Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1920-07-21
State Convention at Cedar Rapids
July 20 Will Not Be Loyefest
According to the Present
Outlook. 1
ROW STARTED AT SAN
FRANCISCO TO CONTINUE
Present State Central Committee to
Fight for Control With Mere
dith Herring Faction
State Candidates May
Withdraw From
Ticket

tions are that the democratic stare
convention to be held in Cedar Rap
ids July 29 will be no love feast.
Instead a fight will be staged be-
tween the two factions which were
alienated at San Francisco for state
control with possibilities that ths
convention will be confronted with.
the alternative of electing a state
central committee favorable to tbs
Meredith Porter Herring wing of the
party or nominating partially new
state ticket. .--' .'.-
If Wilbur Marsh of Waterloo,
Nick" Reed, of Ottuwwa and
doc" Reynolds, of Creston, win out
in the state convention in re- -electing
their cohorts to the state central
committee there is possibility that
Herring will withdraw as a candi-
date for governor and Porter as a
candidate for United States senator.
While the San Francisco conven-
tion served to bring into the lime
light the two factions in the demo-
cratic party and to emphasize the
lack of harmony between the two,
The factionalism has long been evi-
dent. 1t was evident when Meredith
ian for United States senator in
1914 and particularly evident when
he ran against Harding for governor
in 1916 and the republican candi-
date polled a heavy democratic vote.
1t was evident again in January this
year when Williams Jennings Bryan
accepted an invitation to come to
Des Moines for conference with
middle west leaders as proposed by
Postmaster George Huffman and the
state central committee called a con-
terence two days later than the date
OF Bryan's visit in seeming opposi-
ton to the conference of Bryan fol.
lowers.
The tight seems destined now to.
come to a showdown at the Cedar
Rapids convention in the selection of
the state central committee. The
Meredith Porter Herring faction Is
row talking of running Steve" Hill
OF Des Moines, seventh district com.
for chairman of the state
central committee. Hill is presi.
Gent OF the American Lithopraphic
company of Des Moines and is
printer by trade who has been sue
cessful in business. Hill and Mere
dtth have been personal friends for
many years.
1t is well known fact that the
democrats who accept their party
nomination for office recognize that
their chances for election are slim
unless circumstances are exception
ally favorable and as a rule they
take the attitude of being drafted
for the good of the ticket nationally
when they run for state office. Hence
men like Meredith, Herring and Por-
ter are not inclined to stay hitched
~ PoAty tiShCI IL lucy Iecl tQaT
other members of the party refuse to
work with them when they look to
them for support.
1t was recognized before the Iowa
delegation started for San Francisco
that 1t was Cox delegation. It was
the talk among those on the inside
during the pre- convention DAYS that
sixteen of the twenty six delegates
from Iowa We're going to vote for
Cox when the time came. This is ex
actly what happened as the vote at
San Francisco revealed.
So the fight which is looming large
in the coming state democratic con.
Vention is the selection OF Commit
teemen and particularly of the state
chairman. Unless some compromise
is effected the party may be split
wide open leaving the field in this
state largely to the republicans.