Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-11-10
IOWA LEADERSHIP TESTED.

ISioux City Tribune, ind. dem.]
To the democrats of Iowa the election
returns for this year must be particu-
larly significant of the desire and
necessity for a change of leaders. The
democratic party in Iowa was substan-
tial and prosperous not many years
ago; it had the general respect of the
the people of the state and was in every
way satisfactory opposition party,
carrying many counties regularly, and
many others when the republicans
made bad nominations. and carrying
. the state when the republicans sup
ported bad policies. But the Cleveland
administration disappointed some dem
ocrats. There We're not many offices to
give out, and there We're many aspir-
ants. He alienated others because he
failed to recognize sufficiently the state
organization, and made appointments
around about upon local or foreign in
llorsements. Then Governor Boies
made the mistake of becoming can
didate for third tirm-the mistake of
his life. Then Ranck. the renegade
democrat in johnson county, who was
chairman of the state committee, abdi-
Gated his Craftsmanship to Charley
in public affairs, and Walsh, Murphy,
Van Wagenen and a few others misled
| Governor Boies into the belief that he
| should support financial proposition
unsound in economics and based upon
the theory that the people We're too ig-
norant and avaricious to care for good
money. This was accompanied with
the abandonment of the democratic de-
4 f.~,. n md
1 for personal liberty. demands which
had been made regularly in Iowa for
many years. and upon which the people
were properly enlightened. This year
/ the same implacable leadership refused
| the gubernatorial nomination to Cato
Sells who had been trimming between
/ the factions for three years, with the
1 single hope of being compromise can
| didate and reuniting the party Be
cause he had not been clamorous 10 tc
1 advocate, Murphy demanded his heac
and got it, but after getting 1t ne was
unable to move the body, and the party
swung over to another suntried issue
| that of imperialism. NO issue couic
be Joined on this proposition because
the republicans denied any imperiallstit
/ purpose and the body of the democrats
i themselves did not believe 1t. SO tht
| party has gone from bad to worse un-
der this leadership until now there is
absolutely no hope for 1t. If ever there
was an utter failure of leadership; II
4 ever there was condemnation visited
jupon leaders, it was demonstrated ant
4 effected in the Iowa campaign TINS
year. And. now that there is no hope
/ of obtaining Office by coalition with th'
farmer financlers. the greenbackers, TN
/ populists the silver republicans, the
1 Aruinaldo contingent and all such I'M
4 stable. unknown and undemocratit
/ quantities, the democrats who have
hoped for other things and continued il
the party, had better assert their RICH
as original democrats and insist upor
i their having something to say in th'
4 future. There is no room for difference
of opinion over the cause of the DECLINE
and failure OF the democratic party II
/ Iowa, and there is no excuse for cpntin
uing along the line of failure. Let tn
democrats who are patriots "abou
face and insist ppon the maintenance
of an opposition party which will pro
tect the interests of the taxpayers
business men, home owners, by beint
respectable enough to deserve the con
fidencc of the majority of the electors
When they do, majority will appreci
are them