Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-01-23
THIS is THE CON gssus OF oPlN-
AoN IN II CAPITAL
: - CITY,.
CUMMINs OUT FOR FRAY
People in Washington Think Iowa Gov
ernor Received No Promise of Sup
port From the President on His Wis
It to Washington.
[BY H. j. MAHIN.l
Washington Bureau of the Courier.
Washington, D. O., Jan. 22.

washington Bureau OF tnS Sou'SI.
Washington, D. O., Jan. 22.
When Governor Cummins left for
home today he was more than ever
convinced by his visit here that the
fight of his life was on
Did he get assurances OF aid or sup
port from President Roosevelt? Al
though he was most cordially treated
by Mr.. Roosevelt during his visit the
consensus of opinion is that he did not.
At least not openly. The President
will not mix in the Iowa fight
Governor Cummins is undoubtedly
very confident as to the result OF the
contest over delegates to the national
convention. He expects to win and ex-
poets to be put forth by the Iowa dele
CATION as it's member of the resolutions
committee in Chicago. This is what
the governor, is working for and he has
declared again and again in Washing
ton that he will do his best to secure
the insertion of a clause in the repub-
lican platform that will pledge the par
ty to a revision of the tariff laws in
the next congress.
Il have no diea of trying to force
tariff revision during this congress. 1t
would be unwise II think said the
governor, but We should make it cer7
tain for. the next congress. The ques-
ton is such big one and such an i'm
portant one that regret very much
and in fact feel. Inundated that it
should be surrounded in Iowa by such
personal contest Nevertheless how
ever. it must be fought out, am pre-
pared Tor the fray"
The sstand patters' on the other
hand, while annoyed at this fresh out
break from Mr. Cummins, are saying
that it is the beginning Of the end
that he has begun fight which he
can not win.
1T is a strange thing" said one
prominent stand pat member of the
Iowa delegation, that Iowa's republi-
can governor should in his inaugural
address make almost identically the
same speech favoring reciprocity with
Canada that Congressman Lind, the
democrat from Minnesota, made on the
floor of the house only a few weeks be-
fore The worst part of this present
proposition is that it is attacking the
vital interests of our own Iowa farm
ers What would reciprocity with
Canada do for the Iowa farmer? 1t
would simply furnish him with a for
midable competitor. The population of
Canada is only one-fifteenth that of the
United States. Thus we would give
for one possible customer, fifteen.
There are vast tracts Of land in Can
ada suitable for cultivation in all
kinds of grain that have never been
touched. l know it to be fact that
land spectators in this country have
purchased thousands of acres with the
hope that this reciprocity idea might
go through. These lands would then
be cultivated, the grain output of Can.
ada enormously increased and her
great surplus sent down to our markets
to compete with and lower prices for
the American farmer"
Thus do the opponents of Gov. Cum
Minis ideas express themselves with
out reserve and it can be seen that the
fight is to be straight from the should
er.
The announced purpose of the gov
ernor's visit at this time was to take
up with the war departm ent the ques-
ton of securing proper recognition for
the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Iowa reg
iments in the battle Of Shiloh on the
monuments to be erected on that bat
tie field. He found rather difficult
situation to deal with. The monu-
ments have all been laid out and erect
ed, and the officials are very 10th to
change the same, especially as there
are no official reports on file at the war
department to sustain the claims of
these regiments. 1t seems that these
two regiments were on the left wing
of the formation, and very early in
the morning a large force of confeder-
ates broke through the lines and came
upon these regiments with great fury.
A fierce fight ensued, in which over
200 brave fellows lost their lives. In
the excitement of the day this feature
of the battle was never reported to
headquarters, and consequently, when
the monuments were arranged, no de-
scriptions referring to this combat
were ordered. The monum ents are all
in place and ready for dedication, but
the Iowa men rightfully say that they
would rather have nothing to. do with
them at all than to do so without hav-
Ing this great wrong rectified The
governor has become deeply interested
in the matter. and came here deter
mined to secure some action or go to
the last lengths. He saw the President