Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-08-08
The OPENING ADDRESS
Speech Of Hon. j. c. Davis Before the Repub.
lican Convention Today.


responsive chord that name strikes in
the breast of every one of her patriotic
and loyal sons! Iowa-so POLITICALLY and
appropriately named 1.-The beautiful
land" Iowa-an inland empire, bounded,
upon either side, by two mighty and
majestic rivers, natures regulators Of
commerce, capable, should necessity re-
Guire, of carrying upon their ample
bosoms the commerce of the great Mis-
sissippi valley to the cities of the sea.
The fact that an all-wise Providence has
hot given us the usual generous yield of
the fruits of the earth does not disheart-
en the farmers of Iowa, nor detract
from their splendid courage. For so
many years her fertile soil has re-
sponded with generous prodigallty to
the industry of the husbandman that we
Rave a reserve of riches to Withstand
some reverses. and Iowa. in her normal
conditions in time of harvest presents a
scene as fair as Imagination can picture,
| with fields of golden grain, reaching
from horizon to horizon, that have sub
mitted to the hand of the harvester
fields of growing corn, that staple Iowa
product. reaching its proud and tas-
seled head to drink the dew and meet
the dawn" bounded in extent only by
the limit of human visiona veritable
garden of Eden. possessed by a happy.
prosperous and contented people. Will a
i brief glance at Iowa history at this time
be inappropriate? Admitted as state
| into the union in 1s46, with an insignifi-
cant population of but little more than
100000 people, confined largely to the
| shores of the streams and rivers, the
great, the growing and the powerful
| northwest an unbroken prairie, she has
grown by leaps and bounds until he.
population now numbers 2.2Sl, 1853. Nc
great city or populous center controls
the political affairs of this state. We
have no opulently rich to Cypress nor
have we the desperately poor to claim
our sympathy in their distress; but we
seem to have realized the prayer of the
! prophet when he said, Give me neither
poverty nor riches"
4 An Iowa delegate convention, coming
as it does in fairly equal proportions
from all quarters of the state, truly rep
resents the feelings and the desires OF
cur people. Our material growth would
seem to exceed the highest fights Of the
Imagination. The free education of her
children is the greatest gift state can
/ ~
POWER; and Iowa gives to each of her
children a liberal education, free as the
air they breathe. The per cent of litter
acy in Iowa is but three and five-tenths.
We have in this state 1851 school
| houses, containing 1881 school rooms.
presided over by 2s,7s9 eachers. with an
enrolment of 566,223 bright. promising
boys and girls. The institutions where
III we care for our unfortunates, the
Blind the deaf, the dumb, the insane and
the incorrigible are all that science.
wealth and humanity can suggest and
/ produce.
1 The value of Iowa farm lands in 1896
was $1,0SS, 063. 06s. The annual value of
farm products in 1900 was s229, s05,0 59.
The corn crop in 1900 aggregated 35S.-
3e5,oo0 bushels. The other cereals,
wheat oats rye, barley and flax, u.s.
475,ooO bushels. The value of live stock,
cattle and swine, s13s 100000 The
amount of butter produced in the state,
175,OOo.0oo pounds, valued at more than
4 S37, 00o. 900.
4 Verify we are nation OF farmers,
and are proud of it. When my friend,
LATE Young. or any other Iowa editor,
asks, in the columns of his newspaper,
Whats the matter with Iowa." let the
farmers of this state rise in unison and
say, Whats the matter with Iowa I?
Nothing's the matter of Iowa: she's all
right" Did you ever hear of an Iowa
bond being on the market? Do YOU
know of any warrants issued by the
state of Iowa, in the hands of the mon
ey changers? She does not owe sin
gle dollar Of debt. The last report of
the state treasurer shows, available
funds in excess Of s1,500,0OO, which is
|ample to meet all just obligations Can
we conceive of more splendid showing
of material prosperity than our state
4 can make?
I To what political party can these in
comparable results be attributed? The
state of Iowa, during almost all the
prosperous years of her statehood, has
Il been under the continuous control and
direction of the republican party. From
the great war governor, elected in 1861.
down to the present able, conscientious
z and patriotic executive, with the excep-
4 ton of two short terms when the re-
publicans of Iowa went away into
b idolatry and followed after false gods,
the state has been under the guidance
OF republican governors and republican
legislators. Has not the party right
to be proud of it's craftsmanship?
! But the products of Iowa in which we
take our greatest pride are our SPLEEN
did men and beautiful women. Have
you ever contemplated the controlling
influence the state of Iowa exercises in
national affairs? Go to that grave and
reverend body the United States SEN
late, and ask for the wisest and the
most eloquent member Of that body
and the senior and junior senators from
the state of Iowa will be selected. Go
to the more turbulent and democratic
body, the house of representatives, and
ask which member of the body exer-
cises the greatest power and influence
upon legislation, and you will be told
that the member of that body who con.
trolls its legislation and at whose beck
and nod laws are enacted or prevented
and who in many instances yields more
power than the president himself, II
a gallant and popular son of Iowa. Oul
representatives in congress-, individu-
ally and as delegation, are the equa
in influence, power and wisdom, Of
any in the Union. In the cabinet O,
the president sits son of Iowa whose
energy and discretion in the conduct o,