The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-07-30

WA
gresham Maurice Connolly's keynote
speech at the democratic state con-
vention held at Council Bluffs last
Thursday:
Allow me to felicitate the democ-
nance of our great party; to cOngrat-
ulate the constituted delegates of
this convention, representing in part
the democratic fighting force of
Iowa, upon the results of your efforts
of 1912, when you gave the electoral
vote of Iowa to Woodrow Wilson;
you who have kept the faith and have
been loyal to an administration that
has reflected credit upon such loyal
ty. This is not an occasion for apol-
ogy. If one listened to the walls of
calamity by our opposition the weak
and timid might shrink as biased and
partisan lips assail and berate us.
Personally when elected l stood
squarely upon the fundamental doc
trines of the democratic party. 10
quote in substance from consplc-
uous public figure in our state, my
feet were firmly planted upon the
basic planks of my party platform,
and I did not teeter over the edges
nor peer around the corners And
so today l stand squarely upon my
record of consistent support OF my
party, and I am not trying to dodge
responsibility I stand for the record
of my party leader, the highminded,
patriotic and sincere president of the
United States. l do not propose to
straddle, and it is not my purpose to
evade the results of democratic legis-
lation. l am willing to rise or fall
upon the record of my party and
am for support; even should expedi-
ency of opportunism suggest such an
attitude; l do not purpose to trim my
sails to suit the popular breeze OF the
moment, or perchance crafty an
overweening personal ambition at the
sacrifice of principle.
If the Judgment of Iowa should be
against this administration then l
shall step quickly back to quiet life.
There are worse things in life than
retirement from public Office, and yet
I believe when November rolls
around that the people of Iowa will
decide that Woodrow Wilson and his
administration by adherence to fun
damental pledges, in the labor for
equal justice and popular rights de-
serves an Endorsement by our great
progressive and thoughtful Iowa citl-
zenship.
In the campaign of 1912 the three
questions paramount in the eyes OF
the American electors were genuine
revision of the tariff downward, the
enactment of new currency system,
and legislation on the trust question.
The democratic party has not only
addressed itself earnestly and with
patriotism to these measures, but to
a long line of policies and because
we had the integrity and sense of
our contractual obligations to the
people of the country to carry
through these measures there has
been systematic campaign of scare
and calamity, emanating from the big
special interests and protected mon
op0ly and reaching down through the
qualifications that the control In fin
ance, commerce and transportation,
to the country banker and country
merchant. and thus to the people OF
the country who come in contact
with these local institutions, notwltn-
standing the serious depression IN
foreign countries due to the Balkan
war and worldwide conditions that
this democratic administration can
not be blamed for, and which obtain
ed in high protection and monopol-
istic countries, our present condition
is far from being one of distress or
disaster. If instead of alarm the Dig
interests had disseminated the tone
or cheer and optimism we would be
at this moment on the tide of an i'm
pressive prosperity, regardless of the
conditions abroad and in Canada.
The patriotism of the occasion called
for the gospel of cheer and hope, ig-
nOring what might appear to be the
strategy and advantage of PARTISAN
ship. The great wonder Is that we
are not in the slough of great de-
preston. All that is needed at this
time is the cooperation of the busl-
ness and financial world In the ad-
vancement of q message of cheer and
hope. as the fundamental conditions
Of this country, in spite of natural
reflection of the conditions that the
Balkan war and other influences have
produced upon the European coun-
tries, are such that the special inter-
ests and entrenched privilege cannot
longer fend the onward tide of pros
perity and progress. The wave is
here and the croaker and bowler
must, wiuy-nilly, ride upon it: From
the west, from the south. and from
the north we ere catching the song
OF gladness that comes from the man
with the hoe as he prepares to gath
er in the greatest harvest OF modern
times.
From publications like the jour
nal of Commerce, the Wall Street
Journal, the Boston News Bureau,
etc. nowfse biased in favor of this
democratic administration, but which
must print the news, we learn OF
present activity in iron, steel, cop
#per and tin, and textile and wooden
industries, and the tone of better
ment in general business lines, CLEAN
ed from the news items does not
square with the calamity editorials.
Even il there was the distress that
these interests would lead us to be-
lieve, and which they claim was pro-
duced by democratic legislation, how
do they account for the genuine de-
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