The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-10-27
Washington Letter.
(By Clyde H. Tavenner.)

delegates to the 1912 convention, a
vigorous movement was started
among the genuine progressives of
the west and middle west looking
toward the withdrawal of. all support
from the former president.
Some of the leaders of the con-
gressional delegation of progress
ives quickly talked the situation over
and decided not to permit Roose-
welt to run away with the leader
ship of the national progressive
movement. If necessary, to prevent
the ex-president from using the
progressive movement for his own
personal advancement, these real
progressives will publicly repudiate
Roosevelt. They will direct public
attention to the gross duplicity Roose-
welt practiced on the peop.e by pro-
claiming himself progressive and
then straightway turning about and
anowing the New York state con-
vention-over which he had absolute
control-to adopt platform in
dorsing the Payne-Aldrich tariff
jugglery and the reactionary Taft
administration.
The New York platform squarely
dSSSl lUCS tllS L oyuS-fAluIlCu law DIS
a fullfllment of republican prom
ises, because it states there was an
average reduction of all duties of
II per cent. which, if true would
constitute revision downward
This is in contrast to the Wiscon-
sin republican platform which states
unequivocally that ''the Payne
Aldrich tariff is not compliance
with the pledge of the republican
party" LaFollette, Clapp, Bristow,
Cummins and Dolliver are on record
as saying the republican promise
OF downward revision was not car
ried out. Therefore if Roosevelt
was right, the progressives who de-
| clared otherwise are members of the
Ananias club, which they emphati-
cally deny, and which the public
does not believe
The Roosevelt-made platform con-
tains still another paragraph which
makes T. R. impossible as leader of
the genuine progressives in 1912,
to-wit: 1--WE enthusiastically in
dorse the progressive and states
manlike leadership of William How
ard Taft
The genuine progressives "enthus-
iastically' do not indorse the Taft
administration. Progressives like
LaFollette condemn Taft for having
filled his cabinet with representa-
| tives of the special interests; for
having Endorsed Cannon as another
Lincoln, Aldrich as the greatest llv-
ing financier and the tariff law as
the best tariff bill ever passed; and
last but not least, for having through
out his administration sought counsel
from men like Aldrich, Guggenheim
| Stephenson, Dalzell and Fordney
While at the same time refusing to
(glVe even respectful notice to the
suggestions of progressive republi-
| cans.
Through indorsing the tariff and
raft. Roosevelt has queered himself
with the progressives. They will
not permit him to enter the 1912
progressive movement, much less tc
bring in with him Mr. Taft and Elihu
Root, the messenger boy OF Wal
street.
Roosevelt Was in Control.
Roosevelt declares that had he
been in absolute control of the New
| York republican convention he
would have written the tariff plank
differently" He was in absolute
control. He named the platform
committee himself, in violation q
all precedents. AS temporary chair
man of the convention he removed
four members of the committee anc
substituted delegates personally &C
ceptable to himself. He had made
a rough draft of the platform before
/ Loft of JJ.1
He made speech on the floor of tho
convention in behalf of the direc,
nominations plank, but he said
never a word about the tariff. Query:
II ne had pronounced views on the
tariff why did he not air them? II
would have been an opportunity tc
reveal his much-boasted courage and
fearlessness. Mr.. Roosevelt could
have prevented the platform from
indorsing the tariff, or could have
. made it say anything he wished on
that subject.
Pity the Manufacturers.
We must have more protection
Otherwise the foreign manufacturers
will drive us out of our home mark.
ets!' This was the cry that went
up from the Hobbies of the manu-
facturers in Washington while the
tariff was being revised. The fact
is, however, that instead of being
in danger of being driven out OF
nome markets, our manufacturers
are competing successfully with the
manufacturers in nearly every coun.
try on earth by selling their goods
cheaper abroad than to home con.
sumers. During the eight months
ending with August there were ex.
ported in all $1,027, 100000 worth
OF goods. Manufactured products
composed more than So per cent
of that, valued at more than s542,.
100000. Exports of that class rep.
resented S2,5vO,00O for each bust.
ness day. Twenty years ago they
were only a little more than $3.50.
900 day.
Lloyd Did Excellent Work.
Nearly all of the 391 democratic
congressional candidates have beer
nominated. To James T. Lloyd q
Missouri, chairman of the Nationa
Democratic Congressional commit.
1 49,