The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-31
IOWA IS A CLOSE STATE.
This Much Admitted by Garrison in
an Interview in New
York.
He Also Says That Minneapolis
Gan Take Care OF the
Convention.
EoIes, Cleveland and Hill In the West
Favors Local option-Dumb on
Republican Preference.

= L .. btepuDliC1Au ITeicTehCbs
EEw YORK, Dec. 30.-Chairman James S.
Clarkson, of the republican national COM
~rnittee, has retuI ned from II visit of two or
three weeks to the west, and is at the Plaza
hotel. In company with Sergeant at Arms
Meeks he vent to Minneapolis and looked
over the facilities for handling tho national
convention there. After comforting with
the local committee and outlining to its
members what would be needed ia tie way
of accommodations for the more than 800
delegates, Mr.. Clarkson went to Iowa and
looked over the political situation in his old
state. Then he went to Chicago to attend
to some details of 'cs and business.
He said he expected I'd main in New York
for the rest of the wiz
Minneapolis peopI ,an take care of the
convention in pretty good shape" Mr..
Clarkson said. "They have hotels enough
to give the delegates accommodations
within a short distance Of each other. which
is a very desirable thing. The citizens
there are aroused on the subject of making
their part of the convention successful to .
remarkable degree. Citizens are rushing
to the front with offers of their residences
to be placed at the disposition Of the local
committee for the accommodation of visi-
tors. Many of the visitors will doubtless
go to st. Paul, which is but twenty minutes
awav, and there are large hotels at Lake
Minnetonka, which will be less than a half
hours ride from the convention hall.
This hall can be made to accommodate
more than 10, 900 people easily. 1t is now
being remodeled to increase its seating
capacity. The people feel that more will
be expected of them than would be expected
in Chicago and things which would be over
looked in Chicago will be regarded MS seri-
ous grievances in Minneapolis. The con-
vention will be a big undertaking for
the place, but the city is larger than Chi
cage was when it had the convention in the
sixties, and will, I think, be able to take
care of it,"
will the democratic convention 20 to
st. Paul?" Mr.. Clarkson was asked.
"Ihey are making preparations for it,"
he said. ''Ihe city authorities are building
An auditorium Tor the convention hall, II
all the peopIs are interested in presenting
the claims of the city to the national dem
cratic committee. st. Paul could accom-
modate the democratic convention as we'll
as Minneapolis the republican,"
Mr.. Clarkson said hat numerous inter
views on political subjects had been at
tributed to him on his trip west. lie had
not said many of the things he had been
made to say in the newspapers. Then he
discussed Iowa politics and took a some
what different view of the causes which led
to the election of Gov. Boies than do those
who attribute his election solely to the pro-
hibition issue.
~ Ss0il,. l..a = Q T..,,o -. 1;,-oa.l -
couple the political fortunes Of Gov. Boies
with those OF Grover Cleveland" Gen.
Clarkson said when asked if the democrats
we're pushing Gov. Boies for the presidency:
''Ihey put Cleveland and Boies in the same
team. II Cleveland stock is up, Boies stock
goes with it, and vice versa"
How. with a free coinage plank in the
Platform on which he was elected, can
Boies be SO closely associated with Mr..
ClevelandY" MIR. Clarkson was asked.
'sThe issue on which he was elected was
tariff reform rather than free silver" said
Gen. Clarkson. Tariff reform, with the
local prohibition issues. was the chief issue
on which Boies' fight was made. Boies is
counted as being IA follower of MI. Cleye-
land on the taritf-reform question. He was
originally a republican, who adopted Mr..
Cleveland's tariff-reform ideas, and he is
supposed to hold essentially the same views
as the ex-president on the tariff issue now.
The two men have been associated together
for years. If / remember correctly, they
were neighbors in Buffalo.
"Democrats in the west do not think that
Hill has gained anything lately. | saw two
or three prominent democrats. who told me
that, with Blaine and Hill rs the candi-
dates, they would support Blaine. They
were strong in their sentiment against
Hill"
Gen. Clarkson said that he was mott II favor
of the republicans of Iowa insisting On
prohibition all over the state any longer,
and he had told some of them SO on his
visit west. II told theni," he said, II was
in favor of making prohibition the general
law of the state, giving local option to the
counties. There is a number of tho coun-
ties along the Mississippi river i'll which
prohibition eannot be enforced. They are
composed almost wholly of foreign popula-
ton and would DO strongly opposed to any
license fees. | am i'll favor of letting those
fix their own license fees, and by
doing that the democrats in those counties
would be obliged to shoulder the respon-
sibilitv for the results"
lis Iowa to be democratic state in the
No" said Mr.. Clarkson.
rs it to be u doubtful s~tate?"
sit Is Il close state" he said.
When tho question of candidate on the
republican side next year was suggested, Mr..
fought shy, He was not disposed
to talk on that subject.
"Is the west for Rlaine?" he was asked.
II didn't have muoh time to investigate
that ques tion, he said.