Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1911-09-12
PROGRESSIVE PROGRAM.

The insurgents expect to control,
we'll in advance of the republican
national convention the delegations
from:
Wisconsin Minnesota
North Dakota Oklahoma
California Washington
Kansas Nebraska
South Dakota Montana
Oregon Iowa Gin part).
There will be big, aggressive
fights for Illinois, Indiana, Wyom-
ing, and Nevada.
The southern states will be press
ed to take up the anti-Taft fight. on
the ground that Taft's nomination
will be equivalent to defeat, and
that if the party hopes for contin-
uance of the loaves and fishes OF
patronage of southern states, it
must give its support to the nomin-
alton of man with a chance to
win.
Lines are W NC AdAN Iva ,SAS 0A6
struggle, during the next three
months. Senator LaFollette's speech
at Harrisburg to the Pennsylvania
State grange on Thursday will be
the opening gun. 1t will be follow
ed by announcements from Senator
Clapp Of Minnesota, who has gone
to Arizona to speak in favor OF the
recall, and who will incidentally
give his support to the anti-Taft
campaign, by Bristow of Kansas,
Cummins of Iowa, and by Represen-
tatives Norris of Nebraska! Murdoch
Of Kansas, Lenroot of Wisconsin and
others.
By the time ongress comes back
to Washington in December, 1t is
now declared the fight will be we'll
under way. Insurgents are exceed
ingly pleased with the fashion in
which it is opening up.
They say that President Taft has
done exactly the thing they would
have wished. He has opened the
fight, committed himself to the
policy of driving them and their
supporters out of the party, and
aligned himself squarely against all
the acknowledgements and re-
publican alike-that have been
fighting for tariff revision.
The tariff is thus made the real
issue. President Taft was able. by
reason Of the support Of the demo-
Gratis, to carry his reciprocity meas
ure. In return for that support he
vetoed the rest of the bills that
were passed by a combination OF
democrats and republicans, and then
denounced it's leaders, Underwood
and LaFollette, as insincere and
0elf-seeking.
In short, the progressives will APP
peal to the country with the declar-
alton that the president has set him.
self in opposition to all the forces
that are committed to tariff reform
and has summoned to his standard
all the relicts of the old Cannon-Al-
drich organization that made impos.
sible a performance of the tarifl
pledges OF 1910. They will ask the
tariff reformers of the country Il
consider fairly what chance down
ward revision will have If this com
bination is returned to power fol
another four years.
Nobody in Washington WHIT
knows all the facts will say today
whether the formal announcement
OF Senator Cummins' support o
Senator LaFollette was arranged
and timed in advance of the disso
tuition of congress. Cummins ha'
been regarded as serious potentia
rival Of LaFollette. 1t has been sail
ent fight was impossible because al
the insurgents wanted to be gener
ais there were too many presiden
tial candidates among them.
The declaration of Cummins 70
LaFollette enables the progressive
to show united front. They ar
0ping to fight for LaFollette, and I
nominate anybody who can com
mand the necessary votes. If LaFol
lette cannot win. But the fight fo
the Wisconsin man will be made i
all good faith, and he will be nom
mated il it Is possible.
In undertaking such campaign
the progressives realize that the
must first prove to the conservative
masses OF the republican party tina
Taft, IL nominated, cannot be elec'
ed They count on having the pre-.
idential primaries very early IN n,
braska. Wisconsin, Oregon and oti
er states, and under the presidents;
preference laws of those states the
consider that the overwhelming al
fi-Taft showing will ha tho mn