Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1916-05-18
FORMER AUDUBON
PASTOR WRITES
Was Pastor of Methodist Church
When Audubon had Two Saloons
And George Cosson Was
Practicing Law.

ETdCtiCluS lAtWs
Rev. w. III. Shipman, pastor of the
Methodist church at Hastings, Iowa,
writes the Republican an interesting
letter. He was at one time pastor of
the Methodist church of this city and
his many friends here will read the
following letter with considerable in
terest. He says: &
i"I wish to address a letter to the
public through your paper because /
believe that the temperance people
/ do not appreciate the danger in the
present situation in the contest for
governor. The liquor forces are or.
ganized and united on one man. The
dry forces have two men who are
satisfactory, but only one can be
elected; therefore we must concen-
trate Immediately upon the strongest
and most available candidate. I feel
certain that candidate is George Co.'S
son.
| | write because / have known Mr..
Cosson from his young manhood. /
was pastor at Audubon when he came
fresh from his law school to begin
the practice of his profession. The
liquor men had secured the necessary
65 per cent on their mulct petition on
its face, and filed IL with the board
lof supervisors We canvassed it, and
/ with others secured the names OF
over 100 signers to a petition to the
board to remove their names from
the petition The board refused. We
had to take the case into court and
there was no lawyer in Audubon then
WHOM we could trust but Mr.. Cosson.
II was certainly severe trial of his
courage as a beginner to take the un-
popular side in strongly whiskey
town. But he took the case. They
tried to bride him in vain. They had
started two saloons in Audubon. Mr..
Cosson drove them out by defeating
the mulct petition, Judge Macy rul-
1 ing 1t out in court. Later Mr.. Cosson
as county attorney took the permits
away from every druggist in the
county.
/ When he ran the first time for at
ltorney general the liquor men, know
! ing well his record, fought him most
bitterly, as they are fighting him now.
But he was elected by the handsome
plurality of over $4,000, which was
the endorsement of the people of To-
wa for his faithful and fearless work
He led the ticket that year by a larg-
er vote than any other candidate.
Mr.. Cosson's record of late years
is public property His work in Sc
curing the enactment of laws streng-
thening the hands of executive Off
GERS is known throughout the state.
1t seems to me that among the
candidates before the people for gov
ernor Mr.. Cosson is the logical choice.
His record is magnificent; his cour-
age under the severest tests has never
failed; his integrity is massive as the
granite hills of New England; and
his knowledge of law adds the equip
ment to make him the ideal governor
for our state in carrying out our pro-
hibitory policy. $3.50
have lived in Iowa since 1880. I
was a member of the Republican state
convention in which Lieutenant Gov
ernor Manning uttered the famous
epigram. "A school house on every
hill top and no saloon in the valley"
and heard the mighty tempest of
cheers with which that great repub-
lican convention greeted Manning's
sentiment. have watched the march
of prohibition up hill and down for
thirty-five years, and it is my certain
conviction that at this time the high
est interests of the prohibition cause
in Iowa will best be served by the
election of George Cosson as COVER
nor"
Yours very truly,
w. H. Shipman.