Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-06-28
MAKING NOT BREAKING TIL
PARTY

council Bluffs Nonparell.1
To the mind Of some otherwise level
headed newspaper writer's the insurg-
ents in congress are the limit OF po-
litical incorrigibility. Insincere. I'M
reasonable, selfish, demagoEic destruc-
tionists, are among the terms used
daily in discussing their work in some
Iowa as we'll as outside sanctums.
Behind all this smoke may be dis
cerned ono general premise from
which proceeds criticism Of insurgent
activity-they refuse to be bound by
party caucus or party mandate. Tho
latest occasion for a renewed outburst
IsaoeIBuo le1eus5 sJul 20 msyollIIo 20
is the insurgent union with democrats
in a request to the committee on A.
nance to report back to the senate the
house bill reducing the duties on
wool This action Is regarded as GER
tain to open up the whole tariff Ques-
ton. 1t is accepted as an effort to aid
democracy in the next presidential
election and with this version as a
basis the insurgents are re-charged
with being traitors to the republican
party.
The chief difficulty with this sort Of
criticism is that it places too much
stress on party harmony and not
enough on principles which should
guide statesmen in the discharge of
their duty 1t will be conceded that
there Is much effort at Washington to
play politics The democrats are
maneuvering for advantage in the
coming presidential election. Republi-
cans are insisting that their game
shall be checkmated and the specific
charge against insurgency is that in
the hour Of need the party has been
deserted.
The accusation Is unjust and unwar-
ranted. The merits of the case do not
warrant such conclusion. Politically
speaking, the democrats did not want
the republicans to vote with them.
They would have been happier with
strict party lineup on this question
They want the people of the country
to understand that the republican
party is at heart against tariff revision
and in favor Of practically prohibitive
duties That sort of action widens the
scope Of their political territory The
insurgents blocked this game: Their
action proved that the republican
party is not opposed to such revision
deal.
is matter Of debate before the vot-
ers. President Taft. who it is as
sumed will be the candidate of the re-
publican party. will be asking support
on the promise that he is fairly pro-
gressive. He has admitted that
Schedule K in the Aldrich tariff is in
defensible. But what will this admis-
sion amount to II the democrats are
able to point to a refusal on the part
Of republican senators to change it?
Manifestly the advantage would be
with the democrats Republicans
agreed to revise the tariff downward
and failed to do it in the Aldrich bill.
They are not in position to further
test the credulty of voters. The need
is for concrete action and not abstract
promises.
The next president Of the United
! States will be elected because he is
| genuinely progressive. The republican
party will furnish that candidate only
] II It is able to convince the voters in
the country that it has within its mem
bership a sufficiently virile reform
force to do the work demanded In a
fair and impartial way Instead OF
surgents are in fact building the
bridges that will safely carry it for
ward to another victory. if their coun-
sci is needed. Their surrender at this
time to the men who are known to OPP
pose any sort OF tariff tinkering would
seal the doom Of the party beyond the
power Of resurrection before 1916 and
possibly longer.
Petulant regulars should take ac-
count OF the rejected stone which later
was found to be the keystone to the
arch which supported the whole tenn
pie.
| It is worse than useless to take any
medicines internally for muscular or