Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-28
States Executive Delivers I'm.
portant Address Before Coun-
ty Farmers Institute
TOUCHES POLITICAL ISSUE
He Took Up and Discussed in Gen
eraI Way Questions Which Are Fore
most in the Mind Of the Public =
Lauds the Farmer and the State -
Other Observation-Disclosures Closes.

An audience that more than filled the
seating and standing capacity OF the
east court room Saturday afternoon
listened FOR almost an hour and half
to the address of Governor Albert b.
Cummins to the Marshall county
farmers institute. In his speech the
governor covered wide range of top
les. from subjects Of primary interest
to farmers, to schools, and to issues
of more vital Importance in state and
national politics.
The train on which the governor ar
rived was more than an hour late, and
it was not until after 8 o'clock that ne
appeared before his audience. The time
Of waiting was filed by other speak
ers.
His political utterances, which nat
urally were absorbed with the greatest
interest by his hearers, bore upon the
issues which, just at this time, STAND
out with the greatest prominence be-
fore the public eye, and in which the
public is arraying itself against those
special interests and great centrallzeu
powers which have. wrought such a
dominant and detrimental influence
against the welfare and continued
prosperity of the people.
He touched on the freight and pas
senger rate questions and the 2-cent
passenger rate bill; expounded the doc
trine Of the primary law, and the cleo
ton Of senators by popular vote. He
advocated the law prohibiting the con-
tribution Of money to political CAM
paign funds.
Takes Up Political Questions.
Governor Cummins devoted less than
half the time he spoke to the discus
sion Of political questions. and during
that time assailed in only general
way those wrongs for the rigntins
which, the public is loudly clamoring.
OF state freight rates he said: we
are afflicted with a system of freight
rates that ought to have been con-
demned years ago-that is wrong, alb
solutely wrong" He said that differ
ences Of opinions men held were the
cause Of one person being classed as
ripper" and another as q booster"
when I suggest" he said, "that GER
tain parts OF our tariff schedule ought
to be readjusted, I'm ripper. When
/ say that the constitution Of the I'm
tied States should he so amended that
this, and other states, could elect their
senator's by a popular vote. I'm a rip
per"
The governor expressed a beautiful
optimism in the wisdom of the people
and that there Is no danger as a re-
suit Of the wide discussion Of these
subjects that the people will allow to
be Incorporated into our constitution
and laws anything that is wrong.
He predicted, a lower passenger rate
in the state by saying I'VE are going to
have this winter-we ought to have 1t
and will have it-a 2-cent fare. I be-
lieve the revenue Of the railroads will
be Just as great. The average passen-
ger fare receipts now are Just within
q share Of two cents mile. All who
travel much pay only cents mile by
buying mileage books or credentials.
stand firmly upon this proposition that
the man who travels little should not
pay the fare OF him who travels much.
All, whether large or small travellers,
should pay the same fare"
Primary Law Needed.
He handled the subject Of primary
law without mincing words, and said:
"All the people Of this state, regardless
Of party, ought to advocate an ade-
quate and just primary law. The Safe
ty Of this state lies in gathering to-
gether all the votes Of the people and
taking the decision of the majority in
their choice I would rather trust the
conscience Of the common people than
the trained, but constituencies, skill
Of the caucus manipulators. They will
make mistakes, but they will be fewer
than by the present system. It will
tend to keep your ballot untainted by
the caucus"
paign funds by corporations he said:
1.-THE time has come when we should
have a strict and rigid law that shall
make it a crime for any corporation,
great or small, to contribute to any
political fund. There has arisen in the
last twenty-five years these new po-
tential factors that must be subju-
gated to the laws so that they shall
work out the designs for which they
were organized"
Tho People the Power.
The governor voiced an unlimited
amount of confidence and faith in the
common people, who are the real force
from which needed legislation always
springs. Touching on this phase of
the forces behind legislative enactment
he said: mo legislative change was
ever brought about that did not origi-
nate around the fireside Of the home,
in the thoughts of men and women.
These changes must begin with you,
and they take form when they become
the subject Of discussion between
neighbor and neighbor. 1t is because
of this trained and patriotic sentiment
Of the past that our great institutions
were made possible" The governor
was frequently forced to stop until the
applause subsidized.
lauds Iowa and the Farmer.
The governor paid a glowing trib-
ute to the state and its farmers. To
the work the latter were doing, to their
successful efforts and to the magnif1-
cent aid Iowa State College, at Ames,
was extending to them. He advocated
the establishment Of schools in every
county for the teaching Of agricultur-
al subjects, and for a correspondence
course with the Ames college that will
make it possible for thousands who