The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-03-29

upon the intelligence of Congress.
My point is that men should know the
candidates if they are to choose be-
tween them intelligently. They car
choose county officers wisely in this
way, and delegates to the other con.
ventions wisely, but they cannot
choose between perhaps ten candidates
for Governor, many of them little
known. There We're ten candidates
in 1897, and man unknown to ninety.
nine per cent of the state was chosen.
He was not chosen by a faction, mol
by an interest, nor by the bosses, but
by the delegates after meeting him,
talked with each other and by pro-
cess of gradual elimination, several
of the candidates withdrew after the
delegates assembled. The successful
candidate was the first choice of about
one-sixth, but the second choice of at
least two-thirds.
A canvass has been in progress in
Georgia for more than twelve months
for the nomination of Governor, and
a prominent member of the Georgia
delegation told me the other day that
there had been already spent in that
canvass more than one hundred
thousand dollars. Georgia casts less
than $50, 900 votes, while Iowa casts
over 4s0,00 votes. A canvass for
Governor is now in progress in Tenn
essee. One of the candidates is a
member of Congress, and he has not
been in Washington during the present
session. He is making two speeches
a day in contest between himself
and another Democrat who processes
to believe the same things. There is
no issue between them except what
they manufacture. In both these
states the party has been rent wide
open, and ifthe Republican party does
not also split it will win in Tennessee.
In Virginia year ago it cost the
candidates, as shown by their own re-
turns, a dollar each for every vote
polled at the primaries.
But these are only some of the OBJ
jections. One quite as serious as any
lies in the fact that it places the
state in the control of cities. 1t is
true that Iowa has very few cities of
any considerable size, but in every
state where primary Law prevails
the cities control. There is not a
man in this presence, whether he
lives in the city or elsewhere, who
does not realize that the hope of the
United States is still in the country.
l grant that urban population is in
creasing more rapidly than rural. but
we must still depend upon the latter,
and l doubt the wisdom of any law
which tends to eliminate them from
the political control of the state.
doubt the wisdom of compulsory state
wide law that will put Scott, Dubu-
que, Clinton. Linn, Polk. Pottawat-
TAME, Woodbury. and many other
counties in the absolute control of the
cities of those counties. Let the cit
les adopt it if they desire, and the
whole county try it if they like, then
if it works badly in any one locality
let the people abolish it. A primary
election is local affair, and local
communities can be safely left to de-
eide how they shall be conducted.
Nevertheless, these are only nv
opinions. They may not appear sound
to others. l would not have any one
vote them because l have expressed
them. Let each man vote his own
judgment.
So much for local and non partisan
matters. am speaking to Repub-
lican club, and am, of course, expect
ed to talk politics.
The American people are alike in
their politics and in their religion.
When on their deathbed physically
they turn to the faith of their child
hood, when on their deathbed financial
ly they turn to the Republican party,
but when in good health and prosperous
they are in constant danger OF forget
ting both. The most prosperous year
the United States had at that
time ever seen was 1892, but in that
same year the people turned the party
responsible therefore from both
houses of Congress and from the
White House. Two years later, when
in the midst of business and financial
ruin, they again gathered their sane
legs under them and replaced Con-
gress Democratic by Sc majority with
one Republican by 13l majority.
The seed which grew the crop of
discomfort which we reaped in Nov
ember, 1892, was largely sown by
Republican hands. AS far back as
the early sos dissatisfaction with the
application of the protective principle
became quite general and manifested
itself even in this state. Our people
were not prepared to abandon protec-
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