Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-01-29

questions almost continuously, and
my speeches have been delivered not
only in Iowa. but turnout the length
and breadth of the country Ii | have
advocated uhsound and unrepublican
doctrines, the evidence to convict me
must be abundant, invite you to re-
view all these years.
The Tariff Question.
"The tariff has been a fruitful sub
ject of debate. have announced my
views so often with respect to it that
they are known by all men; | mean.
of course, all men who have not been
mis.ed by the malicious lbels upon
my utterances l have always stood
and now stand for protective tariff,
full, adequate and complete. My be-
lief in the benefcent effects of pro-
tecting our own markets against the
unfair competition of other lands has
been iterated and reiterated in terms
so emphatic and comprehensive that
nothing but malignity can pervert or
distort it. | have. however, believed,
and still believe, that our tariff sched-
uleS need reudjustment; that some of
them are higher than are necessary
to afford perfect protection. and have
therefore enabled some manufacturers
to extort unreasonable profits from
the people 1t may be true that some
of our conspicuous republican leaders
have been slow to admit the necessity
for revision, but l can hardly be charg-
e,i with disloyalty to the party, mas
a, - sail a
that the coming republican national
convention will declare for revision.
and in view of the further fact that
the candidate Tor president who seems
to be the choice of all Iowa republic
ans asserts with the utmost directness
and positireness that there should be a
revision Immediately following the in
auguration of u republican president
in 1909.
II had scarcely entered the office of
governor until Il began an appeal to
the people for an enlargement of the
powers Of the interstate commerce
commission. 1 was derided as re
former and 'agltator.' because in
sisted that the commission should
have the authority not only to fin alb
solute rates, bat relative rates as well
The very men who are now grooming
about my dangerous tendencies. ana
at the same time eulogiZing our two
senators for their work upon the rail
way rate bill hammered me ,unceas-
ingly in those early days for advocat-
ing so radical a departure from the
established forms of government.
spoke for this measure of railway reg
ulation everywhere. in season and out
of season. | did what | could to aid
the Interstate commerce law conven
ton at St Louis and was member of
"a committee appointed to urge upon
the president recommendation upon
the subject to tcongress. When the IN
vestigation before the senate commit
tee seemed to be absolutely in the
hands of the railways, 1 tried to stem
the tide by appearing as witness be-
fore it, and was, l think, the first man
to say a friendly word for the pro-
posed regulation. Out of my eXamln-
alton grew the "Elllins letter" an in
cident which / remember with some
pleasure, but whether Senator Elkins
recalls it with equal satisfaction l do
not know. l am not endeavoring to
magnify my influence. 1 am quite
willing to admit that it was not great.
am mentioning the circumstance
merely to ask whether in this matter
my views were sound or unsound; re-
publican or unrepublican! whether in
doing what i did 1 was leading the
party and the country into safe or UNI
safe paths. Let the republicans of the
state answer for themselves.
Il would not be wholly candid if
were not to say, in this connection,
that we have not yet finished the fight.
The railways We're successful in emas-
culating the bill and in order to get
anything we had to take less than our
due. The commission now has the
authority to fix absolute rates. 1t
establish the difference between rates
as between communities, and until this
authority is conferred, the injustice of
discrimination will not cease. If this
be unsafe, unsound, or un-repubican,
my opponents can make the most OF 1t.
at has been my opinion that indus
trial and commercial trusts, conibina-
lions and consultations must stop
short of substantial monopoly, and
that their agreements relating to trade
must not impair the effective force of
competition. l have done what |
could to arouse and sustain public
sentiment upon this question, which
regard as the most vital in American
life. 1 have never inveighed against
wealth. 1 have never condemned large
corporations which grow naturally out
Of the superior sagacity of their man
agement, but l have condemned the
wealth begotten of dishonesty, and
have lifted up my voice constantly
against those corporations which have
been created for the purpose Of Sitting
competition and numbering independ-
ence in business affairs. If there is a
man in the state of Iowa who is not
ready to accept this view of the ma
TONS duty toward our industrial in
terests, he is the man to lead the cru
SADIE against me, and I am patiently
waiting to hear his name and listen
to his utterances.
State Measures Advocated.
1.-THE matters to which 1 have re-
ferred pertain particularly to the
country at large, and | now turn to
questions which we have been able to
deal with within the limits of our own
ol1 q