New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-29
4 LOGICAL ALIGNMENT.

he will support Senator La tollel'e III
tho Ponuhlican Presidential nomination.
The support will not be as active as MI
Ia Toilette might wish il to be, Tor 'he
Iowa Senator realizes the political FISK
involved In making an Out-and-out hgh'
in his state for the election of n La FOL
lctte delegation. To n representative =
..Tbe Des Moines Register and Leader
he said on Saturday that the Repupllcal'
State Convention of 1912 was stu a
long way Off But he made 1t clear
that he would not aid in bringing about
President TaftS denomination by re-
marking:
Personally. Lam opposed To President
Taft. If / had my way he woulu Ilot ne
the choice of the Republican NatloildI
convention. and if il were possible TOT
me to prevent il | do not hesltd'e !"
say that | would do SO.
Mr.. Cumrains will oppose Mr. Taft and
supnort Mr.. La Toilette for two reasons.
One concerns the Canadian RECIPROCITY
nor and the other the Presidents veto
Of the wool bill passed by the Demo
cratic-Insur1nt coalition. Mr.. Cummins
Is one of the original advocates of rec
procity with Canada. In speech Which
he made when he was inaugurated GOV
ernor of Iowa. i'm 1904, he showed him
self heart and soul for freer trade WIN
Canada. President Taft had the good
fortune TO find the Canadian government
last winter i'm a mood 10 make new
reciprocity compact, many previous
efforts from Washington to negotiate
snch an agreement having been met with
frIgid indifference at ottawa. When the
chance arrived 10 carry, into effect ms
theories of the advantage of freer trade
relations with Canada Mr.. Cummlns
threw his influence on the side of those
who oppose reciprocity of any sort as
iupoltic and dangerous. He voted
AGAINST the administrations agreement,
and he now opposes the Presidents rc-
nomination because of that agreement.
He naturally prefers 10 support for the
nomination another original champion Of
Canadian reciprocity, Mr. la Follett'.
who also found it logical and appropriate
to denounce and to try 10 defeat the Only
plan for freer trade between the two
countries submitted in more than forty
years. on the ground that it did not 90
far enough.
Again. Mr.. Cummins will oppose Mr..
Taft and support Mr.. La Toilette be-
cause of differences which have arisen at
Washington in applying the principles If
scientific tariff revision. Mr.. Taft he
l;eves in Single-Schedulc revision In the
light of information furnished by Tariff
Board or Commission, and he vetoed the
wool bill because he thought a better
bill could be drawn next winter, after
the report of the Tariff Board on SEIZED
ule X should be submitted. Mr.. Cum
Minis and Mr.. La Toilette are also
stanch believers in the necessity of en-
lightened revision through the aid Of a
Tariff Board. They both worked valiant
~ to have board created. and both put
i'm their state platforms last year ring
ing declarations deprecating any tariff
revision undertaken without the data
which IT is the business Of Tariff
Board TO collect.
They differ however, from Mr.. Taft
i'm not feeling hampered by professions
or pledges When it came to revising
the wool schedule at the last session
they both went completely back on their
own platforms and Cc-Operated with the
Democrats in the Senate in passing pig
in-a-poke tariff measures for political
purposes only. As a reviser Of the tariff
Mir. Taft is too scientific" for Mr.. Cum
Minis. The latter naturally prefers a
scientist of the La Toilette type. who is
rot tied down to the scientific method.
but can also on provOcatiOn hold his OWN
with the best Of them as schedule
eXtemporizer and q rate lOg-rOller.
II is evident that Mr.. Cummins's nat
ural preferences incline him unayOid-
ably TO Mr. La Follette's candidacy
rather than to Mr.. Taft's. Iowa Repub-
leans are not likely 10 share his sophis
ticated point of view. but they can hardly
blame him for selecting the leader with
whose paradoXical methods and 2%2-J
processes Of rea sOning he is in more COM
plete and cOngenial sympathy.