Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 3.djvu/257

 U. Coats for Governor; A. B. Wray, Lieutenant-Governor; J. A. Harvey, Judge of the Supreme Court; Ella Moffatt, Superintendent of Public Instruction; and Wesley Suddoth, Railroad Commissioner. The platform made the usual declarations.

The great interest of the campaign was concentrated upon a remarkable contest which began early in the ranks of the Republican party for the control of the State Convention by two well defined wings of the party. Albert B. Cummins, a brilliant lawyer living in Des Moines, was a prominent candidate for United States Senator in 1894, when Ex-Governor John H. Gear was nominated by the Republican caucus of the Twenty-fifth General Assembly. In 1900, he was again a candidate for the same position when Governor Gear was a candidate for reelection. His supporters were enthusiastic and remarkably well organized and for a time it seemed not improbable that he might be successful. But in addition to his great personal following and eminent qualifications for the position he had filled with marked ability. Governor Gear had the active support of most, if not all, of his colleagues from Iowa in Congress, as well as that of the old time Republicans of the State and most of the Federal officials. Mr. Cummins and his friends made a determined contest and their followers throughout the State were numerous among the younger men who organized a compact wing of the party, which came near winning a victory. When the campaign opened for nomination of a candidate for Governor to succeed Shaw, Mr. Cummins friends at once announced that he would be a candidate for that position. The dominant wing of the party, which had controlled its political conventions and selected its candidates for many years, now endeavored to unite upon a candidate who could defeat the nomination of Mr. Cummins. In the years which had elapsed since he had entered the field of politics Mr. Cummins was inclined to act independently of the party leaders and now had the largest personal following of any