The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-03-21

have no party in the state- in which
they exist.
Republican National Convention,
We ought not to hesitate for
moment in the national convention,
which should be speedily called. We
ought to declare in clear and I'M
equiyocal terms that when delegates
are selected according to law they
shall be accepted without question or
dispute. | see no hope for the restor-
alton of the Republican party to
strength and power unless we do this
simple act of justice and do it at once.
II our organization is thus changed
so that our conventions will become
really representative, so that all men
may know that the Republican will as
declared by the individual Republican
voter. both as to platforms and nomi-
nations. will be faithfully carried out
to the end, then the Republican party
can constitute the safest and best in
strumentality of the present time for
good government
feel confident that these reforms
will be adopted. have consulted with
great many men prominent not only
in the councils Of the party, but in the
councils of the nation, and | am graft
fled TO tell you that hitherto | have
found very few who do not recognize
the wisdom-aye, more than wisdom
the imperative duty of SO changing the
rules OF our party organization as to
make it fully representative and alb
.solutely just to all its members.
Many men are possessed OF
intelligence. are endowed with like
consciences. and are moved by, sim
liar patriotic sense of duty: for to be-
lieye otherwise is to admit that free
government is a dismal failure,
think 1t can be said, and ought to be
said for all these people that they
desire to meet the new conditions
which moral and material develop
ments are every day creating, with a
new and progressive legislation which
will secure the happiness, promote
the welfare. and increase the prosper
ity of all mankind.
The Chicago Convention
To be more specific. / think that
the man who made up the Republican
party. as it was when the national
convention met last year in Chicago.
was as sane. moral, progressive, just
| and determined a body of citizens as
ever undertook to prescribe political
principles for the direction and guild
ance CT the nation. All in all there
were something like nine millions of
them. They constituted clear ma
iority of the voting strength of the
American people Unquestionably
they had conferred power and place
upon scme men who had been unfaith-
/ full to the public trust. Unquestionably
there were some men who had at
tanned leadership i'll parts Of the ccun-
! try who were trying to lead the coun-
/ try backward instead of forward Not
withstanding these things, it is still
u,
THE voters themselves were sound and
! that they had greater capacity and a
more unselfish desire for and higher
| conception Of good government thar
any other like group of voters who
! ever Joined themselves together
| through party organization If the
! real will of these people could have
| been fairly gathered, fully expressed
and honestly carried into execution
the government of the United States
would have reached the highest point
that it ever touched under the civiliza
ton of this age.
/ With these truths in our minds, lei
us turn a moment to the political his
tory of 1912.
A Striking Fact.
The first striking fact is that in the
November election more than five
million of these Republican voters die
not vote for the Republican candidate
! for President, and the party fell from
4 the heights OF supremacy to the thirc
i PLACE in the ranks of political organ
izations. 1t succeeded In maintaining
a plurality in but two states Vermont
and Utah-with a total OF eight votes
in the electoral college. | do not dwell
upon this outcome because there are
more cheerful aspects OF the subject
1t must be apparent that the causef
OF this revolution are not to be found
in the character of the men who con
istitute the rank and file of the party
They have the same capacity, the
same intelligence, the same patriot
ism, the same aspirations on the daJ
OF the election that they had when the
q Chicago convention assembled The,
We're coed people to be associated
with, good people for constituency fol
even those who have become the Sc
verest critics OF the party now sough
their association and their support
I Roosevelt wanted to become their can
didate fer President. and had he beer
: nominated he would have found ii
them all the yirtues which illyp1inai ar