The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-07-09
ace. It Is to be hoped this may. be
done without suffering from the charge
LOT being reactionary.
one Thinu or the Other.

One Thing or the Other.
Des Moines Register and Leader: 4
number OF genial citizens are busy
these days devising plan by which
they may join a new party movement
for President without in any way In
terfering with the election Of a Re
publican ticket below the President.
The Register and Leader, which has
believed from the first that a new
party movement must mean a breafi-
ling of home ties. would suggest the
difficulties in the way of being part
one thing and part the other in the
sort of contest that is Impending.
Take the case of Governor Clarke.
/ There might be no disposition what
ever on the part of the followers Of
the new movement 10 contribute to
his defeat All they might ask Of him
would be that if he must support the
President he should make as little
noise about 1t as possible.
But what would inevitably happen
/ II Governor Clarke should. while the
state was aroused, refuse to say any
thing in support Of the President. and
that especially If the supporters of
the President were being hard hard
pressed. they would begin to call him
a trimmer, a coward. doughface.
If, to square himself with them and
ease off a little their indignation, he
should urge the support of the whole
ticket, the new party leaders would
at once suspect that he was playing
them false, and he would be equally
Embarrassed.
In spite OF anything 1t would come
as rapidly as sliding down hill that
the governor would be compelled 20
line up on one side or the other and
take the fortunes of war which in a
lthree-cornered contest in Iowa would
be sure and swift defeat.
We use Governor Clarke merely by
way of illustration. What would be
1 true. for him would be true for Sena--
j tor Cummins, for Senator Kenyon, for
every candidate for the important of
4 fees OF the state, and for every candi-
date for the legislature. In the sort
of contest Iowa will see If the new
movement really materializes, no man
could dodge, and no man could take
sides without at once becoming a
marked man.
There is an easy assumption on the
1 part of many that the Republican par
!! ty organization can be stuffed off in a
state like Iowa much as an old coat
/ can be taken off and hung on a peg.
But those who have had any expert
ence with breaking up the establish
led relations of politics will know that
there will be a degree of heat gener
ated before the old coat is torn off
the shoulders of Republicanism that
/ will make the natural temperature of
4 the dogdays seem mild indeed.
1t Is probably true that Iowa is as
I lukewarm toward the President as
4 any of the western states. But it
4 should not be lost upon any Iowan
4 that an effective Taft organization
was formed before the convention.
Nor should any Iowan doubt for a
moment that the Taft campaign Will
be organized effectively for the cleo
ton. No stone will be left unturned
to give the electoral vote OF Iowa to
the President
Nor are the Democrats to be wholly
without hope in Iowa. The Demo.
cratic campaign will be a much more
aggressive campaign than ever before
in the history of the state.
With such leader as Roosevelt
throwing his hat into the ring. does
anybody doubt that long before No
vember there will be a turmoil ir
; Iowa that will involve every citizen.
Mr. Roosevelt Is not deceivLg him
self He. from the first. hns set hi:
the old organization. He is invitin:
Democrats to Join the new movemen
for the express purpose OF notifyini
I the public that 1t is not Republican
: annex. RI he has his way, those VIII,
i are not for him will be set dowl
|. against him. and the line drawn tight
i In this Mr. Roosevelt is right 7
d we are to form new party there i
s only one way, and that is to make i
I new Let us not deceive ourselve
l. that We can be new party as to on,
e office and old party rs to the other
|. Not four weeks OF the actual cam
Il paign will have passed until the foil,
e of that assumption will have BEEF
s proved to the satisfaction of every
II body.
The Care Of the Baby.
u Springfield Register: Do you know