Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-07-12
.AAAIUS qOR|H[S
DEMOCRATIC. Party
TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN OF STATE
CONVENTION PRAISES vii.
SON ADMINISTRATION.
DEFINES POSITION ON
GOOD ROADS QUESTION
Declares Liquor Question 10 Settled and
Refers TO Republican Gubernatorial
:. Candidate AZ political chameleon'-
Keynote Speech Delivered by keokuk
Politician.

NOyttON0 StSSSu S0stNVs w ~ tsNSS'NS's
Politician.
Des MONIES July IL. - Praise for
President Wilson and his administra-
ton, definition Of the democratic par
tvs stand on the roads question and
ridicule for the republicans was con-
tained in the keynote speech delivered
today by e. w. McManus temporary
chairman Of the democratic state con-
pontion which met this morning. Mr..
1GcManus said in part:
The republican party in Iowa has
Grown atrophied from long continued
power. Torn apart with internal dis
sension it approaches disintegration.
Graft Is invading the high places and
official life is touched with the breath
OF scandal.
Tho people .of, Iowa are passionately
Interested in the good roads movement.
but theySwul never tolerate a scheme
that places . mortgage upon every
farm and brings the sheriff to every
door. Es9ata
THE Iowa farmer knows that he
can never attain the highest state OF
agricultural efficiency until he brings
the railroad station nearer to his farm
by reducing the enormous cost Of wagon
transportation.
"He may Know that in continental
Europe where they have good roads, 1t
costs less than oneshalt as much to
move ton Of any commodity one mile
tho~ 4 ", this ~ Ia nv
know that the average distance be-
road station in the United States ia
nearly ten miles, and that it costs him
more to move a ton Of grain over these
ten miles Of country roads Il ha1 70
transport it from New York to Liver
pool by water, a distance of 3.100 miles.
He may know that il he could reduce
the cost Of wagon transportation from
20 cents per ton mile to 10 cents as
they have in Europe the people of this
country would save more than $780,
100000 every year.
Importance Of Road Question.
TN the face of these startling facts
the farmer q Iowa would be dull in
deed II he were not alive to the i'm
portance Of the road question! But tho
people Of Iowa have seen the public
taxes double in decade under repub-
lican rule. They have seen the stupen-
dous sum Of $12,0o0,000 annually find-
ing its way Into our road funds. They
are wondering why It is that Iowa.
spending more money on roads than
any state in the union excepting Cali
fornfa and New York, is twenty-eev-
enth in the list Of results accomplished.
THE taxpayers of the state are
growing weary in this wasteful ex-
travagance. They are looking for a
man who win view this question thru
the eyes Of bushes man and not
with the vision Of q trucking politician.
There Is nothing more vital to the
comfort and material well being of our
people than the question Of good roads.
The republican party has signally and
sadly failed in its solution. This con-
vention may well consider 1t with \
view Of giving Iowa systematic, prac-
tical and permanent methods Of road
Improvement to be accomplished not
by the levying Of additional burdens
upon the taxpayers, but thru the
judicious and economical expenditure
Of the money now being aimlessly
wasted"
Tribute to Senator CIarkson.
Endorsing the laws to protect the la
boring men he paid q high tribute to
Senator John T. Clarkson. candidate
for attorney general.
I'VE boldly stand for the fearless
and impartial enforcement Of law. The
liquor question, I believe has been set
tied In this state by the adoption Of
the statutory prohibition. The time has
come when 1t Is no longer question
OF whether you are for prohibition or
against prohibition. The question is
whether you are for law or against
law. Upon that proposition democrats
will not differ.
Resolved to remedy existing evils
and solve the perplexing problems Of
Iowa life we approach the coming
contest under the leadership Of stu
dent and business man who has spent
his days among the men and women
of Iowa studying their problems and
sensing their needs. A man who has
dipped his pen In the wells Of pro-
Sress and scattered the seeds Of knowl-
edge out into the highways and by
ways. One who will bring to the pub
lie service q mind stepped in the les
sons Of . ripe experience, who neither
trims nor truckles, but holds the ban
ner of his faith high up where all the
world may SEQ it-E. T. Meredith, our
candidate for the Office Of governor.
Harding APelitieaI Chameleon"
I'VE earnestly ask THE voters Of iowa
whether they want such q man to
grace the highest office within their
Eift, or viii they choose instead, a po-
litical chameleon, dry where 1t pays
to be dry, and wet where 1t pays to be
wet. For good roads one day and for
bad roads the next. Fixed and con-
slant in nothing save the passion for
political success
"The paramount issue of this CAM
pai0n Is going to center around the
casio RIA