The weekly clarion., 1874-07-02
rEaa INDEPENDENTS.

Iowa for the past fifteen years has been
Republican by from thirty TO sixty thous-
and majority, except at the election of
last wear when the Democratic managers
took their party out Of the arena and
left the fed TO the Independents who
boldly threw down the gage and offered
battle to all comers The consequence
was that in a hand to hand fight, they
reduced the Radical majority in the popu-
lar vote to less than ten thousand and
in the Legislature secured au equal mum
Der Of members with their adversaries
Thus emboIdened, this new party, COM
posed Of the best materials of both the
old organizations, have again entered
the list and has stripped for the combat in
the coming fall elections.
The importance Of the movement Of
which these Iowa Independents are a
part, its purposes, and promising pros
poets, warrant US in reproducing for the
information Of our readers its declaration
Of principles. 1t viii be found elsewhere
in this paper.
None will gainsay the soundness Of the
maxims which the Independents have
enunciated as the basis Of their organiza-
ton They are great truths in 1hich th7
foundation Of ali free government rests.
Especially do the Independents commend
themselves 10 the respect and sympathy
Of the people Of the misruled States for
their strong protest against the wrongs
which have been inflicted upon these COM
munities. They have not used language
Of doubtful meaning to characterize these
wrongs; nor left it TO be conjectured where
they will stand in the battle Of local self
government against ccntralism.
On the question of Railroads, they
avoid the excesses to which other organi-
zations have run, in the desire Of dema-
gogues to keep pace with the raging ma
MIA Of the hour While they demand
such constitutional necessary legislation,
"both State and national, as Will effect
''ualiy secure the industrial and produc-
ing interests against all forms of corpor-
ate monopoly and extortion" they have
taken care to avoid the other extreme of
warfare on public enter
prises essential to the prosperity Of the
country and to discountenance any
"'action ON this subject calculated to
''retard the progress Of Railroad enter
& prise or work injustice to those invalu-
able auxiiiaries to commerce and civili-
. zation
On the Currency question, it will be
seen that the Iowa independents have
taken a much more moderate view in
the matter Qt expansion than their breth-
ren of Indiana Nevertheless, they de
mand that Congress shall provide by APP
propriate legislation that 1.-The volume of
our government currency shall at all /
times be adequate to the general busi-
ness and commerce of the country and |
'be equitabIy distributed among the
several States" F." This is really the only
.afe rule Of action Let the necessities
If the country and not the cravings of
srasping monopolists be the guage by
which TO determine what should be the
.Xtent Of the circulating medium.
Passing over some non-essential details,
uch as the Temperance issue u1fortun-
tely lugged into the platform and un-
worthy of consideration really, and look
ng at this platform Of the Independents
$ a'whole, we confess to a decided par
iality for it; and must admit that it has
wakened within US a lively interest III
he contest upon which its authors have
ntered, 1t viii be remembered that the
Democratic party, 60 nomiae, does not ex-
st any more in Iowa; and the contest
VII be between the Radicals and Inde-
endents.