Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1906-06-13

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the country demanded the nomination
of that stand pat protective leader,
William Mckinley, and while the para
mount issue was free silver, think /
am safe in saying that the protective
tariff record of the republican candidate
was much more helpful and secured him
more votes than his record on the money
question.
QUOTES CUMMINS ON TARIFF.
In this state and in one other state
there is again some restlessness on the
tariff question. The candidate for gov
ernor on the revision issue made a
speech last October in Des Moines, in
which he said in effect that all the graft
of all the insurance companies from the
beginning of insurance history to the
present time did not equal one-fifth of
the robbery of the Dingley tariff for a
single year. Remember robbery is the
democratic name for customs duties.
do not have the speech before me and
do not claim to have quoted it verbatim,
but l do remember the term robbery
as applied to the present tariff law and
l remember the comparison of one-ffth
OF this alleged tariff robbery with the
aggregate transportation by all the
insurance companies for all time.
Where does all this denunciation of
our present tariff law come FRONT Is it
from the last national platform of the
republican partya By no manner of
means. The last national platform ex-
tolled protection as principle and en-
dorsed In the most emphatic language
the existing tariff law. The platform
did not promise revision in the imme-
date nor even in the near future. 1t
recognized the necessity of readjusting
tariff schedules at appropriate intervals.
l do not have the platform before me
and therefore cannot quote it's exact
language, but it did not promise imme-
date revision.
ROOSEVELT ON THE TARIFF.
"Since his election in 1904, President
Roosevelt has submitted three messages
to congress, in no one of which did he
recommend tariff revision. He has also
made many speeches but in no one has
he recommended revision. Since that
platform was adopted congress has been
in session an aggregate of over ten
months and the committee on ways and
means, which must originate tariff leg
islation, has formulated no revision bill
nor has it considered the formulation
of such bill. Since that platform was
adopted the congressional caucus has
met again and again but it has recon-
mended no tariff revision.
"Who is responsible for the policies
of the partyf Does not the national
convention speak with authorityf Are
we as republicans not bound by that
PLATFORM Does not the republican
president, the leader Of his party, speak
with authority and as republicans are
we not bound by his recommendations
and by his failure to recommends Is
not the republican majority in congress
clothed with authority to speak for the
party and is it not clothed with author
ity to keep silence on any subject
Shall not the republican party in Iowa
be loyal to the national republican
party, or shall it take issue with that
party and furnish capital for our polit-
ical opponents.
"The democratic party in the coming
election will not demand free trade. 1t
will only demand revision. It will de-
mand exactly what the revision wing of
the republican party in Iowa demands.
The next congressional campaign will
be waged upon the issue now being
urged within our ranks and the success
of the revision wing of the republican
party in Iowa will do more to
strengthen the hands Of our political
opponents than any other one thing
possible between now and election day
in November next.
81 say to you that the only phase of
the present contest in Iowa which has
attracted national attention is revision,
and the success of the candidate who
takes it upon himself to speak Of the
effects of the Dingley tariff as robbery
will be understood in every state of the
union as a reputation Of the national
republican party.
''It may be that two Of the candi-
dates have recommended tariff revision,
but you must keep in mind that there
is a great difference between recon-
mending tariff revision and denouncing
ones party for its failure to revise. 1t
is one thing to recommend notifications
of tariff schedules and another thing to
speak Of the effect of tariff schedules as
robbery. 1t is one thing to advise
revision within the councils of one Is
party and another thing to denounce
the record Of ones party from unfriend-
ly platforms and from the stump.
"This campaign means no more to
me personally than it does to you. !
do not care how many honors or how
much of any one kind of honor is given
any other citizen of my state. / have
no personal quarrel with any man. My
interest has it's root in my estimate
of the effects upon our country of DEM
ocratic doctrines. I am not ready to
complacently contemplate four more
years of Grover or four years Of Bryan
or four years Of Hearst. And we will
get four years of something unless we
stand by our party principles and sup
port the men whom we have placed in
charge of our party policies at the seat
Of government"
Referring to criticisms passed upon
him by Gov. Cummins in regard to the
letter he wrote to Senator Molesberry
during the session of the legislature, he
said: