Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1906-05-09


ly with the inauguration of Abraham
Lincoln in 1861 came on the civil war.
Example Of Lincoln.
Lincoln-now In the
judgment of some was a republican.
No man, however, was more traduced
than he. And yet, what was his plat
form? Why, he said, just before his
cruel assassination, in talking to a
friend, Every day I have sought to
do my duty, hoping that tomorrow
would prove that I had done right"
He did that work which lay in his
hands. Aye, 1t was said that We
ought to have a man there with
great policy. And Lincoln's thought
was that If we had had such a man
there the war would not then nave
been over. Oh! the years and years
1t took to reach and establish the
principles Of the republican party,
and it took years and years to fight
out the issues Of slavery, ana out OF
that tremendous. portentious time
came the republican party; the friend
Of liberty; the friend of the poor;
the defender Of the weak. And SO fol.
lowing the civil war came the great
struggle extending over weary years
for the establishment Of the financial
integrity of the United States. We
could not settle 1t in day. In the
mean while, we had the green back
party; the anti-monopoly party, and
all kinds Of parties. They were going
to take the short cut TO perfection.
but. standing by the republican party
we came out Of the struggle and es-
tablished the finances OF the Unlteo
States upon a sound basis. GAP
plause.) And say, about thirty years
ago-a little more than that-with
the development Of the country; the
prosperity and growth Of railroads
and new corporations, Ge were con-
fronted with the question of govern
mental regulation and control Of this
The Party Greed.
property. And SO along about 1871,
Illinois, Minnesota-at the time Gull
lom was speaker Of the House of Re-
personalities, an act passed the I'LL
nois Legislature to which Cullom
signed his name as speaker Of the
House; then the Granger movement
comes in. In 1874, this same Cul.om
who asked our governor only hostile
questions, gave his name to the inter-
state commerce act of 1874. So we
come along with issues intervening
like the questions of the tariff In '96
and '97, and coming along down to
1903 we have the Elkins act as against
rebates which the governor approved
as wise, and now, just now, we are
struggling for the extension Of power
under the interstate commerce act
to complete the authority of the com.
mission. We will come out of this
all right II you will trust the republi-
can party and keep going anead.
do not see any signs of insanity In
the leadership of the republican party.
What we stand pat for, as republicans,
all of us to-day, is for square deal.
We recognize the great importance
of all these relations; these instru-
mentalities which furnish the arteries
Of the tremendous commerce Of this
country. We cannot let out blood In
one place without weakening the en-
tire system. We need to do justly
by all; not to excite the prejudice
and passion nor to appeal to the hat
red of men, one towards another.
Give them all square deal, but under
the law dealing justly by them all.
Iowa's Proud Position.
I want no political capital; no po-
litical preferment that shall be at the
sacrifice of my state and country. 1t
is of no consequence what shall be-
come Of us, but 1t Is of the greatest
consequence what shall become of
our state and country. And Iowa
the proudest state in the Union, in
my opinion-the most helpful state
in the Union, has done more to sus-
tain the president of the United States
In the emergency that has existed in
Washington than any other state in
the Union. Continued applause.)
1t has contributed, In large meas
ure, to all the success by it's eleven
faithful men In the House Of Repre-
sentatives, and altogether they stand
as the representatives Of Iowa. And
they get their instructions from
the people of the state and not from
the governor. (Applause.) Iowa Is
contributing directly to the effective
ness of this administration. The re-
publican party, 1t seems to me, within
its strength, Is all the hope Of our
great country. How grandly 1t has
approached all the great questions of
preached all the great questions OF
the times responsive to the will of
the people of this country! (Cheers.)
l like to revert to the Spanish war.
The administration was opposed to
the war. But coming up from all
over this broad land was the oemana
Of the people that the United States
should answer the walls of Cuba. We
had come out of the gloom and de-
spondency; we had witnessed the ris-
ing of the sun after the dark days of
1893-'94-'95 and SO, and In our gener.
osity and In the gladness of our
hearts we had sympathy for that SUI
fering people and we said that the
United States should put its arm
across the narrow neck of sea and res
cue that people from the despotism Of
Spain. We had not the material for
war. The greatest thing / ever wit
messed In the Congress Of the United
States was when, without a negative
vote, fifty millions of dollars was
voted to William Mckinley to pre-
pare for that war, without any lues-
lions asked. That is the confidence
we have in the president of the United
States. I tell you that Congress is