The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-06-27

| LOS Angeles TIMES. lucIc az .
| governors and governors. When
Colonel Frank o. Lowden was a
candidate for executive of Illinois he
i was known as something of lawyer,
! something of business man, but
more a good fellow who found chief
pleasure in spending his money in
! playing a successful game OF politics.
! 1t was true that he had served
with credit in the lower house of
I congress, but in the public mind he
had not attained the stature Of
craftsmanship. A good many knew
1 him only as fine mixer who was
! thought to have the Pullman mil
lions to play with.
/ When he finally gained the repub-
/ lican nomination for governor-for
/ which he was thrice a candidate
! he made some rather startling state.
ments relating to economies and re-
! forms which he approved. These
were brave and encouraging words.
! The people heard and rejoiced. But
I they doubted. These were the fine
phrases--the prediction promises
OF a silk-lined politician. After the
election they might be repudiated. or
: at best, forgotten. The machine
crowd wouldn't let him carry out
his plans anyhow.
/ That was about the way the aver.
/ age man looked upon the Lowden
campaign.
! But Lowden was elected, defeating
the popular democrat who had held
the office before him.
| Then things began to happen. The
people gradually realized that their
good-natured colonel was really the
man with the iron jaw. He had
actually meant what he said! Some
of the politicians and machine hands
realized this with a shudder, but
, they were impotent The governor
had the state assembly placed in a
position wherein it was compelled to
sustain his program, even when 1t
ran counter to the desires and inter.
ests Of its members.
All over the state there was de-
mand for money and more money.
In the cities there was a cry for reve-
nue. to take the place Of the liquor
license money which was being cut
off as districts voted dry There
were extra expenditures because of
Legislation which would authorize the
issuance of bonds to practically I'M
limited amounts. All manner of raids
upon the treasury were planned, but
against them all the governor reso-
lutely set his face-and it was the
face of a lion.
Even when the absolute necessity
of an expenditure was admittedly
evident to the executive he would
not stand for the opening of a new
loophole in taxation. Something
much akin to a budget system for
regulating appropriations was found.
More than a hundred boards and
commissions were consolidated into
nine departments of public service.
the Lads Of which form a sort of
gubeinatorial cabinet The state
board OF equalization, which had be.
come political machine was abol-
ished, and in its stead there stands
a small and compact tax commission
Of experts, headed by the governor.
Under the Lowden spur the Illinois
assembly was first under the wire in
ratification of the suffrage amend
ment, and the state has ernbarke ed
on program for the imm ediate
building of S60,000,000 worth of good
roads without adding to the present
tax rate. Likewise, the state is
taking care Of the present and future
of every returning soldier.
Colonel Lowden severed all official
connection with the Pullman com
pany when he went into politics, and
since that time he has not hesitated
stances warranted. Now it is about
the best-behayed service corporation
in the state.