The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-03
SPLIT WIDE OPEN.
Cleavage In Republican Party of
Iowa Grows Greater.
Standpatters Challenge Insur-
gents to Do Their Worst.
In COMPLETE CONTROL
Progressives Have Majority of
200 in the Convention.
The Tariff Is the Source of All
the Trouble.
In COMPLETE CONTROL

Des Moines, Ia, Aug. 3.-With
stand patters and progressives hope
lessly at variance in the matter of a
tariff plank, the Republican state con-
Vention was called to order in the COLI
scum today for the purpose of writing
a platform, selecting a state central
committee and making nominations
for state superintendent of pub
lie instruction and two SUI
preme court judgeships. The dis
cord is expected to be more in evil
dence in the campaign than effective
at the convention, which has a safe
progressive majority. The standpat
faction adopted their planks with the
full knowledge that they could not be
forced through the convention. The
platform which is to be adopted will
be Enthusiastically insurgent-condem-
nation of the tariff law and encomiums
for the states insurgent congressional
delegation.
Yesterday and the greater part of
the night saw the two factions stead
lily growing further apart. At first the
conservatives gave some evidence that
a semblance of harmony was possible.
Talk was for an endorsement of Presi-
dent Taft and the protective policy. BY
night, however, the platform makers
of this faction were in a stampede off
the harmony reservation. They pre-
pared planks endorsing the president
and Governor Carroll. calling them re-
spectively the leaders of the party in
nation and state. They endorsed Taft
for signing the Payne-Aldrich tariff
bill and to the law gave their unquali-
fed approval Nothing could be bet
ter calculated to arouse the ire of the
insurgent delegates. who are in the
majority by 200.
Challenge Is Posted. ~
The standpatters went to bed leav-
ing their challenge well understood by
the Drogressives. The former let it
be known that they would go down
with their colors nailed to the mast
Former Congressman Lacey sounded
the keynote in a speech in which he
declared that it was important that
Iowa should go Republican next cleo
ton but asserted amid applause that
iit is more important that the Repub-
| lican party shall go Republican.
! At the conference last night the
Sixth and Ninth districts were unable
to select definitely their members of
the resolutions committee. They went
into caucus this morning with John F.
Lacey and H. A. Waterman, under
consideration in the Sixth and State
Senator c. G. Saunders and State Sen
ator A.. c. Savage, the candidates in
the Ninth. All are standpatters.
| The Second district conference de-
veloped considerable feeling and the
end was not in sight when the dele
gates from Fthis district began their
caucus this morning The progress
sives of Clinton, Muscatine and Jack
| son counties secured the pledges of 81
out of 104 votes to put George NJ. Cur
| tbs the resolutions committee.
Joseph r. Lane, one of the most in
| fluential Republicans of the district
| and generally known as a great har-
monizer, fused to accept Curtis. The
standpat delegation refused to stand
| for either Lane or Curtis.
Progressfves Supreme.
| E. P Adler's position as state central
commi.teemar from the Second. was
| jeopardized by he fight. for the pro-
gressives planned to support G. E. Hill
| singer for the place. The Scott county
| delegation refused to sanction the plac-
| ing of Curtis on the resolutions COM
mittee. When the conference broke up
at an early hour seven Scott county del
| egates had pledged themselves to Cur
| tbs, giving him a bare majority.
| 'Will they stick?" was the question
most generally asked as the caucuses
| began.
| Whether the state central committee
| shall be standpat or progressive depends
| on the selection made by the Second
| district, it is said. Should the stand
| pat element secure the pivotal position
/ on the committee there was much talk
that the progressives would take sd
| vantage of the primary law which de-
| clareS that the convention shall select
| the state central committee To do so
would be a radical departure from the
/ unwritten law by which the convention
| accepts the selection of the various dis
| tricts. With the big progressive ma
| 1ority OF delegates the convention could
| at its discretion make the COMMITTEES
| W holly progressive. Such an act, how
| ever, would sweep. away the last vestige
| of HARMONY.
Taft Is Ignored.
| Senator Cummins threw the conven-
I ton into disorder when he named the
/ party of Lincoln, of Grant, of Roose-
velt' ignoring President Taft.
Former Congressman Lacey, a stand
| patter. walked irto the center aisle -
ing Taft, Taft, Taft in which he was
Joined by his fellow stalwarts.
Roosevelt's name was cheered stand
ing Cummins, who spoke as tempor-
ary chairman, ignored Lacey's cry, but
| Ii was sometime before he could re-
| sumo. A number of socalled regulars
did not hear the address out.
1t was 1 o'clock before the resolu-
tions committee was named and sent to
its deliberations. It stands six pro-
gressives to five standpatters. AS the
| latter threaten to demand ceaseless roll
| night session will be necessary. The
| majority report of the resolutions COM
| mittee endorses Governor Carroll and
| there Is merely courtesy reference to
| the national administration.
The committee on permanent or
ganization by strict factional vote
| chose Senator Dolliver for permanent
chairman, six to FIVE. Senator Cum
minis was repeatedly cheered by the
Il