The Washington times., 1905-07-06
GEORGE PERKINS
MUST SAY THINGS
He Wants to Be Governor
of Iowa.
But WALKS THE SLACKWlRE
It IS Claimed "Lowa Ideas" Are Good
aud Mr. Perkins Should Sup
port Them.
BUT WALKS THE SLACKWIRE

1t is announced that the various
ideas that Iowa has projected into
the realm Of national affairs in recent
years are not going - be allowed to
drop from sight without further effort
From Des Moines comes clarion voice
Of protest against any harmony or COM
promise that mears surrender of the
advanced position of Iowa on the tariff
and railroad questions.
A week ago it looked like harmony
in Iowa. The State must nominate and
elect governor next year, and it is
already worrying over the matter. Gov
ernor Cummins, who represents the
v,;lcal element of the Republican party
in the State has been urged to run for
a third term in violation of Iowa pre-
cedents on the ground that he is the
only man who could be nominated from
his faction.
The governor has not committed him
self While he has been keeping his
own counsel the supporters OF the Hon.
George D Fe2,ktns, OF Sioux city, have
been making q strong EFFORT to button
UP the nomination ready for delivery 10
their man.
Mr.. Perkins is well known in Wash
ington. For eight years, beginning in
1891, he was one of the most influential
members of th}owa delegation in the
lower house. Then postoffice troubles
retired him, and now he wants to be
On the Slackwire.
1t Is doubtful if chat other eminent
Iowa acrobat, the Hon. William b.
Allison, can do al more notable stunt
of slackwire railing than Mr. Per
kins. AS editor and owner Of the lead
ing Republican paper in his part of the
country, Mr. Perkins has kept himself
so delicately balanced between the two
factions in Iowa that while neither ex-
actly claims aim, neither will by any
means concedS that he belongs TO the
other
He writes of che subjects which are
near to 1owa'5 heart with earnestness
and much volume, but nobody ever was
able TO sSIi rom his writings what he
thought about them. He has been lining
out for the position OF compromise
candidate, aid Ureil the last few days,
with Governor C,smmins saying moth
ing, 1t looked as i Perkins would be the
winner.
Comes now, E.s,wever. the Des Moines
Register and L.etuer, the chief RepubH-
can organ at the capital, and announces
vigorously that it doesn't want any
compromise. 1t is willing to let Mr.. Per
kins be governor; he is welcome enough;
bu- It wants him to be nominated on
platform of being either for or against
something.
The Register and Leader is for the
various radical Iowa ideas. 1t wants
things done to the tariff and 1t thinks
the interests of Iowa and the country
demand the execution OF the Presidents
policy Of railroad rate regulation.
Perkins the Puzzle.
In short, II stands for the things Gov
ernor Cummins stands for, and as to
which Mr.. Perkins has succeeded in con-
cealing his views. If he has views by ad-
herence to that maxim of Talleyrand
tnat language was intended to conceal
thought
The Register and Leader thinks Mr.
Perkins is a nice man enough, but II
demands to know where he stands Com
promise II declares, means the Surrend-
er OF the advanced position Iowa has
been taking Harmony isn't worth
enough 10 the Register and Leader to
warrant that surrender. 1t would like
peace and harmony, but 1t wants peace
with honor-harmony with victory II
thinks Perkins nomination and elec-
ton would be the end of the Iowa
ideas. and 1t thinks the Iowa ideas are
sun worth fightin~ for
The Register and Leader may or may
not speak for Governor Cummins but
it will be generally assumed to be doing
SO. and its vigorous declaration will not
fail To put the Iowa situation in a new
phase 1t probably means either that
Governor Cummins win be a candidate
for third nomination, or else that his
faction IN the party IS prepared to bring
| out some new man distinctly representa-
tive of its views of public questions, and
TO make fight for these views.