The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-09-07
PORTER OPENS UP
ON GOV. CUMMINS
GETS MUCH OF HIS t.THUNDER'
FROM THE sTANDPATTERs,

Democratic Candidate for Governor Of
Iowa Declares that His Opponent
Has Been Inconsistent and Extrava-
CANT and Is Not Entitled to Third
Term in oface. II
Special to The Journal. go. q
Ottumwa Iowa, Sept. Before large and
responsive audience here last night Claude r.
Porter of Centerville, democratic nominee for
! campaign. The Speech which will be the
democratic campaign textbook in Iowa this
! year, consisted largely of vigorous denuncia-
| ton Of the record OF Governor Cummins.
Inconsistency and insincerity are the o1enses
charged BY the democratic standard-bearer to
the present executive. and on his presentation
OF evidence In support of these charges he
| bases his hope of election. Some of the argu-
! ments employed by the democratic candidate
were used in the pre-convention campaign by
| republicans opposing Governor Cummins, and,
Porter makes strong bid for their support
/ at the polls. However, his speech Is much
more complete than any used by the stand
/ patters.s - - - 5'.' -. ~ .1-t,'i
+, " ~ Attacks Third Term. III
After referring to the fact that Governor
Cummins has occupied the executives chair
already one year more than two terms, and
| therefore one year than any of his pre-
decessors, the speaker said: ~
/ Elm thus presenting himself as candidate
| all of us that the governors record must have
| In it something unusual, there must exist
an extraordinary emergency that requires such
a personal sacrifice on the part OF the gov
| ernor to demand that he again offer his
| services to his state"
Then Mr. Porter cited the fact that never
| in the history Of the United States has
| president consented to serve more than two
terms, and the rule has been Invariably
| observed. Not even In the troublesome times
| of the civil would Governor Samuel j.
hlrkwood consent to occupy the chalr more
| than the allotted two terms Continuing, Mr..
Porter said:
"How strange it seems that II our governors
record Is 80 conspicuous, or the emergency so
hundred speeches had been made in the pre-
| convention campaign, and several strenuous au-
! tomobile rides had been TAKEN together with
! the assistance Of the persuasive powers Of q
congressional delegation brought to bear upon
his state central committee, who, in preparing
| a temporary roll call of the late republican
convention, SO adjusted the same as to give
| the governor a clear working majority in the
| organiza ton Of a convention and to this was
aided the efforts of friendly committee on
credentials before our republican brethren, dis
cordant and Civided were able to see that the
| emergency actually existed"
CuIlIu1uS anu Inc SeL1dCo.
To the belief that Governor Cummins wanted
the election Of a friendly lieutenant governor
| to appoint him to the United States senate in
case Of a vacancy, the speaker said:
4 1T has been suggested in various quarters
that the governors interest in the makeup Of
the state ticket largely ceased with the nomi-
! nation Of lieutenant governor, and 1t has also
been limited that in this action Of Governor
Cummins may be seen a motive not entirely
altruistc, and which serves in manner
explain possible emergency that might arise
in Iowa politics.
In the opinion of the speaker, If an 'enler-
gency' really exists in Iowa, 1t should be re-
hected in the platform adopted by the con-
vention nominating the candidate representing
that there is such. He added
| 'The 'Cummins republican platform'-and l.
know I will not be open to criticism for SO
| calling it, since have the authority Of the
| congressman from the eleventh district of Iowa,
and he ought to KNOWS remarkable docu-
| ment; first, for things it contains, and, second,
| its profusion Of compliments, 1t mentions but
| three subjects OH which it outlines future
line Of political conduct. First, it contains
square and emphatic declaration in favor of
| third, for the enactment of statutes to pre-
vent corporate control Of politics.
Holds Governor Inconsistent.
Taking up the tariff plank, with reference to
Governor Cummins' record, Mr.. Porter called at.
| tention to the famous Iowa idea" tariff plank
of 1901 In which declaration was made for
immediate modification of tariff schedules to
and also to Governor Cummins' radical speeches
in support Of that doctrine, and added:
"Our governor, warlike and terrible, marched
up the hill. Our republican friends again met
for state convention with the Cummins re-
publicans still in control, but when the platform
was published to an anxious state no shelter
plank was to be found. Our governor marched
down the hil'
Following this, Porter quoted at great length
from various speeches. by Governor Cummins In
favor of tariff revision He included the now
amount of graft Of all the Insurance companies
for all time will not equal one-flfth Of the
amount of which people robbed every
year by excessive tariffs" The speaker said
that no democrat had denounced the Dingley
tariffs with onehalf the violence Of Governor
Cummins, and yet he is now before the state
Oh standpat platform.
No Issue in the Primary.
Concerning the second demand for legislation
in the republican platform, that for the state
wide primary election law, Mr.. Porter said that
beth parties agree in advocating this law, and
apparently nothing remains but for the legisla-
ture to enact 1t, whatever the political COM
plexion of the body. But the governors claim
Of faith in the common people was disputed
by the speaker, when he referred to vote by
Cummins as a member Of the legislature against
making the state railroad commission elective
instead of appointive. - ~.
Tak1ng up the last Affirmative demand OF the
"Cummins republican PLATFORM for eimina ton
of corporations from politics, the speaker grew
caustic in his references to the record Of the
present executive. While he himself was in
the state senate, he said one heard of Cum
Minis then governor, objectng to the activity
Of railroads in politics; and when Representa-
tive Hughes battling for his anti-pass ball,
It's Importance failed to attract the governor.
Secretary Shaw's statement, in q speech against
Cummins at Newton that in his first campaign
Cummins supported by five Of the seven
political railroads Of the state, was quoted. The
speaker added:
1.-The first suggestion have had from Mr..
Cummns showing that he had awakened to the
fact that Iowa being controlled by the rail-
roads was after he had served as governor for
nearly five years, and about the same time that
his ambition to be governor for the third term
as the only who fully answered the 'emer-
gency' was made known to the public"
Extravaganza Charged.
Taking up the item Of expense in administra-
p, tion Porter submitted the following figures of
total expense for the last six administrations: