The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1916-05-10
SPLIT OVER posTmAsTERsH!p

A spectator at the democratic cOun-
ty convention on Saturday must have
been in doubt as to whether the pur-
pose of the convention was the selec-
ton of delegates to attend the state
convention or to settle the question OF
who should be selected for postmaster
at DenisOn for the next four years. One
of the delegates had the temerity to
promptly offer resolution which
dragged the post Office skeleton before
the convention and from that time un
til the last delegate left the hall the
fight was waged as to whether the
democrats of the community should be
recognized in the selection OF post
master or the matter should be left
entirely with the machine to exercise
its own sweet will, with the result that
the machine won out. The resolution
was formerly offered and was referred
to the committee on resolutions, but
the influence of the machine was able
to control the committee so far that all
it was able to do was to report the
resolution back to the convention with
the recommendation that the skeleton
should be taken before the delegates
in an informal way after the conven-
ton should adjourn. This, it seems
was the best that could be accomplish
ed by those opposed to the machine
After the regular convention was
over a large number of delegates re.
NAMED in the hall and it was at this
meeting where the climax in fur lying
was witnessed. The contest was spir-
tied and various charges and counter.
charges were freely made. The ma
chine asserted it was no place to wash
democratic linen and that there was
danger that the dirty republican paper
would expose the whole affair to the
injury of the party and the loss OF the
democratic ticket this fall, that the
proprietor of the republican paper had
for twenty years been trying to break
up the bond of affection existing be-
tween the Irish and German democrats
in the county. and which only had
been prevented by the efforts of the
machine, and if the. machine should
be put out of business that direful con
sequences might follow.
It1was urged on the part OF the dele
gates that it was not an exhibition OF
unselfish party patriotism for one fam
ily OF democrats to appropriate for its
own use all the positions which were
offered and which the party had to
eiyes such as chairman Of the demo-
cratic county central committee, state
senator, field secretary of the editor,
ial association and postmaster of Den
ison while all the other democrats
were denied look-in at the pie coun.
ter. But the machine replied that IT
had to live and that all of the sacri-
a Il
Justify it in demanding the positions
which the party had to give. They
were made to understand that it was
glory enough for them to be permitted
to belong to the party and that they
should not interfere with the opera
ton of the machine.
1t is said that one lone democrat.
the postmaster at Manila, who secured
his position through the efforts of the
machine, drew his lance and charged
the complaining delegates and told
them how the machine had fought all
the battles of the party when the com
petition of the rotten republican news
paper at Denison had threatened the
existence" of the machine. The ma
chine was able to point out that it
spent five hundred dollars to control
the dry vote in Harrison and Monona
counties in order to win the senatorial
contest and that the complaining del
egates had borne no part of this en-
pense
The claim of the democratic leaders
that the democratic party is the party
of the people, where all the people are
taken into the confidence of the lead
ershiD of the organization is proved to
be a travesty on the facts, inasmuch
as it is now completely dominated by
machines and bosses and the people
have nothing whatever to say as to its
management A good illustration OF
this fact is seen in the meeting OF a