Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-17
Tariff Reform and Railroad Rate
Revision the Question Two
Years Hence
WHICH SIDE WILL coNGER -rAkE2
Believed That If United States Minister
Should Return to Iowa, He Could
Not be a standpatter After Seeing
the Opportunities for Trade Exten-
sion Now Closed to Americans.
Special to Republican.

Special to imes-Republican.
Des Moines, Dec. 17.-"The politicai
! issue in the Seventh congressional dis
| trict two years hence will be reform
| thrift reform. or revision and railroad
rate reform or regulation. 1t matters
| not who the candidates are for the ie-
| 1fublican nomination this issue VIII! be
1T the front"
! So stated a politician Of this city
Yesterday in discussing the political
| situation.
! { In this connection he took from his
pocket Chicago newspaper and read
from Washington dispatch state
lhent regarding the situation as to
Major Edwin II. Conger, minister to
China. The statement was that Major
EConger is to return home and be sent
to the mission in Mexico and this with
the distinct understanding that he Will
remain there only a year or so, and 1t
I Is for the purpose Of enabling him to
lsfound out worthy diplomatic career.
"And If Major Conger comes home
before the next congressional campaign
opens what them" was his significant
remark.
Major Conger was former treasurer
Of Dallas county, then was elected state
treasurer and after creditable record
thus far he was sent to congress to
represent this district. He was always
popular and a good vote ge.tter. He
went to Brazil as United States min
lister, and then Cleveland let him out.
When President Mckinley was elect
ed Conger's Des Moines friends deter
mined he should get his old post back.
A. B. Cummins went to Washington
and asked just one request Of the new
ipresident, that he appoint Major Con-
ger as minister to Brazil. After Com
ger had been in Brazil a time Presi-
dent Mckinley wanted q strong man
for the Chinese mission and he pre-
vailed on Conger to go to Peking. His
experience in the boxer rebellion and
the subsequent effort Of the army and
navy CLIQUE to have him .supplanted
by one who would not be SD indepen-
dent. his return home and retention
in the place are all familiar history.
But the clique Is all powerful and as
result SOLHSI VIII iSIAAAL AiOAA NAAAAAeAs
It is also recalled that certain per-.
sons here, evidently misrepresenting
the situation to Major Conger, led him
to permit use Of his name as candidate
for governor to get some OF the votes
of this district away from Mr.. Cum
Minis. That Mr.. Conger would never
have been a party to this If he had
fully understood the situation here and
the position Of his friends Is some-
thing the writer has from Major Con-
ger himself The effort to use Conger
to defeat Cummins failed. The friends
of the governor never for a moment
held this up against Conger. 1t Is cer-f
tain that Conger and his friends felt
Inundated over the outcome and that
they never felt like thanking the men
who brought Conger's name into the
race when he was SO far from home
that he could not know what was being
done.
If Major Conger should be minister
to Mexico for about a year or a year
and a half then return home, 1t would
be natural for his friends to urge that
he become candidate for congress.
But on which side would he be found?
In other years Major Conger was all
ways very close to the people and it
is regarded as certain that he would
be the last one to make opposition to
the demand for reasonable control of
railroad rates thru federal powers.
On the tariff question it is known that
practically all the Americans in the
diplomatic and consular service favor
a liberal policy for the purpose Of
reaching out for the trade Of the world.
1t is known that Major ConEer is of
this opinion. He could not be stand
patter after seeing what he has Of the
opportunities for trade extension which
are now closed to Americans.
The friends of Congressman Hull
have been persistent in trying to have
circulated the story that it is the in
tertion of Governor Cummins to be a
candidate for congress against Hull
The thought is that if it is discussed
freely 1T will injure the governor. But
Governor Cummins has never said he
would be a candidate against Hull. 1t
is not certain that the governor has
any desire to go to congress. much 'ess
a desire to oppose Hull He remain
ed neutral this year VIXEN his voice
would have turned the scale against
Hull But the friends of Governor
Cummins are committed unalterably to
tariff revision and to railroad rate
regulation, and unless Congressman
Hull reverses himself it Is morally GER
tain they will make war on Hull at
the first opportunity, ard it will be
fight for principle rather than for
person. It is not at stll beyond the
range of possibility that the candi-
date who will be set up to oppose Hull
and to make this fight is the present
United States minister to China-one
of the ablest, cleanest, most popular
men of the state.
An amusing situation is observable
in northeastern Iowa where the anti