The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-04-06
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE DEM
OCRATS OF IOWA.

| -
sued the following letter to the dem
ocratic press of the state, with the
request that it be published, as the
committee has no funds for advert1s-
ing. and it explains the heasOns tor
the organizations:
Des Moines, Iowa, March 30th.
Fellow Democrats Your name
has been presented to me with the
suggestion that you are democrat
who uses his own, good reasoning
powers in making up your mind on
things political.
We have no right to take up your
time unless we have something worth
while to tell you. We have. every
movement should have just cause for
| it's existence. This movement OF the
Progressive Democrats has a just
cause and we are OF the OPINION that
| it should be brought to your atten-
ton.
It is thought that w. w. Marsh
has no valid claim on the Democratic
party for the responsible position OF
National Committeeman for the fol-
Lowing reasons:
First-He did not support the
Democratic ticket in 1886 nor IN
1900.
Second-Neither he nor the news
paper he controlled gave any assist
ance whatever to Ed Dunn in his
candidacy for governor OF Iowa IN
1912. That fact alone should ne
reason enough why he should not
be National Committeeman.
Third-He is said to have con-
tributed $1,000 in 1912 to forward
the interest of a republican candi~
date for governor in republican
primary.
Fourth-It is generally conceded
that he was behind the movement
in 1912 that allowed such scurrilous
trash to be sent out to the democratic
voters of Iowa villifying candidate
Wilson-now our president.
Fifth-When President Wilson
called congress in special session to
revise the tariff, Mr.. Marsh went to
Washington and tried to have the re-
publican tariff kept on cream separ-
ators, an article which he manufac-
lures. -,
Sixth-We believe he would, ii
elected national committeeman, seek
to perpetuate the autocratlc, star
chamber methods of Reed, Hughes
and Reynolds, his candidacy being
instigated at the suggestion OF these
men. Immediately after Judge WaIe
received notice of his appointment as
Federal Judge, he called Reed,
Hughes and Reynolds to Chicago by
wire, and these four men, then and
there, agreed that w. w. Marsh
should be the successor to Judge
Wade on the national committee and
sent the word broadcast that the
democratic organization OF Iowa mad
held a meeting and agreed upon
Marsh as national committeeman.
Seventh-When the state commit
tee met to choose a successor to
Judge wade, Messrs. Huber, Ken
nington, Crenshaw, Bronson and
Johns voted fifty-two times against
the Marsh candidate from the
third district where it was con-
ceded that the selection of the Marsh
candidate from the third district
would mean Marsh's election as COM
mitteeman, and adjourned without a
choice, the committee standing dead
locked at five to five.
Eighth-He is supported by the
element in our party that has been
instrumental in so much discord
among the members of the state COM
mittee, and to substantiate these
facts, at the end of chairman Reeds
term of office, Immediately after the
state convention at Council Bluffs in
1914, there was held a meeting OF
the state committee in which it de-
veloped that chairman Reed had in
Cured an Indebtedness amounting to
over $1,000 which the present COM
mittee was compelled to assume.
At this meeting Mr.. Remington,
member of the committee for the
sixth district, insisted upon knowing
what this Indebtedness was for, to
whom it was owing and when it would
have to be paid. Mr. Reed was call
ed into the meeting and he agreed to
furnish the committee an itemized
statement covering the committees
receipts and expenditures, and said
that he would have this statement
ready to present at the next meeting
of the committee Nearly two years
have elapsed and that statement has
not been furnished the committee.
Neither has there been a financial re-
port rendered to the committee for
InG nearly l"O Jedl , Sel VIC VI lliO
present chairman. DR.. J. w. Rey-
nolds There was but one called
meeting of the state central commit
tee during the last campaign, at
which meeting chairman Reynolds
was not present, but was represented
by Mr.. Reed. Would not this prove
conclusively to you the contention OF
the Progressive Democrats of Iowa,
that the organization has been pros
tituted by few men in the interest
of the few, as against the many?
There is now. for the first time in
Iowa, presented to the democratic
voters of the state, the privilege OF
voting direct for the persons whom
they wish to be their national COM
mitteeman and for their delegates
and alternates at large to the nation
al convention. Do you belive those
democrats such as Ed Dunn, Dan
Hamilton, G. A. Meyer, Frank K.
Wilson, o. P. Myers, H. L. Pierce.
Gordon Hayes and Sam Swift, who
have been selected by the voters, are
not entitled to receive more Just con-