Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-09-16
DIRECT SELECTION or cANpl-
DATES FOR PRESIDENCY GROW.
ING IN FAVOR.
DAVE 6RANT, GRANDFATHER,
AMONG CONVERTS TO PLAN
Of Tippecanos Club Banquet
Rusy Explaining Miscarriage Of Plot
fair at IS Per Plats-LaFolIette Elk.
peoted to Visit Iowa Soon.
ecia! to Tines Republican.

Des Moihes, Sept. l6.-Direct selec-
ton OF candidates for the presidency by
those who are relied upon to do the
electing is taking hold in Iowa as in
other progressive states.
| 1t is inevitable that in all parties the
men of the rank and file Shall be given
the full control Of presidential nominal
tons and the party that shall first adopt
! this will have taken d long step in the
direction of having the full confidence
Of the people. Next year will witness
/ the last nomination for the pres .Cency
! by any national party by the old caucus
and machine method and the control of
rotten boroughs by federal office hold
ers
These idease were expressed by re-
publican Of wide experience who has
been from the first an earnest advocate
of direct nomination Of ali party candI-
dates. He haG observed that the sug-
geStlon OF a primary or referendum on
candidates for president in Iowa, as
made in this correspondence about a
month ago, had been seconded in a
number of different quarters. In fact
! it has been Endorsed quite freely
Whether 1t will be actually acted upon
will depend somewhat upon the att-
tude Of the eastern politicians who are
playing the game for the favor OF Iowa
at the national conventions.
The referendum for president has
been seconded by Dave Brant in his
Iowa City Republican. It has been re-
ferred to approvingly by a number Of
the newspapers Of the state. Some
question has arisen as to how it could
be done legally. 1t could not be done
except in an Informal way and by
agreement Of all interested persons and
by an arrangement Of the state COM
mittees. There is no way it can be
done as a part OF the primary law of
the state.
Secretary of State Hayward ap-
proves of the suggestion for referen-
dun on presidential preferences. The
idea seems to me to be good one" he
said the other day. Il do not know just
sumo it could be all right. and certain
sumo it could be all right, and certain
~ there is no person in the state who
would object to letting the Iowa repub-
licans. at least, go quietly to the polls
and express their preferences Care
would have to be taken to see that it
was strictly party affair, and that
would be in accord with the spirit of
our Iowa laws"
1t would evidently be as easy to con-
fine primary to the republicans as 1t
would be to confine old fashioned hit
and miss caucuses to republicans. The
polling books which are on file could
ha made pf
permitted to vote who were registered
as republicans. This can not be done
in caucuses.
Ii has also been suggested that in
case il is not found desirable to submit
to the voters direct the question as to
whom they would prefer for president,
IT might be possible to choose the dele
gates to the national convention, both
district and state delegates, by an in
formal primary Candidates could an
nounce themselves and lay down a
platform OF principles on which to
stand and then go before the voters
and defend these principles. In that
way clear referendum could be had
as to the issues the people regard as
formost and most worthy to stand as
the party principles
But at any rate the suggestion Of a
presidential primary is taking deep
hold. In due time it is going to be very
popular.
The past week has been prolific in
explanations as to the Tippecanoe Club.
tho not from either Senator Cummins
nor Congressman Prouty. the speakers.
nor from their friends. President Orvis
who carefully laid the plans for an
exciting time at the club banquet, has
INDUCED in a letter Of explanations:
also {. H. Brown, who tried TO make
speech when he was expected to sing a
song; and Clerk Macarthur, of the
federal court. who butted in at an in
opportunte time and was rebuked by
the entire club membership for his i'm
pertinency. President Orvis explained
that he did not know until after the
club sat down to lunch that Mr.. Young
was absent and this was the beginning
Of the failure of our greatest Of all Tip
pecanoe banquets." Just why he should
refer to 1t as failure is not clear, as
a vast majority of those present thor
oughly enjoyed every minute and felt
that it was a splendid success. Just
what some other speaker might have
said TO contribute more to make It
success has not been divulged. It would
have been easy to have brought discord
into the meeting, but this was not done,
at least not successfully.
Mr.. Brown, in a communication to
local paper, referred in no compliment
airy terms to the chief speaker and
guest Of the evening and repeated that
threadbare fabrication about Senator
Cummins having said in his address
last October something about favoring
the worst republican to the best demo-
crat. The fact that he should have CIV
en- currency again to this raw insult to
the senator and should have succeeded
in getting it again into the papers, in
dicates that there was malice and not
| ignorance alone back Of the plan to
humiliate the senator in his home city
and among his friends The story has
been denied so often and 50 explicitly