Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1913-12-12
Our Washington Letter.

LIOnS LUdt lue DeillOCIdIS VIII Sl0St Ios
rext United States Senator and the
next Governor in Iowa, and returning
Republican Congressman admit that
the situation their party faces in the
state is a hopeless one. Several things
have combined to bring about this stu
alton. AS to the Senatorship the pre-.
dictions of Democratic success are
based on the following factors:
The'continued division in the Republic
an ranks and the certainty of /. third
ticket in the field. drawing its support
from the progress sive Republicans.
Senator Cummins' action in boiling
the Taft ticket last year, displeasing
the regular Republicans.
His vote against the Underwood
tariff bill, virtually vote for he con-
tinuance of the Payne. Aldrich law.
which he had denounced, and a vote
against the income tax, which he had
favored.
Senator Cummins' attack on Presi-
dent Wilson for assuming party leader
ship, which is the thing the people en-
dorse most in the President, while he
had criticised Taft for being led
instead of being the leader, which, by
the way, was the cause of Taft's over
throw.
Democratic leaders feel that Senator
'Cummins has further alienated the
regular Republicans, has displeased the
progressive Republicans by failing
Senators LaFollette and Poindexter in
supporting the Underwood tariff reduc-
lions and is further displeasing them
by advocating the reform of the Re-
publican party by means of a conven-
ton, called by the same national COM
mittee which split his party. and made
up of delegates the majority of whom
would be as standpat rs the delegates
at the Chicago meeting, and as un-
willing to further any reforms except
upon grounds purely of political
expediency, which means little to the
progressives of the party who see
principles at stake and not politics.
Added to this are the Senator's
attacks on President Wilson, who is
popular with lowans of all political
beliefs for the record he has made in
the White House.
AS to the Governorship, members of
the Republican delegation in Congress,
who have returned after visiting in
their districts, report hopeless party
outlook. sa"'.
1.-The Iowa man who goes to the
polls at the spring primary after pay
ing his taxes, Increased from 20 to 30
per cent. by Republican state admin.
istration, will not be in a pleasant
state of mind toward this administra-
tion, :" one of them said. "And he will
not be in any more pleasant state of
mind when he goes to the polls in
November after paying the second half
of these increased taxes. Moreover
he will find that in many cases railroad
taxes have been reduced by a big
figure, while adjoining farm lands
have been increased" This is prog.
ressing in way not at all to the liking |
Of the man who pays the taxes. The
capitol grounds extension is another
matter of widespread condemnation in
the southern half of the state and Gov.
Clarke and the other state officers will
suffer for it. One of the Iowa Repub-
lican members said the Congressional
elections would be affected when the
Republican candidates were asked to
take stand either supporting or con-
demnlng the officials responsible for
the increased taxes. While the Repub-
Leans face this hopeless outlook, the
Democrats are in fine feather, with a
popular President carrying on pro-
gram of popular reforms and receiving !
the united support of the Iowa Demo-
cratic delegation in the House.
President Wilson is receiving univer-
sal praise and widespread support for
his primary plan advocated in his able
message at the opening of Congress
last week. His plan of having con-
ventions made up of the nominees for
Congress, the nominees for the vacant
seats in the Senate, the Senators whose
terms have not closed, the national
committees and the candidates for the |
presidency themselves, it is agreed,
would be the soundest step for the
Inauguration of popular government and
would guarantee the success of the
popular choice of the people. At the
same time this would charge the men
the people elect with the responsibility
of framing the platform on which they
would again go before the people at
the election
There is no doubt that Presidential
primary law will be enacted during the
Wilson administration, as we'll as the
currency and antitrust legislation and
farm credit law to which the admins
tration is pledged.