Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-09-09

NepuUlIcAu' ticket helded by the capul-
dates Tor Republican electors. Up to the
present time NO solution OF the contre-
vsrsy has been proposed that does not
promise destruction OF party harmony and
confusion and disgust among the voters.
Outside sympathy In the contest Is
doubtless with Senator Spooner, a promi-
nent figure In rational affairs. but all in
dications are that the Wisconsin majority
IL with La Toilette. He IL a fighter, a
good mixer and pledged to tax reform
policy that Is highly popular with the
voters Of his state. Under such conditions
II 10 not dimcult to foresee, particularly
Y the Wisconsin courts decide in favor Of
the La Toilette faction, a series Of COM
plicattons that may endanger the success
Of the Republican party in the state at
the coming election. The action of the
The ''stalwart1' has intensified the feeling
Of bNternass that has prevailed between
the factions. and 1t IL a very serious ques-
ton II the situation 10 not past saving to
the Republicans. n each effort in the in
tarest Of harmeny has served only to
widen the bsssah and salt the sores.
In the msantjme the Democratic man
they could very nicely use Wisconsin's
thirteen electoral votes In their business
AZ to Free Traders.
Those who have the right to speak
for the Democratic party have repeat
eddy declared, and proved 1t, that the
Democratic party is not free trade
party and never was. But, tnasmuch
as Republican editors and spellbinders
keep on asserting that the Democratic
party is free trade party and in
sist that we are great sinners in that
regard, It viii not be considered i'm
pertinent to inquire whether 1t is real
" sin to be free trader. II it is a
sin, wish to Introduce to my readers
very great sinner in that respect, a
most eminent sinner, who is much in
the public eye and under the limelight.
On one occasion he used these words:
The repeal Of the salt tax was an es-
pecial favorite Of his. He was perfectly
right In attacking the tax and deserves
the greatest credit for the persistency
which finally won him the victory.
Know who uttered those glowing
words, gentle reader? And to whom
did he refer7 Let the Republicans
who read this fall in an epileptic ft
when I state that 1t was none other
than Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, pres
ident Of the United States. He was
speaking Of the great fight which Sen
ator Thomas n. Benton Of Missouri, a
statesman Of the first rank, made to
place salt on the free list. Colonel
Benton kept up this fight for quarter
Of a century, and when he had won he
declared In his pompous way that he
imagined he could hear the focks and
herds on a thousand hills believing
out their love and gratitude to him.
The above quoted paragraph is found
on page % Of the American Statesmen
Series, Life Of Thomas 81. Benton, by
Theodore Roosevelt" Query: If Colo
nsl Bsnton deserved 1.-The greatest cred
r. for placing this great necessity on
the tres List. ~ Colonel Roosevelt says
he did, how does 1t happen that a
Democrat Of today would be a great
criminal to attempt to put some other
necessity on the free Nst1 In the same
book Colonel Roosevelt on page 81 uses
the following language:
Free traders. are apt to look at the tariff
from sentimental standpoint. but 1t is In
reality purely a business matter and
should be decided solely on grounds of ex-
psdiency. Political economists have pref
ty generally agreed that protection is
Vicious In theory and harmful in prac-
tice but II the majority Of people in in
terest wish 1t and 1t affects only them
selves there IL no earthly reason why
they should not be allowed to try the ex-
pertinent to their hearts content The
trouble is that It rarely does affect only
themselves, and In 1928 the evil was Pc
culiarly aggravated on account of the un-
equal way in which the proposed law
would affect different sections. It pur-
ported to bensht the rest Of the country,
but 1t undoubtedly worked real injury to
the planter states. and there Is small
ground for wonder that the irritation over
1t in the region % affected should have
been intense