The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1912-03-12
BY JAn1ns A. nDcHRToN.

man of Ohio. William b. ALI
son Of Iowa and many more SO I'M
varying has been this rule that 1t has
become a,political tradition. The cases
of James A. Garfield and Benjamin
Harrison are only seeming exceptions.
Garfield had been chosen senator. ii Is
true. but he was elected to the prcsi.
dency before taking his seat In the
senate Harrison had been senator.
but his term had expired before he
was nominated FOR the presidency.
The American people have taken their
presidents from the lower house of
congress. from the governorships OF the
states or from the ranks of victorious
generals. but not from the senate.
Has the change In the method Of sen.
atorial elections in many OF the states
,populariZed the body and removed the
ban? When we have direct election OF
senators throughout the nation will
the upper house then become step
ping stone to the presidency? This Is
altogether possible Certain 1t Is that
we now have two senators who are
candidates before the Republican ma
tional convention and both are pro-
gresslves.
The careers of these two men, Rob-
ert NJ. La Toilette of Wisconsin and
Albert Baird Cummins of Iowa. have
been strikingly similar. Both have
fought the corporations and party
bosses. both have stood FOR tariff re-
vision, both reached the governorship
after bitter fights, both served three
terms in that office. and both were then
elected to the senate
Moreover, Senators La Toilette and
Cummins are the two foremost lead
ers of the progressives. not only In
the senate. but in the nation. For
long time II was uncertain which OF
them would be put forward as the
presidential candidate Of this wing OF
the Republican party After the pas
sage Of the Payne, \ drich bill Senator
Cummins threw down the gauntlet to
the stand pat forces and announced
that. IL necessary. he would become a
candidate for the presidential nomina-
ton
with the formation OF the National
Progressive Republican league La Fol
lette began TO come to the front, how
ever. and later conference held In
Chicago formally declared for him as
the candidate. In this decision Scna-
tor Cummins concurred and advised
his friends In Iowa to support the
Wisconsin senator. Thus the matter
stood until the beginning of this year,
when, after conference with his
friends from all parts of Iowa, Scna-
tor Cummins returned to Washington
and announced his candidacy.
The reason given by the press Of the
country was that it appeared impos-
sible for La Toilette to win the en-
tire Iowa delegation, a part OF which
Mt least would thus go to President
Taft. To prevent this the candidacy
of Senator Cummins became necessary
for the entire delegation could be as
sured TO him. Moreover, the state Of
Iowa voted many times for Senator
Allison. and there was desire to keep
the delegation q unit and to cast its
vote for a son of Iowa. At any rate,
it can be confidently asserted that the
Cummins candidacy was not designed
TO divide the progressive forces.
Albert Baird Cummins is truly of
presidential size. He Is an orator from
state that has produced speakers Of
the first rank. he has high type Of
executive ability, is constructive
statesman, has Il winning and pleas.
ing personality and Is of the perfect
pattern of what in the old days was
meant by n gentleman and n scholar"
While governor he was known as the
father Of the Iowa idea" which was
that there should be no protection for
oppressive monOpolies and that Ameri'
can made goods should be bought as
Cheaply at home ms abroad He be
liryei in protecting American indus
tries without shetering illegal comb.
nations.
Never Quits Fighting,