The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-03-21
SENATOR CUMMINS
URGES NEW PARTY RULES
Iowan Des Mones Address, Emphasizes Need Of National
venion Before 1916

ANSAA NSo3 ILL 1Aiuot ASN-o
ventlon Before 1916.
necessary to the maintenance of free
institutions. 1t is sufficient to rec
ognize that the party is group OF
voters, agreeing in the main upon
governmental principals and policies,
differing upon many things, but ct
ing in general concert for the making
and enforcement of laws.
1t cannot be doubted that the vot-
ers OF the United States taken as q
whole, no matter to what party they
belong, have fairly uniform quality
with our 2T5,0O0 we had the privilege
of sending but twenty-six. Alabama,
with her $4,000 votes, had TWENTY-FIVE
delegates; Texas, with her $4,000
votes had thirty-nine delegates.
| might pursue this comparison in
definitely, and if it were made with
other states than Iowa the inequality
would be still more striking. In 1908
the states of Alabama Arkansas,
Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, South
Carolina, Texas and Virginia, cast
about 10000 fewer votes than Iowa
alone and yet these states were rep
resented in the convention by 2O4 dele
gates, as against twenty-six for Iowa.
That is to say, taking these southern
states together, one Republican there
has more than eight times the in
fluence in determining the policies and
nominations of the party than one Re-
publican in Iowa enjoys
Injustice Cannot Endure.
1t must be apparent to every think
ing man that such injustice could not
be endured and that whenever the Re
publicans in such states as ours saw
their will and purpose cverthrown by
the over-represented states, rebel.
hon would follow To me, the only
wonder is that we have submitted SO
long. The time has now come to
amend our organization so that it will
be fair and right. and I predict that
until we do it the Republican party
will not be restored to the confidence
OF the people.
| am aware that great majority OF
the Republicans have been insisting
for years that this wrong should be
righted, and frequent attempts have
been made, but these attempts have
been made in conventions that were
called for the purpose of nominating
candidates for President and vice
giles of such conventions it was impos
sihle to determine the question upoI
t its merits. If we are in earnest il
trying to make the Republican party
strcng again we must not wait until
1916 to readjust the basis of repre-
lsentation-we must do it now. and
there is but one way to do it, and
that is for the national committee to
call together national Republican
convention and for such con
vention free from the dis
turbances of campaign fol
nominations, to take up the subject
and deal with it and deal with it &C
Icording to the very right of the mat
ter. 1t we fail to do this, the door o.
opportunity will be shut in our face.
and the food that ought to bear US OF
/ to fortune will pass.
How can we invite the men who
rebelled against the outcome Of The
Chicago convention to again bear the
Republican banner so long as VIZ
acknowledge that handful Of Repub
leans in certain states neutralize the
will and purpose of that great army
iof Republicans who made the part.
what it was and who can make it Sc
again if they be given the chance t.
do it.
State Primary Laws.