Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1910-11-16
WHY THE RESULT.

have not given the subject full con-
sideration, the theory that the high
er cost of living was the immediate
cause of the republican defeat in the
country last Tuesday is erroneous.
The democrats complained of the
higher cost OF living in 1900, when
Mckinley overwhelmed Bryan, in
1904, when Judge Parker was snow
ed under by Col. Roosevelt, and in
1908, when Taft received his i'm
mense majority.
The higher cost of living, or the
cost of higher living, was a fact all
these years. Prosperity means good
prices for the farmer and we can
net have good prices for the farmer
without increasing the cost of living
in the cities. The increase of prices
since 1900, 1904 and 1908 has been
mainly in the products of the farm.
Yet it was the agricultural states
that were first to insurge. 1t was the
senators from great agricultural
states, such as Iowa, Wisconsin,
Minnesota and Indiana, backed by
congressman from Kansas, Nebraska
and the agricultural states of the
Pacific coast, who started the inSur-
gent movement that vitaliZed the is
sue the democrats had presented
without effect in three presidential
campaigns and the intervening con-
gressional campaigns. Eastern men
who wanted free hides, which they
wen, and free trade with Canada in
agricultural products, quickly Joined
the movement and the higher cost of
living, due mainly TO the prices the
western farmers were getting for
their products, became the para
mount issue in the midsummer
campaigns in the eastern states.
Their September successes in New
England were SO pronounced that
even in Iowa democratic candidates
for congress appealed to the work.
ingman on the ground that he was
paying too much for the contents of
his market basket in proportion to
the wages he was receiving and that
the benefits of the protection for
which the republican party was re-
sDonsible were going to the tariff
barCns of the east.
In former campaigns republicans
responded with vigorous defenses of
the tariff. In the late campaign
however, the democrats supported
their complaints against the tariff
by quotations from republican au-
thority. such as Senator Cummins.
Thus republican congressman run
ming in districts in which the party
was divided were compelled to
abandon defense of the tariff or as
sail the statements OF representa-
tives of their own party and thus in
vite antagonism within their own
ranks. Most of them were in posi-
ticns in which they felt constrained
on which the democrats were wag-
ing an aggressive campaign. De-
fense of the Taft administration was
most unpopular in those purely ag-
ricultural districts whose prosperity
must be greatest when cost of living
is highest For example in the
Tenth district of Iowa, composed of
farms and where the value of farm
property has more than doubled the
past ten years, support of the repub-
lican congressman who had followed
Senator Cummins in opposition to
republican administration in the eX-
elusive interest of Wall street and
the tariff barons was so general that
the democrats joined with their re-
publican neighbors in sending him
back to congress.
Had all the republicans in con-
gress remained loyal to their party,
this higher cost of living argument,
which arose with the sharp advance
of prices in 1899, would have cut
little more figure in 1910 than in
1900. But when republicans Joined
in the charge that the administra-
tion was subservient to special in
terests, and when the most prosper
Gus class in the country became most
violent in opposition to that admin
istration, party defeat became in
evitable.
Meanwhile the democrats can
have no possible remedy for the
higher cost of provisions except a
policy that will reduce the consum-
ing power of the people by reducing
opportunity for employment and in
cidentally wages. Increase of pro-
duction on the farm has Jagged be-
hind increase of demand in the city.
This is the whole explanation of
matter the course of certain republi-
cans towards the administration en-
abled the democrats TO use to their
observation-disclosures Times.