Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-09
TARIFF REVISION
Question May Be Fought Out
in Iowa Convention.
GOV. CUMMINs' IDEA
WHAT Is ExPHCrED OF THE
PRESIDENT.
Plan to Leave the Revisionists No Al
tentative but the Democratic Party
Interesting Bit Of Gossip.

The national question Of tariff revision
which confronts the republican party may
practically be fought out at the approach
| ing Iowa state convention. The Iowa
idea is the extreme Interpretation Of tariff
| revision, and Governor Cummins Is the ex-
ponent of the Iowa idea. This has been a
bad week for Governor Cummins and the
idea. President Roosevelt and Senator ALI
son have hit them some hard blows.
1t is said by persons familiar with Iowa
politics that unless Governor Cammins gets
| a platform in consonance with hts fight for
tariff revision he may get out of the guber-
| Material race. If tariff revision is discredft-
ed in the home Of it's strongest friends the
stand patters'' believe they can kill it in
other states long in advance Of the coming
presidential campaign.
On the Defensive.
There are indications that tariff revision
is at this writing on the defensive, instead
of being an aggressive force, conducting
propaganda The influences which prevailed
upon President Roosevelt to lean toward a
stand pat" program are consequently jubi-
liant. *
The consistent program Of sthe stand
patters" has been to commit the leaders of
the party to an attitude which leaves the
tariff revision republicans no choice but to
follow the democrats. There la to be no
halfway house where they can rest. To es-
tablish such would in their opinion be to
create nucleus for the gathering sof the
dlscontented republicans OF the middle
west.
II the plan works out there will be no
such nucleus. The tariff revistonist will be
told that the republican party is not ready
TO revise the tariff, but advocates letting
well enough alone and reaping more of the
lialvest OF tne protective system. If the
revisionist does not like it, let him toin the
democratic party.
That. indeed, would be hard alternative
1or the republican revisionist. The mana
gers ger. ngure that he would endure tie evils
that presently affiict him, rather than fly
TO the democrats for succof. So the re-
pupllcan leaders have apparently started
IN to whack the Iowa idea early and oHsen.
When Roosevelt Gets to Town.
When President Roosevelt reaches Iowa,
they expect him to follow the pace hBafias
set In Wisconsin and Minnesota. II he
does, they calculate he will clean out
the Cummins faction. swing the pendulum,
which now seems faltering. to the extreme
and clinch the sentiment of the state for
the stand patters." 80
Gov. Cummins expects denomination.
The convention will be held in a few weeks
and tariff revision will be the nrincinaI
to see how Gov. Cummins will come out
of the fray. They do not believe he would
be candidate II an appropriate revision
plank were refused him With Cummins
eliminated. the Iowa idea IL expected to
go to pot and then there will be. an OUT
cry that tariff revision has been disowned
by its chief sponsors.
Such Is the view Of the situation from
the high protectionist standpoint, Thus
far the program is working smoothly TAX
Ing time by the forelock, the stand pat
ters' hope to plant their banner far in
advance Of the battle lines and let the peo-
pie work up to it when the fight for the
platform comes off year from this sum-
mer. :
Interesting Bit of Gossip.
An interesting bit Of gossip has been
whispered in political circles for several
days. Who started IT nobody Will tell and
no one will father it. but the politicians are
relating it. nevertheless. 1t IL an alleged
explanation for the Presidents apparent
change of front on the tariff question"
The story goes that after the Congress
adjourned. and while the special, session
of the Senate was on and the President
was preparing for his western trip, the
President was visited by a number of re-
publicans from out of town, who came for
some heart-to-heart talks with him cumu-
latively.
Prominent in the coterie were members
the organization which makes q business
of promoting high tariff sentiment. These
men, it is said. told the President frankly
that If he ON his western trip doomed tariff
revision the high tariff republicans would
set to work to defeat his renomination He
was told. 1t is said, that. this faction would
Join with the trust interests already known
to be dissatisfied with Mr.. Roosevelt's
course but afraid to tackle him alone. and
that the two would be powerful enough TO
accomplish his defeat.