Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-04-08

OF q century.
80 they grew together,
lake to double cherry, seeming parted,
But yet a union in partition
Two lovely berries nodded on one stem,
10 with two seeming bodies. but one
heart"
They are luminares Of the first magni. |
tude in the congressional galaxy. high
priests in the temple of protection. Con-
sidering their high standing in their party |
and their great influence over Republican
members, each might without exaggera-
tion or bad taste adopt the descriptio per-
soma which the centurion gives Of him
self in the eighth chapter OF the gospel
according to st. Matthew which runs IN
this wise:
'For am a man under authority, hav-
ing soldiers under me, and / say to this
man, Go, and he goeth, and to another.
Come, and he cometh, and to my servant.
Do this, and he doeth 1t.
Consequently they are heard here gladly.
while in the country at large Republicans
who have neither time nor opportunity
for Independent investigation accept their
statements and conclusions without cavil
and with pathetic credulity. This Is not
the language of hattery. but is only fair
exposition Of the status of these two con-
spicuous statesmen. We are all proud OF
their skill in mental pugiltsm-none more
20 than myself-even though many of us
bear scars as testimonials OF their Prov
ess.
Lord Bacon took all knowledge for his
province. Our two friends are not 80 am
bilious. The gentleman from Ohio, Gem
sral Grosvenor. takes prophecy as his Pc
culiar domain, occasionally dipping into
history as Silas Wegg dropped into poetry,
while the gentleman from Iowa. Colonel
Hepburn, usually confines himself to his
tory, with now and then an excursion
into the realm Of the Imagination.
The truth or falsity of a prediction can
mot be ascertained till after the event:
therefore the gentleman from Ohio is on
less dangerous ground when essnying the
role of Elijah and Isaiah than is the gen.
tleman from Iowa when speaking In his
capacity as the Tacitus the sismondi, the
oibbon or the Macaulay of our country.
A celebrated dictum Of Aaron Burr was
this:
''Whatever IL boldly asserted and plau-
ably maintained is law"
Our two friends appear to think that
whatever is positively stated and forci-
| bly, reiterated Is argument
Occasionally these two statesmen fall
afoul of each other. but their spats are
| merely lovers quarrels. They soon kiss
and make up again. continuing to fight In
pairs.
On the LIST day of December. 1902 the
| gentleman from Iowa, Colonel Hepburn
"A little while ago-ten years ago-we
used to pride ourselves on the fact that
we produced u.oo0. 900 tons Of pig iron. 1t
used to be said that the production OF iron
indicated the status Of a nation in Its CIV
ilization and that those nations that were
capable of the greatest production stood
highest in the plane of civilization. We
hoastfully used to says Look! Eleven
| million tong. Lee. rssr, continued the
| gentleman. I'VE produced 100000 tons Of
| pig iron, and this year ls03) It is esti-
mated that the magnificent results in the
dous sum Of 1900, 600 tons. a. result. say.
direct and clear OF the protection that we
have had the wisdom to give to our labor
| In that direction"
The Congressional Record discloses the
| fact that that gorgeous passage was res
Mcan side" And no wonder. for 1t was
! wild enough to arouse the least emotional
/ person to enthusiasm
| He says that we produced 100000 tons
Of pig iron in 1902. His Republican friends
| who applauded him will be astounded to
| learn-perhaps he will also-that in 1902
| We produced only 1881, 307 tons of pig
iron, instead Of a. 100000 and that he over
| stated the amount by 26.17s, 693 tons. there
BY multiplying our output of pig iron by
| more than two and one-half times what II
really was.
l yO0dn9 &OUT0 vine mas Oeen CONSIDERED
| the ne plus ultra Of fast growers ever
since he was ordered to start on his jour-
| ney to Nineveh Hereafter when any one
| desires to indicate tho most rapid growth
Of any particular thing he will compare II
not with Jonah's gourd vine. but with
Colonel Hepburn's pig iron.
This Ia the day Of watered stocks. and
Colonel Hepburn simply fell into the evil
habit of the times and watered his pig
/ iron statement liberally-so literally, In
fact, as to qualify himself for membership
In the defunct shipbuilding trust.
Did he do It with intent to deceive? OF
course not, for he 10 an honest man. He
that and nothing more. Likewise those
snthusiastic but benighted Republicans
| who furnished the loud applause did se
for lack Of Information. 1t was clear
case Of the blind leading the blind and all
tumbling into the ditch together.
The figures as I give them are taken
| from the Statistical Abstract and from a
we'll considered editorial in the Scientific
American.
The gentleman from Iowa owes II to his
own reputation and to the country to rise
in his place and frankly confess that he
Inadvertently overstated our output Of pig
iron In 1902 by 2s.17s.807 tons; otherwise
hundreds OF Republican editors and ora
tors, who regard him as an oracle, will be
quoting his inflated and erroneous figures
- arguments during the impending cam.
pAign. thereby deceiying the unwary
| voter.
In that same glowing and amazing
| speech Colonel Hepburn said:
! II live in county OF 2000 people. a
farming community. There is not pro-
tscted industry in that county"
thank him for that last sentence,
There Is not protected industry in that
| county" BY that one declaration, unwit-
1 mr. he ON
from Iowa answers completely all the Re
/ publican speeches. editorials and essays
40 to how the high tariff helps the farm
| srs.
His is one Of the finest agricultural
counties that crow ever few overall
trict. Not his county only but his entire
district produces corn and other cereals
In profusion and OF highest quality. His
| 70 one Of the greatest corn producing dis
tricts in America, ana therefore in the
| world. About Shenandoah. in his district,
/ they raise what they claim to be the fin
ut seed corn on the whole face Of the
earth and sell It as high as 81 per bushel.
Il corn raising an industry? Most as
/ nuredly, and vast one. Is It protected!
The gentleman practically says. mo-
The Dlngley bill. together with Republic.
An spellbinders and editors. says. Eyes
end the fallacious theory that corn rails.
ing and kindred industries are protected
has held Iowa in the Republican column
for years.
The Dingley bill levies tarin tax on
corn OF Is cents per bushel Of ffty-si1
pounds and on cornmeal Of 20 cents per
Dushe! OF forty-eight pounds The rates
On other farm products are about the
sAne.
When the farmer complains about the
sftortionate tariff rutes on articles which
he must buy. he il told by Republican