Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-04-19
j. c. cLARksoN, RETIRING FROM
OFFICE, TALKS LIKE A
PROGRESSIVE.
SCORES G. o. p. AND
SAYS SITUATION is CRITICAL
cIarkson Says Party Must Redeem Its
Pledges and Make Good or Go Down
to Defeat-Takes Rap at Customs
Service as Conducted on Partisan
and Selfish Lines.

New York, April 19.-Gen. James S.
Clarkson, known among his Iowa
friends as Ret and at one time the
greatest power in the republican party
in Iowa, delivered a significant utter
ance yesterday afternoon upon his re-
tirement from the position Of surveyor
of the port Of New York Clarkson in
the days when ne was editor OF the
old Des Moines Register stood for par
~ regularity and was identified with
the old school politicians who formerly
ruled in Iowa. Now he talks like a
real progressive.
The generals passing was not with
out political significance. In his val
edictory to the reporters he expressed
the opinion that the republican party
is in a more critical condition than al
any time in its history" and he de-
clared that the customs service never
Will attain its rightful efficiency until
it is entirely removed from partisan
politics or personal ambition"
In spite Of the attempts of the gov
eminent TO fill Clarkson's place, no one
has been named definitely for the post,
and today the port from which third
of the total revenue OF the United
States is derived Will be without a
surveyor
At noon yesterday a deputation of
the surveyors STAFF. headed by lnspec-
tor F. P. Murphy. waited upon Clark
son and presented to him silver low
ing cup thirty inches high, filed with
American beauty roses. and a hand
some gold watch as a token of the re-
spect and appreciation in which he was
held by the men who had served un
der him.
In making his farewell statement
Clarkson thanked the reporters for the
courtesy with which he always had
been treated, especially in what he de-
scr;bed as the last stormy, and often
almost hysterical year in the custom
house. He said:
Formerly we republicans made our
campaign by straight from the Shout
der politics, by actually and honestly
gaining for the party a majority of
the votes in the nation-when, as
President Taft said in a letter to me
last week-'the taking part in an cleo
ton was like going into real battle
We then had little money on which to
make a national canvass. Lately ma
tional campaigns seem TO have been
made largely on funds swollen beyond
necessity and perhaps beyond strict
ethical requirements and on the
blunders of the democratic party.
Says Party Must Act.
THE republican party Is, in my
opinion. in a more critical condition
than at any time in its history. What
it needs to do now is to retrieve its
mistakes of recent years, and not
enter into explanations. The mass of
the people want none of that; they are
waiting for action, and if the party
does not act in advance of them they
will act for themselves. Make no mis-
take about that. Aside from the So
luton Of economic questions, our party
must, TO maintain its existence, re-
assert, redeem, and carry out it's
pledges on certain lines bearing in
evitably upon human rights.
AS an instance of human rights he
named the negro, who, he said, had
been betrayed by the republican party.