Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-08-22

n a found that everywhere IN
Il q that vast region the Demo
Gratis have their war clothes
on and are fighting tooth and nail to
redeem Iowa, Minnesota and Wiscon-
sin. They appear to have first rate
chance to capture three congressional
seats from Iowa, at least two in Min
nesota and somewhere from one-third
to one-half the Wisconsin delegation.
In the Hawkeye State the Republicans
are split up the back ON the tariff
trust question. Governor Cummins ap-
pears to be sort Of bull in the Re
publican china shop, while Colonel
Hepburn, Major Lacy and Judge Smith
will have the fight of their lives to get
back to congress. Cummins is dead
against the old machine, headed by
Allison, Henderson, Dolliver ct al, and
it is war to the knife and the knife to
the hilt. The Horace Boies caper bids
fair to be repeated.
In Minnesota and Wisconsin the
deuce is to pay. Disgruntlement among
Republicans seems to be the order Of
the day. Governor Van SAINT is max
ing war on the trusts; but, as Repub-
Leans created the trusts and can't live
without them, Van SAINT is having a
rocky road to travel. In the Mime
apolis district that brave and fortunate
Democrat, Governor John Lind, who
has an amazing record of success, is
hot foot after General Lorin Fletcher,
one of the most amiable Republicans
in congress. They will have the pref
test fight in America. General Fetch
er is certain of a nomination, but in
distress as to the election, while Hon.
james A. Tawney is having bitter
fight for even denomination. In Wis
consin the fight is so unrelent1ng be-
tween the La Folletteites and the anti
La Folletteites, the Spoonerites and the
anti-Spoonerites, the Babcockltes and
the -Babcockites, that the state is
liable to so Democratic horse, foot and
dragons, as it did in 1892, the year of
the Democratic flood.
The GID. and the Republican Split.
1t will be remembered by the readers
of these letters that not long since the
st. Louis Globe-Democrat belabored
me for declaring in my Bangor (Me0
speech that the Republicans are split
up the back and that it declared I'M
equivocally that "the Republican col
umn is solid" AS further evidence
that was right and the CD. wrong
1 submit the foregoing remarks as to
| conditions in the northwest and also
what follows.
Item.-Lesiie's Weekly, Republican,
bears this emphatic testimony to the
splits in the Republican party:
It ia time to ask, in all seriousness,
whefheg the death of William Mckinley
marked the apogee of the Republican
party. While we are drifting apart on
question OF trade with Cuba the Democ-
racy IL getting together. While such rock
ribbed Republican states as Vermont,
Ohio and Pennsylvania are being torn by
clashing factions the Democratic leaders
| are falling into line in solid ranks and
preparing for the contest Of 1904.
Is our leadership lost? Less than o
year has elapsed since the pitiful death of
the lanented Mckinley, and we find a
| third Of the Republican membership of
| the senate, representing dozen states,
| nearly an Republican, in opposition to
| the administration. And over what? A
| perpleXing tariff question:! This is not q
new question for the Republican party to
| handle. 1t was far more difficult for
| William Mckinley to adjust 1t for all the
| country than it is for the present admin
| istration to settle it for the little republic
| of Cuba. William Mckinley settled it, as
| he did every other question in his time
| Ri
| conciliating, by harmonizing, by making
| concessions and, whenever necessary, by
| compromising.
Evidences of Soiidity.
Item.-While it is seeking informa-
ton the CD. might be instructed by
gluing it's optic to the following plain
words from the Chicago Inter Ocean
Republican):
The Republican party believes in pro-
lection, and in reciprocity as the compile
ment of protection, and in Justice to Cuba
as national duty, and upholds Theodore
| Roosevelt and Elihu Root and Leonard
| Wood in their efforts to fulfill party
| pledges and to keep the nations faith as
it was pledged by William Mckinley.
So to believe and SO to do are plain du.
ties imposed upon the Republican party
by the greatest protectionists in It's pres.
do less, would mean neither protection
nor free trade, but simply brazen repudi.
alton and falsehood.
And all the soft sophstries and honeyed
evasions in the language Of politics would
! fail to hide such a wrong or to adorn
| such lie.
| OF course the fact that the CD. is
against Cuban reciprocity while the
! president, Inter Ocean ct al. are for
it shows "a solid Republican column"
| 1tem.-While the CD. is advocating
Senator Marcus A. Hanna's pro-
gramme, Keep on letting well enough
alone!" it would profit mentally by
| studying the following interview given
| by western Republican congressman
to the Washington correspondent of
| the Chicago Record-Herald:
! This means that we have got to revise
| the tariff The American people know
| that the average protection on the prod
uct of the steel trust is nearly 40 per cent.
They know that on account of this pro-
lection there is no foreign competition in
our market. They know that the prices
of iron and steel are from rs to SO per
cent higher than they should be and that
these prices, which enable the trust to
roll up such enormous profits, are made
possible by the high tariff. In other
words the steel trust is taking out of
| other industries $20000,000 or $50, 600 900 a
| year more than it is fairly entitled to and
more than 1t could take did not the fed
| eral government bar out legitimate COM
| petition. This is using a government of
| the people to rob the people, and here is
| the question which the Republican party
mas TO face. The sooner we make up our
minds to 1t the better will it be for the