Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1910-08-11
CUMMINS' ADDRESS
AT the Republican State Conyen-
tion in Des MOines
DISCUSSES POLITICAL ISSUES
Says Some Prosressives May Want
to Go Too Fast and Do Too Much,
and Some Standpatters Want
TO Go Back or Do Moth
ing at AL.

nes Moines, Aug. S.--After Chair.
man FRANKIE had called the Republi.
can State Convention to order today
ne introduced Senator Cummins, as
temporary chairman. who spoke sub.
stantiang as follows:
Caimmins' Speech.
Gentlemen of the convention mar.
mony Is Like the poet, 1t Is born mot
mace. IL 1t Is amongst us we will speed
iiy near It's sweet sounds but IL 1t Is not
mere, the effort to create it with deceit.
END In miserable failure. There is more
discord In the suppression of honest con.
Wiction than In the open, candid express
sion or opposing views
Ihis is not an age of plain living but
~ LIS rs an s!1y; age OF plain speaking and there.
lore, with malice toward none, and
charity for all" l speak to you according
70 70 Ine truth as l see 1t, and according
70 my duty as | understand it.
This convention, although composed
wholly OF republicans, is the outcome Of
a political struggle carried ON with ex
ceeoing earnestness in every county OF
gates who are here by accident. but sub
sIantlaliy all OF You are here by design
conscious purpose is behind you and q
clear obligation is before you.
Every man who believes in free gov
eminent must believe in the rule of the
majority, but that implies no more than
peaceful submission to the will Of the
majority, and does not imply the sur
render of the high privilege Of recording
:, 1t was vain and idle thing to pass
through the fight of the primary and
the county conventions unless a grave
and Important issue was involved; and II
would be the climax of folly for this body
OF men, after the republican voters had
determined the issue, to fail in recording
the verdict and in publishing to the world
IN hitting terms, the decision which the
republican electorate has rendered. 1t Is
not my purpose to define at this point Just
what the issue between republicans has
been, and is, not only in Iowa, but
throughout the length and breadth Of the
country. 1t is sufficient for the present
to say that it relates wholly to those
questions which concern the control, regu-
lation and restriction OF the powers and
practices Of combined or concentrated
wealth. Or, to phrase it again,-to the
undue and disproportionate share which
corporate capital is able to wiring from the
profits OF industry. and the injustice II
Is able to infiict upon helpless individuals
and defenseless communities.
In dealing with these problems the mem
bers of our party have ranged themselves
along the whole stretch of economic
Thought and governmental action-from
the hopeless and retreating reactionary tC
the extreme and visionary radical. The
rear division Of this long line, with all
Its varying shades Of political doctrine
has come to be known as the standpatters
while the other, with some diversity OF
opinion upon specific questions. marches
forward under the name of progressives
1t is probably true that some Of the
progressives want to go too fast and dc
too much. 1t is certainly true that there
are many Of the standpatters who want
either TO go back or to do nothing at all
Assuming that the divisions of the party
are equally honest, 1t is obvious that the
contest between them is not trivial, al
though It is to be hoped that 1t is but
temporary.
recur in this unparalleled situation tc
the calm and optimistic philosophy OF
Abraham Lincoln, who. In the epocha
debate Of 1858, after quoting the maxim
"A house divided against itself cannot
stand" said
II believe this government cannot en-,
dure permanently half slave and hall
solved. do not expect the house to fall
but l do expect it will cease to be di
vided. 1t will become all one thing or
all the other" .
1t is even so with the republican party
1t cannot endure permanently half pro-
gressive and half standpat I do not ex
pect to see either defeated or dissolved
but it must speedily become all progress
i've or all standpat
Will Be Progressive.
do not pretend to be able to look
far through the mists and uncertainties
of the future and mark with precision the
path in which the party will walk but
remembering that it came into existence
as a protest against the inaction of the
wings and the medieval tendencies of the
democrats, and remembering, too, that for
more than half century it has been the
progressive party of the union, | cannot
permit myself to doubt that the party OF
Lincoln, of Grant, Of Blaine, of Garfield
of Mckinley, and of Roosevelt will rise
triumphantly above the clouds of its civil
war and be in the future. as 1t has been
In the past, the best hope of mankind, the
progressive party, not only Of the nation
but of the world.
understand perfectly that there are
some short-vsiOned men amongst us who
will continue either to bewail or denounce
individual independence, and who will de.
plore free criticism of party leaders and
party acts, believing that to be independent
of an assumed leadership and to give ex-
preston to honest censure Of party
measure is to destroy party unity and to
invite democratic victory. Such men dis
parage both the intelligence and the pa
country know that there is infinitely more
hope of making the republican party eff.
fectually progressive than there Is Of eff
ficient and comprehensive legislation from
the democrats.
There are many democrats who are dis.
tinguished for their wise and broad views
upon public affairs, but the large major
ity Of the leaders Of the democratic party
laws for country like ours. for they in.
Sariably find in the constitution an In.
superable obstacle In the way of doing
the things WHICH are impera lively de.
be done by the general government.
/ have been accused oftentimes by some
Of my blind and passionate opponents OF
having democratic leanings. and / have
many warm personal friends In that or
ganization, but there never was a time in
my whole life when ! would have been
willing to commit the destiny Of the coun-
try to the democratic party, and there
is less reason now for doing SO than ever
So long as / look upon the constitution
as command to look after the welfare
of the people, rather than a mere injunc-
states, there will be an impossible gull
between the democratic party and myself
The character Of the problems which
now hold the first place In the American
mind makes the republican view of the
constitution vital to the common good.
admit that the differences between repub-
licans are many and that they are impor'
tant; but any republican who, by reason
cratic candidate, will find that he has
jumped from the frying pan into the fire
Vote for Party Candidates.
reiterate Wnat L nave always sa1c
IN every campaign during the stormy de-
cade In which l have been in public Of
fice. We will fight with all the strength
that is in us before the nominations are
made, but when they are made In the
appointed way we will stand shoulder to
shoulder for the republican candidates, and
IN this spirit appeal to every republican
IN the state to give his voice and his vote
20 every candidate on the ticket. whether
national or state.
Protection.
With these preliminary observations,
proceed to the consideration of the dem
mite principles which touch our party Ialtn
and which make up our party history
The policy of taxing imports, not only for
y n domestic