Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-05-14
APLATFoRm PREDICTION.

from Iowa appearing in the democratic
and independent papers of the east nave
caused the Minneapolis Tribune to OBJ
serve that 1T would be self delusior
to suppose that any tremendously vita
public issue is involved in the Iowa
idea" The conclusion it draws is thai
the rumpus that has been stirred up II
Iowa is due entirely to the chickering's
! of personal jealousies among Iowa pol
iticians. The observation is not very
! far from the truth Of the situation
either, altho the Tribune evidently lacks
! information as to the history of the dis
sension. Here in Iowa it is well known
that at Cedar Rapids In 1901 George
Roberts came direct from conferences
with President Mckinley and Senator
Allison and wrote the shelter to mon
opoly," plank in the Iowa republican
platform while Cummins was wagins
the fight of his life to keep his political
enemies from unseating enough dele
+. gates to prevent his nomination for the
goyernorship. Cummins and his friends
had all they could attend to without
asking any questions about platforms,
in fact the organization of convention
committees was controlled by the fac
ton determined to pound Cummins in
10 the earth and Cummins had to Sc
cure the adoption of a minority report
from the credentials committee in or
der to keep his delegates in the con-
vention.
For nearly a year the plank was ac-
cepted as good republican doctrine and
endorsed by every republican news
paper in Iowa. Roosevelt became presi-
dent and prominent in trust discussion.
Shaw became secretary of the treasury
with ambitions for the vice. presi-
dency. Cummins began to attract pub
lie attention outside OF Iowa by his
presidential possibility because he in
terpreted the Iowa platform to breathe
q spirit OF opposition to the growth of
monopoles A check to over-capitali-
cation and conservative republican tar
iii reduction were the Cummins theme.
All of sudden, like the burst of thun-
der from "a clear sky, every newspaper
in Iowa that harbored grudge against
Cummins simultaneously discovered
dangerous democratic doctrine in the
Cummins speeches and when the gov
ernor shrewdly entrenched himself be-
/ hind the Iowa platform consistency de-
nlanded that the platform itself be at
tackled, which was done.
The issue eliminated in the work of
the next state convention in giving
language OF the previous platform not
SO much because any great principle
had been re-affirmed, but because the
republicans of Iowa who had once been
unanimous in their support of that plat
form could see nothing but fractional
jealousies in its opposition then AMI
they were not going to allow Cummins
to be turned down.
The attacks We're renewed, however.
Henderson losing his grip upon his
political constituency fed in panic
with an attempt to saddle what he un-
doubtedly believed would be public
calamity. upon the tariff idea OF the
Iowa platform. Shaw kept up his
Knocking" and many of the Iowa con-
gresham who had opposed the rise of
Cummins TO political prominence joined
in Misrepresentation OF the Iowa idea.
Factionalism and personal jealousies
ran riot until the conservative ele-
ment in the party called a conference
which resulted in plan for harmony.
Since then every move upon the politi-
cal checker board has been guided by
the players in the interests of harmony
and when bothssides play for the same
goal the result ought not to be subject
for speculation.
However, harmony within the repub-
lican party is not pleasant thing for
democrats to contemplate nor is it as
thrilling theme for space writer's as
continued factionalism, hence the spe-
cial correspondence that has appeared
| from Iowa to justify scare heads in
many an eastern journal. AS matter
OF fact the men in Iowa who really
know what will be done in the way of
platform making are keeping silent.
They have agreed upon harmony AMI
I, their compact does not include ar
| rangements for the obsequies of either
the Iowa idea or the faction that has
! been attacking 1t. None but a fool
could expect harmony from either side
in a platform surrendering all its con-
tentions. Senator Allison has been un-
|; animously selected to officiate yet his
s. newspaper spokesman. the Dubuque
q Times, continues to shout vigorously
q for conservative, republican reduction
of tariff schedules that afford monopo.
\ listic concerns an 'inordinate" profit
which is the Iowa idea. AT the same
Il time we'll defined rumors indicate that
7 the phraseology of the platform will
/ be changed to eliminate the terms