Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-03-18
.CUMM|NS WOULD
SAVE THE PARTY
SENIOR SENATOR IN SPEECH At
DIES MONIES URGES NEW
RULES FOR REPUBLICANS.
WANTS CONVENTION
Suggests Speedy Gathering OF Repre-
sentatives Of the Party Nation
ally to Formulate Plans for
Four Years Hence. d..

Des MOines, March Ex-senator AL
bert B. Cummins, in an address before
the Grant club here last night, de.
clared it to be his deliberate judgment
that the door of opportunity us now
swinging wide for the republican par
ty, and that If we do not enter, our
temporary defeat may become final
and our organization disappear from
the political world" --
After saying that the republican
party in it's organization had ceased
to be representative, and citing the
preponderance of southern delegates In
the Chicago convention, as proof Of his
statement, the senator urged the i'm
portance of national convention be-
fore 1916 to formulate new rules for
the party.
ut must be apparent to every think
ing man that such injustice could not
endure, and that whenever the repub-
licans in such states as Iowa saw there
will and purpose overthrow by the
over-represented states, a rebellion
would follow" he said. ITO me the
only wonder is that we have submit
ted so long The time has now come
to amend our organization so that it
will be fair and right, and l predict
that until we do it, the republican par.
ty will not be restored to the con-
fidepce Of the people.
"I am aware that a great majority
of the republicans have been insisting
for years that this wrong should be
righte.., and frequent attempts have
been made, but these attempts have
occurred in conventions that were call
ed for the purpose of nominating
candidates for president and vice pres
ident, and amid the fierce struggles
of such conventions it was impossible
to determine the question upon it's
merits. If we are in earnest in try
ing to make the republican party
strong again we must not wait until
1916 to readjust the basis Of represen-
tation, we must do 1t now; and there
is but one way to do it, and that Is
for the national committee to call to-
gether national republican conven-
ton and for such convention, free
from the disturbances of campaign
for nominations, to take up the subject
and deal with it according to the very
right of the matter II we fail to do
this, the door of opportunity will be
shut in our faces
Question Of Delegates.
How can we invite the men who
rebelled against the outcome of the
Chicago convention to again bear the
republican banner so long as we &C
knowledge that a handful Of republi-
cans in certain states can neutralize
the will and purpose of that great
army Of republicans who made the
party what it was, and can make 1t
so again If they be given a chance to
do it.
1--WE ought not to hesitate for mo.
ment in the national convention, which
should be speedily called. We ought
to declare in clear and unequivocal
terms that when delegates are elected
according to law they should be &C
copied without question or dispute. l
see no hope for the restoration of the
republican party to strength and power
unless we do this simple act of justice
and do it at once. If our organization
is thus changed so that our conven-
ton will become really representative
so that all men may know that the re-
publicans will, as declared by the in
dividual republican voter, both as to
platform and nominations, will be
faithfully carried out to the very end,
then the republican party will consti-
tute the safest and best instrumen.
tality of the present time for good
government" -- .-...