Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-04-15
Troubles Of the "stand Patters."
In nv tariff speech. March %. I said

In my tarlH speech, March 2S, said
inter ALA:
Within the last few years a thrilling
slogan has been given to Republicans,
Stand patti which is suggestive Of the
shibboleth of the old time chevaliers din
dustrie. Stand and deliver' And. mira
bile dictu, in their ranks has arisen a tar
iff reformer who is causing Republican
big wigs to have insomnia from Fostering
their heads in the vain endeavor to in
vent ways and means to squelch him or
to circumvent him, as Weller pere would
have said. His theory of tariff reform has
been heralded far and wide as 1.-THE Iowa
idea" His habitat is Des Moines, his
name ia A. B. Cummins, and he is Re
publican governor of the Hawkeye State,
serving his second term, having been re.
elected last year after his Idea had
been thoroughly exploited.
A comet with tail Of fire 10000, 900
miles long did not create greater con-
sternation among the ignorant and super
stitious idolaters of antiquity than this
mild tariff reformer has carried into the
ranks of the "stand patters."
Stand pat" organs have applied to him
all sorts Of opprobrious epithets, most
common among which is that of traitor
Nevertheless in 1903 he was renominated
for governor by reclamation by the Re-
publicans Of Iowa and reelected by an
overwhelming majority, and, unless all
The signs of the times fail, he will head
The Iowa delegation to the Chicago con-
gention.
If he is al bad a man as the stand pat
tiers" represent him to be. why was he re-
elected governor OF one Of the strongest
Republican states in the Union? Was 1t
out of superintendent tenderness for an
erring brother, or was It because the
Cummins following in Iowa Is too strong
to be turned down with impunity? Why
is this TRAITOR" to Republicanism to go
to Chicago as the bellwether Of the dele-
cation? Is it because he represents not
only 'the Iowa idea," but the true Re-
publican idea also, or is 1t because the
Iowa "stand patters' fear him and would
placate him at least till after the Novem-
Der election?
What is 1.-THE Iowa idea" as expounded
by Governor Cummins? It is this, as ex-
pressed in the Iowa Republican platform
of 1901, adopted by the convention which
nominated him the first time:
"We favor any modification Of the
tariff schedules that may be required to
prevent them becoming shelter for mo-
nopoly."
That is the head and front of his Of
Tending That is what has created such
a futter among the faithful.
Behold. how great matter a little fire
kindleth!'
By advocating "the Iowa idea" Govern
OF CummlnS mas become the bette noire OF
the stand patters," and they would ex-
communicate him from the Republican
church without delay and without oere-
mony were they not afraid that, like Sam
son, he would pull down the temple upon
their heads as well as upon his own
Last year the Iowa stand patters' and
the advocates Of "the Iowa idea" locked
horns in their state convention and put
forth this astounding sentence, among
others: Duties that are too low should
be increased, and duties that are too high
should be reduced" In all the range Of
political literature is there anything more
preposterous than that? Certainly Tai
leyrand must have had the Iowa platform
makers in mind when he cynicalIy said,
Language is intended to conceal IDEAS"
| And the old Latin author must have
been thinking of them when he declared,
'Parturiunt monies; ridiculus mus est
| ("the mountains are in travail; a ridic-
ulous mouse is the resultD.
Duties that are too high should be re-
duced.' Yea. verify. But what rates do
| the stand patters' admit to be too high?
There's the rub" Name any schedule
you please, and they declare at once that
that schedule must not be touched or the
whole tariff system will go to what Mr..
| Mantalini would denomtleGte 1.-The demni-
ton bowwows"
Mr.. Williams has introduced several
bills to reduce rates which are palpably
tod high Thar ara all slsapinR the Hlssp