Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-05-14
Curious Collection of Tariff and
Reciprocity Planks Adopted
by County Conventions
sTAnopArrERs NOT AGREED
Few Of Their Utterances Are Alike and
Show Varied Views Ranging From
the Extremist to the Conservative =
Some Ante Convention Gossip
News of the State.


Des Moines. May IA good deal OF
interest attaches to the production OF
the republican state convention OIL
NEXT week. The only thing for the
convention to do is to pick the alter
nate delegates to the national conven-
ton. four in number, to accompany
Messrs Cummins, Allison, Dolliver anu
RIythe, perhaps TO instruct these four
delegates how they shall vote. and give
some expression of the views OF the
Iowa republican party on national is
sues and particularly on the question
of tariff revision and reciprocity For
three successive years the party has
adopted a platform under which revis-
ion would be proper at the right time
and by the right party and indorsing
the policy of reciprocity as advocated
by the party leaders for many years.
There will be present at the convention
a considerable number of delegates
who believe this platform was correct
statement of republican principles.
Then there will be large element who
will insist that the ideas thus stated
are rank heresies and ought to be re-
pudiated distinctly and in toto. and
this by positive statement condemn
ing them. These standpatter will
place at Che head Of the resolutions
committee L. Young OF Des Moines,
who started out on n campaign last fall
tic demolish the Iowa platform. and
who declared in a speech before the
republican club here that if the repub-
lican psaIty is committed to tariff revis
ion then his newspaper In for sale. and
that revision or tariff ciisngins viii do
as incaIculable harm II done by repub-
licans as II done by democrats. IF you
go into tariff ripping" he said, ''imme-
diately after the next presidential elec-
ton you will see the greatest business
The fight was made along this line at
the beginning, with some variations
II the standpatters have their way
then there will be no loophole left for
tariff revision either by reciprocity or
directly. The great body of the con-
ventiOn, 1t is claimed, will take more
conservative view and reiterate the
position of the party In general on the
tariff question without distinctly con-
demning the policy of tariff revision.
There may be an effort made to in
struct the delegation to Chicago not to
favor pledging the party to Canadian
reciprocity In the national platform,
hut In view of the fact that nobody has
ever proposed that anything of the
sort should go into the platform. this
is unlikely. That the views of the re-
publicans vary quite materially and are
far from being settled into any distinct
lines is shown by the great variety of
utterances indulged in at county CON
ventions in the state this year A more
remarkable collection of views has
never before been made than that of
tions.
A number OF counties in the state
adopted the following as their state
ment of the true standpat idea. 1t
was adopted by Harrison and Emmett
counties, and its appearance at widely
separated places in the state indicates
that 1t was prepared at some central
point and sent out for general adop-
ton:
We firmly believe that the prosper.
ity of the whole people of Iowa is so
closely interviewer with that Of the
farmers that any assault upon the
business interests of the farmers by
permitting free entry of farm products
and livestock from the free and cheap
lands of Canada must necessarily pref
udice and materially fnjure the farm
ers Of Iowa"
This is not quite as definite ana
strong as the typical standpat pro-
posal. from the southern part of the
state. In Taylor county it was de-
clared.
We do not believe in imperiling the
prosperity of the country by change
in the policy of the party, and deem
1T unwise at this time to make any
change in our tariff laws
In Adams county the reciprocity
question was touched upon as fol-
lows:
The republicans of Adams county
are in favor of reciprocity; but they,
are not in favor of the free adnis-
sion of Canadian farm products for
they believe that the farmers of Amer
lea are as much entitled to protection
as are ltS IIldIluIdCtuTeTS. Neither dIs
we in favor of the sham reciprocity
which would drive any American man
ufacturer out of business or deprive
any American laboring man of fair
opportunity for days work at the
American scale of wages, and which
is not the reciprocity of Blaine. Nc
lIinley or Dingley. but is a covert at
tack upon the prosperity protection
policy of the republican party and A
approach to democratic free
trade"
In Lee county the position of the
republicans was stated:
I'VE hereby affirm our allegiance to
the historic policy of the republican,
party, and we declare our adherence
to the true principles of a protective
tariff, and tariff that will protect
the industry and the labor and the