Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-07-03
Entered Mt the Fostoflice at Marshalltowi
Iowa. as sccund-ciass mail matter.
CONVENTION uNpERCuRRENTs.

The underground currents of state
|convention always convey the most
Interesting information. To see what
appears on the surface without Know
ing the men and without knowing the
schemes and counter-schemes that
were sprung In the negotiations OF the
day before is to look upon the dial OF q
convention time-piece and watch the
hands mark off the hours without see
ling the wheels at work behind. fof
this reason the day before convention
Is always one of fully as great interest
as the day in the convention nail.
Wednesdays convention was not one Oh
spirited contests, yet it had results APP
parent to experienced convention OBJ
servers. tho not found In the routine re-
port of the press. For instance, the
efforts OF a coterie of congressman to
change a platform on the day before
the convention, which had been settled
upon by such leaders as Allison. Cum
MINIS, Blythe and Perkins two months
before in the interests of harmony, can
have no other result than to force Alli-
son and Perkins into the same ranks
with Dolliver and Cummins on this
tariff issue. 1t was made Enthusiastically
evident in the hotel lobbies that Secre-
tary Wilson is an ardent supporter of
the platform as 1t stands. The verdict
of three great conventions now en-
dorses the doctrine of tariff revision IN
the house of projections friends and
the rather rigid views held by Lacey,
Cousins and Hepburn will long for
company among Iowa republicans.
So intense had become factional feel
ing on this issue that it was at times
p!tiful. The friends OF the Cummins
administration were in Il large major
lily. Editor Perkins hid advised the
standpatters long ago that this would
be SO. j. w. Blythe knew it probably
as soon as any one, which VIII account
for his Willingness to enter into mar
mony compact Yet d few anti
Cummins congressman rever let up In
their attacks upon the organization un-
til the last hour of the convention. They
would have Pete Hepburn for tempo
rary chairman to spring a fire-eaung
standpat speech, but this was thwarted
lin the central committee by selecting
Editor Perkins, who, while not Cum
Minis partisan, was reasonable tafli
revisionist Then came the compro-
mise. Blythe suggested il to Cunmins
and Cummins proposed Allison for the
third party. Cummins wrote the plank
ard Allison and Blythe criticised II,
which caused a few changes TO be made
acceptable to the governor. The latter
friends and advisors, who were asked
for suggestions. A few minor changes
resulted. Deliver and other Washing
ton leaders were consulted and a sec
ord conference was held at which Mr..
Perkins was invited to join the original
three. A draft of the Iowa idea plank
was settled upon there and those news
paper men who saw that draft more
than two months ago now know that
only the single word therefore" has
since been eliminated and not another
either changed or added. The disturb
ing stories circulated about the plat
form have all been fiction from the per-
turbed brains Of standrat journalists
who had not been taken into the Sc
cret. In this respect Times Republican
readers have not been deceived.