The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-08-06
Northwest
Corner Square
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON LETTER.
(By J. K. Dougherty.)
Washington, D. c., August 8
Special Correspondence the
threshold Of the campaign the repub-
lican leaders of Iowa find themselves
without an issue on which to wage
a fight in behalf of Senator Cummins
and Governor Clarke. The material
out of which it was hoped to build
issues has fallen far short of expecta-
tions from a Republican viewpoint.
First and foremost it was planned
Democratic tariff has not worked out
the way it's opponents expected. In
dustry has not slackened beyond the
usual summer lull, and every pros
pect now points to wonderful re-
vival of business which will be under
way before the campaign progresses
far. Prices of stock and grains have
been maintained at high levels prof.
table to the farmer, in spite of the
bugaboo of Argentine beef and corn.
The armies of the unemployed so
gloomily prophesied have not ma
terialized. The utter failure of
Coxey and Kelley, with standpat
prayers to urge them on, to recruit
more than a scattered dozen or so in
march across the country. forever
silenced the lugubrious blues who
have been talking about Coxey and
Kelley ever since 1894. The gloomy
predictions that bond issue would
be necessary to run the government
under the Democratic tariff fell fiat.
Instead there was tidy surplus in
the Treasury at the close of the first
year under the new tariff, and the
excess of receipts over disbursements
was greater than at the close of the
last year under the Republican tariff.
The sneers at President Wilson and
Secretary Bryan's policy of watch
full waiting" in the Mexican situa-
ton, out of which it was expected
to make capital, were made to appear
foolish by the complete success of
this policy. 1t will be difficult to go
before the people and ask condem-
nation of the course which brought
peace in Mexico and the promise of
ultimate settlement of the internal
problems of that country without
Intervention, which meant bloody
war, with all it's attendant sorrows
and evils. iowa absolutely refuses
to get excited about the Panama tolls
issue. Where Iowa has had an OPP
portunity to express it's opinion it
has been to support the President in
his position against subsidies.
The whole calamity program
seems to have fallen fat, because
the mills and factories with extreme
perversity refused to close to suit
the wishes of politicians, and because
the crops continued to grow and
farmers continued to find a ready
market for their produce. Dave
Brant, one of the Republican wheel
horses, in his paper, the Iowa City
was extremely frank in
admitting the difficulty of conduct
Ing a calamity campaign when In
recent editorial he said:
"The Republican is ready to do
Its darndest to help elect Senator
Cummins, but it does not know
sxactly how to run calamity cam
baign. Possibly the Senator or some
OF his close friends will lend as
aistance. The puzzler is how to
hitch up So cattle and hogs, IS cent
corn, $12 hay and other things In
with a real, long, earnest
noWl for calamity for the farmer.
It has to be done and we intend to
do It, but it seems awfully awkward.
y There is nothing much left for
the Republicans to base their cam
paign on except the personalities OF
the candidates, and the personal OPP
position to Senator Cummins and
Clarke in their own party
u strong enough to make this
6haky proposition on which to base
IN. appeal for votes. Standpatters
Who are urged to pull in harmony are
this year showing increasing resent
ment at swallowing a harmony pill
which IL mixed by the Cummins pre-
Gcription. Republican tax payers
Who have been fighting Governor
Clarke and the acts of his admins
tr2tion are in no mood to give a vote
of approval to him and the leglsla-
tive extravagances for which ne Is
held responsible.
All the enthusiasm at this time
appears to be in the Democratic
camp. The council Bluffs conven-
hon was the most largely attended
convention ever held IN
the state. There was about twice as
large crowd as the Republicans
dreW. CONGRESSMAN Connolly made
Spoech % temporary chairman that
1fved not only to strike . stirring
~ note. but Kave an. effective dem
onotfaxaon 81 His ora 0rical powers.
ne 0nthusiaam and cheers which
~ his references r. president
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