Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-09-22
An Eastern V;e,u Of Cu,n,1,ins.

Heading exponent Of the so-oalled
Iowa idea" for the revision Of the
tariff. He was, and 10, regarded al
the father of the Iowa idea, but as 9
matter Of fact the propaganda ID said
to have been brought to Iowa from
Washington In 1903 or 1904 by George
Roberts. formerly Of Fort Dodge. iowa
later director Of the mint. with head
quarters in Washington. and now
banker in New York City. Tho Iowa
idea is based on the proposition that
| there should be mo shelter to mon3p-
oly"-which pnraseology later appear
ed in a republican national platform
In a nutshell, the Iowa idea was thai
i the ta11..:a. :homld equal the difference
between the cost of production al
home and abroad, plus a reasonable
margin for the pr otection OF those en-
ployed in American institutions: that
the reasonable margin should not be
sufficient to give protection to monop-
ilistic interests Cummins declared he
was convinced that his party must re-
wise the tariff downward II It intended
to handle the trust question, for the
tariff. he said, was the mother OF
| trusts.
| One Of Cummins' biggest cases az
! a young lawyer was when he broke up
the barbed-wire trust. This was about
| thirty Ave years ago when he was just
beginning to be noticed. The baPbed-
wire trust had a corner on barbed wire
! thruout the entire country. 1t was an
| important commodity in the west in
| those days, and the prices were ex-
orbitant and constantly going higher.
James Wilson, afterward secretary Of
agriculture: Henry Wallace, one Of
| 1owa's prominent men, and number
Of others got together to fight the trust
! which claimed patents on all devices
| for making barbed wire. They organ
| lied a company and started a barbed-
wire factory. Immediately the trust
started suit for patent infringement.
The Iowans lost their first case. Then
they looked about for another lawyer.
They hit upon young Albert B. Cum
Minis. And how do you suppose Cum
Minis prepared for It?
He got himself jumper and pair
OF overalls, went into the barbed wire
factory, and learned the business. He
found out exactly how barbed wire
was made and the mechanical principle
OF every machine used in the manu-
featuring process. When he got thru
there was practically nothing he did
not know about barbed wire.
Then he went into court-and beat
the trust.
Immediately thereafter the price OF
barbed wire thruout the country
dropped about one-half. The trust cut
the price rather than have the coun-
try overrun with independent factories.
When Cummins fights he invariably
does it calmly. Whether in a court
room, in a heated political campaign.
or in the United States senate. he is
calm. courteous, self-contained. He
does not grow boisterous, rant. upset
furniture, swing his arms like soma
phores. or behave like a frightened
horse ! have seldom heard him raise
his voice in the senate chamber above
the ordinary conversational pitch.
Lawyers who were Just entering the
profession at a time when Cummtns
was already prominent at the bar in
Iowa declare that he showed them the
same consideration and Difference that
he gave the older and more experienced
attorneys. The result Of his trait Of
courtesy Is that Cummins has always
maintained pleasant relations with
most Of the senate leaders. even with
those who are violently opposed to all
that he stands for. Cummins has been
able to accomplish much by courtesy
that would have been impossible II he
had resorted to the old-fashioned
scheme of attacking men instead Of
methods.
Disnifisd-eut Democratic.
While courteous. however, Cummins
has a knack at spelling the other fell
lows argument by means Of few
calm. pointed remarks. When he
rises in the senate he Is characterized
by an atmosphere Of preparedness. He
is the sort Of person who listens
patiently to what you have to say and
then embarrasses you by inquiring:
Then il that 10 true, how do you
reconcile the statement you made year
before last?"
Or else he produces some entirely
unexpected facts Of a more or less in
controvertible nature calculated to
harass and disturb one.
Besides being calm and collected.
CuIr.1..::..s .s a.s.iHed. There is a
grand manner and certain air about
him. But his grand manner Is not
pompous like that OF n head waiter.