence is striking. and there are
those who would prefer return even
(, to the impulsive and refreshing fac
| tionalism of a few years ago rather
| than the present system which seems
| to start nowhere and get nowhere.
| There has been visible in the legis-
lature a good deal of spirited clashins
and sharp sparring, in both houses.
1t is probably not true, as some have
intimated, that the sparks have been
flying oftener across legislative halls
than ever before. A dozen years ago,
when factionaliSm was at its highest,
there were fireworks galore. and oral
thrusts and verbal counters came
thick and fast. The present session
has witnessed a great deal of this. In
the house there has been much strik-
ing of good hard blows by men like
i Elwood, Barry. Griffin. Pitt, Ball.
Ring. Kopp. McFerrin, Taylor, Miller,
Kane. klinker, Rayburn and many
others. Apparently it has not been
possible for there to be- any leadership.
not because of lack of men with lead
ership qualities, but by reason of the
sheer perversity of the membership
and the awkwardness Of the whole
situation. Too many men were elected
TO do some special thing and not for
general purpose. Too many have been
legislating from the township stand
point and not from that Of the state
interest Election of members of the
legislature on single issues generally
renders them unfit for the real work
of a session, which always must be
| largely work Of compromise and gen.
eral averages.
The situation In the senate has been
just as bad. The members have main
tanned an ugly attitude toward each
other far too much of the time. II is
| hardly true there has been bitterness
nor any constant outcropping of per-
sonal jealousies as has been repre-
scented; but it has been pretty much a
go-as YOU please program. President
Harding INDUCES" in high handed
sarcasm of late. Francis has sharp
tongue which cuts thru occasionally.
Clarkson fights with almost fiendish
ferocity at times. Doran is consistent
in his mania for scrapping with every
body over almost everything. Allen
and Crist have kept better temper but
have gone alone most of the time.
Cady Chase is always bombastic and
frequently abusive and unfair Quigley
| lets his cynicism break forth occasion
ally as a diversion. Thomas becomes
almost furious when crossed. Whit
more and Kimball and Head talk too
much. Thompson exploded Few
times and subsidized. And so 1t goes
/ thru the whole list. Nobody has been
able to lead. If out OF it comes good
| it will be because Of the force OF the
good itself and because there was no
! help for it. Yet there is excellent pur-
pose prevailing, the senators and rep
resentatives are of high character,
i there is much of good work to be done.
| The Gardner Cowles incident is only
! a part of the general perversity OF the
whole legislative situation. perhaps
! elimination. The senate. by small
minority Of the senate, was just look
! ing for some one on whom to vent It's
feelings of spite and i'll will. Gardner
got in the way of the crowd that was
looking for a victim, that's all. II he
| hadn't been picked it would have been
| somebody else But his greates1 crime
! was that he was newspaper owner.
| The newspaper mans mistakes are out
| in the open and on record. Mr.. Cowles'
newspaper had offended. That was,
| therefore, a good place to strike
blow So it was done. Earlier In the
session the blows were aimed at Gov
ernor Clarke. OF course the senate ad-
mitted everything but still It felt that
1 the governor was un"!.e in pointing
out imperfections in body which was
planning to do lot Of pointing out on
| its own account. Some OF the Ill Will
lying around loose has been directeo
against the committee on retrenchment
and reform, but without any harm.
Some of it was expended on old Cap
tain Duckworth. There Is yet the print
er and binder handy II other victims
are needed. In the house the spleen
| was directed toward two things-the
terrible highway commission at Ames
and the more terrible capitol extension
1 in Des Moines. The state superintend-
| emit and the parole board were discoV-
cred and some Of the wrath fel on