Des Moines News Leader
Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa
Sunday Morning, February 23, 1902, page 3

MT.AYR, Feb. 22. - Special). -- During the progress of the HUNTER trial, which occupied the attention of the district court and the public in Mt. Ayr and vicinity for ten days, political matters were temporarily eclipsed. Now that "Matt" HUNTER has been so effectually retired from circulation, attention is again directed to politics. Dr. PRENTISS (sic, should be PRENTIS) of Delphos, having retired rather suddenly from the political arena owing to the opposition of the machine element, two aspirants for state offices have made semi-official announcement of the attention to enter the lists. These are C. G. STRANAHAN, clert of the court in this [Ringgold] county, and Joseph WALL, county auditor.

Mr. STRANAHAN, pictured at right, aspires to the nomination for clerk of the supreme court, while Mr. WALL would not decline a nomination to succeed Frank MERRIAM for state auditor. This is the plum which Dr. PRENTISS sought to knock, but immediately he announced his candidacy the "reservation" chief, headed by Editor TEDFORD of the Ringgold Record, Howard TEDFORD, his son and state binder, Postmaster DELABMUTT, T. E. SHELDON, ex-chairman of the county central committee, John FRY, a "telephone" farmer, and Dr. HORN, set up an outcry and made so much noise that Dr. PRENTISS, fearing he could not carry a majority of the Eighth district counties, though assured of Ringgold, withdrew to bide his time till the prospects are brighter.

As soon as Dr. PRENTISS' withdrawal was announced, Joseph WALL, a faithful member of the local Tammany, gave it to be understood that he would not be averse to accepting the nomination for state auditor if presented to him gracefully. Mr. WALL overdid the diffident act and, misconstruing his feigned shyness for bashful timidity, Charley STRANAHAN caused it to be proclaimed that he would pay the entrance fee and enter the race for nomination for clerk of the supreme court. But the suggestion did not appeal to the managers, and it is hinted Mr. STRANAHAN will be turned down and disciplined for his rash act in obruding himself in the path of the Hon. Joseph WALL, who seems to have received the official brand from the dominating machine crowd.

It has developed the past week that preceding the withdrawal of Dr. PRENTISS from the race for state auditor efforts were made by some of the [Gov.] CUMMINS people in this district to effect a reconciliation between J. W. BLYTHE of the Burlington road and Dr. PRENTISS, with a view of securing for him the support of the distinguished railroad attorney. The reply was the announcement of Joseph WALL as a candidate for the same office for which Dr. PRENTISS aspired. It being evident the "reservation" crowd would oppose Dr. PRENTISS, his withdrawal followed, upon suggestion by his friends that it would be better for him to wait until a more favorable time.

Mr. STRANAHAN has always trained with the "machine" crowd in Ringgold politics, but it is apparent his candidacy for clerk is not regarded with favor by Mr. SPENCE, Mr. SHELDON, John FRY and Postmaster DELAHUMUTT, and he will not be permitted to disrupt the plans made for the succession of Mr. WALL to the office if the gentlemen named can defeat him. Mr. STRANAHAN is serving his third term as county clerk. He is a very pompetent officer and is popular in Ringgold county. The indications are quite promising for some pyrotechnic politics in Ringgold county before the primaries next fall.

The republicans are split into warring factions. The machine, dominated by the Burlington company and its satalitcs, has possession of the party machinery and will use it for their own benefit. On the other hand, the masses of the republicans in the county, that is the farmers and the common people arein hearty accord with the anti-machine element led by Dr. PRENTISS, H. W. WILSON and Walter BEALL. These gentlemen measured strength with the other crowd on a certain historic occasion last fall, when the machine tried to win out by holding a mass convention and packing it with the floaters from towns on the line of the railroad. These latter were given free transportation to Mt. Ayr on the day of the convention and were also supplied with meal tickets. But the sturdy farmers of Ringgold county responded to the call for assistance made by BEALL through his paper, and when the votes were counted, the anti-machine had won by a majority of 109 in a total of nearly 1,100 votes.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, May of 2009