The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-08-05
TARIFF SPEECH BY
SENATOR CUMMINs
It Contains Some interesting Passages
II One Recalls His Iowa
Record.
Especial to The Gate City.l

Especial to The Gate City,
WASHINGTON, D. c.. Aug. 5.-The
recent tariff speech of Senator Cum
minis, made in the senate at the open
ing debate on the pending Underwood
Simmons bill, and called by the SEN
ator his general survey of the propos-
ed measure, continues to be topic
| of uncommon interest to Iowans in
Washington. Whenever two or more
lowans meet at the capitol these days
and Iowa politics happens to be the
lsubject of conversation Senator Cum
Minis speech is sure to come in for a
share of attention.
| There are some singular things In
| this speech said prominent Iowan.
day or two ago, as he produced a
copy of the senator's carefully pre-
pared effort. 81 was surprised that
a man with the prudence of the SEN
ator would give utterance to them.
They are so likely to call up the rec
collections of Iowa readers to incidents
in his gubernatorial career
The most noticeable Of this kind.
| the speaker thought. appeared in the
following paragraphs of the senator's
speech:
$50 long as the president is per-
mitted to set up a standard of 10y
atty to the party to which he may be-
long, and condemn every man who
does not accept it; and SO long as
members of congress vote under the
apprehension that they may suffer
from the presidential power controlled
by his Judgment instead of their own,
so long congress will incur and will
deserve the contempt of all true lovers
of free and representative govern
ment.'
II believe the bill would be modified
| II members OF congress voted their
convictions, but 1t will not be modified
largely because the president, assum-
Ing to interpret and apply the econ
omic doctrine of his party, has laid
the heavy hand of his power upon a
branch of the government that ought
to be coordinate. but which. in fact
has become subordinate"
When one familiar with Iowa poll
tics from 1901 to 1908 notes the
above commented the we'll known
Iowan. "he probably will remember
that In 1901 and years before. that
Mr.. Cummins was a candidate for SEN
ator; that among other reasons given
by his friends would afford him a
stepping stone to the senate; that
every day Of the seven years he serv-
!! ed as governor he was candidate
for senator and that his every polit-
ical effort was directed to that end.
During that period Mr. Cummins
made hundreds of appointments to
office and, with scarcely single ex-
lception, they were made from the
faction of the republican party he
had created and of which he was the
head. Many Iowa people believe
that in every one of these appoint.
ments an expressed or implied pledge
was given for personal service to the
governor in his contest for a seat in
| the senate. He actually was in con-
troll of legislation of the general as
sembly. He engineered the abolition
of annual elections, the enactment Of
the primary law and several others
that were thought to be favorable to
his purposes, together with a num-
Der OF laws which created scores OF
| fat places that he might and did fill
with his friends and supporters. Dur
| ing all of this time it was well known
that the members of the legislature
who did not yield to the governors