Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-06-03

Des lMoines, June 3.-Once again
Iowa goes to republican natlonai con
vention seeking recognition and place
! on the ticket for an Iowan. Thls IS 1he
F.; third time-the charm time.
! Twice did Iowa go to a national con-
vention prepared to present the name
I of It's then favorite son-Allison. twice
/ it seemed as if the prize was almost
! in reach and yet it was far away
! Twenty eight years ago Iowa went 10
{ Chicago with a strong delegation pre-
pared to present the claims of the Iowa
! candidate for president. There mas
never been any doubt that Iowa at that
! time came very near landing the prize'
The nomination was matter OF deals
and trades and understandings. 1t was
Chauncey Depew who had the Key 10
the situation, and because he feared
that Iowa was too much granger ana
the Iowa influences not easily swayed
! TO the interests of the east he mace
the deal with Indiana instead Oh
Iowa, and Harrison, not Allison. was
the nominee If Depew had decided that
Allison was the proper person, II ne
had been satisfied that Allison had pos
tive qualities that could be relied on.
Iowa would have had a president In
the balloting John Sherman led, with
Depew, Alger, Gresham, Harrison, ALL
son. Blaine and Hawley. One thing
which operated against Iowa was that
the campaign had been initiated with
a swing toward free silver and this did
not take we'll in the east.
One phase OF what happened at CHI
aiph suggests
how history sometimes repeats. II is
revealed in the following interview with
Senator James F. Wilson. Of Iowa. IN
the Chicago Herald June g., 1888:
Then 1t ought to be remembered
| that Iowa is now a very close and even
| doubtful state. Two years ago the re-
publican ajority was only 1 900. Many
of our republican voters have moved
out of the state, to new territory, TO
Nebraska and Dakota especially.
Therefore the fact that Allison STANDS
well with the democrats of Iowa Is OF
Importance NJ. NJ Ham, member OF
the democratic national committee. also
editor Of the leading democratic paper
the Dubuque Herald. was recently in
terviewed by a New York Herald rep
resentative and he emphatically stated
that no democrat could say anything
against Mr.. Allison's fitness for the
presidency 1t is the same with me
Germans in Iowa Republicans ana
democrats alike are his friends and
supporters among the Germans. There
is big delegation OF them now mere
for the purpose of booming him
But Iowa, at least. will not this time
| be asking anything because of German
| sentiment. tho it is possible the Ger
man influence will enter as to candi-
| dates from some other states. And the
! time has past, at least in Iowa. for
| planning for a republican candidate
chiefly on the score that political OPP
| ponents have a very warm side for
| him. Times have changed.
| II was in 1895 that Iowa was up and
ct it again with a candidate at the
| St Louis convention, tho there Was
small chance of success against the
| Mckinley and gold standard tidal wave.
Again Iowa got in wrong on some OF
| the issues There was the troublesome
| coinage question to be handled. Iowa
sent its strongest men there TO see to
it that at least not with approval or
, Iowa was the party TO be committed 70
the single standard. Gear went on the
! committee to write the platform and
| took with him a plank which favored
''bimetallism" which had been brought
| from Washington to be the plank on
which Allison was to run for president.
| It had been favored by Henderson,
Hepburn and others; but they did not
have it their own way, for here it was
that Cummins, who had been selected to
be the Iowa member Of the national
committee, made a hard fight to have
Iowa committed to the single standard
| on the coinage question. 1t is perhaps
worthy of note that just two of that
delegation have survived the political
storms and are conspicuous now -
| George French and A. 3. CumminS.
And French will be at Chicago this year
boosting for Cummins. Colonel French
was one Of the five of the Iowa delega-
ton at ST. Louis in 1896 who stood with
Cummins for the gold standard, and he
received this message from his home
folks in Davenport:
Your friends, irrespective OF party
rejoice in your firm stand for an honest
money plank. Do not surrender to
Gear, Hepburn and Henderson COM
bination straddle."
But conditions have changed. Old
issues are gone. While the Iowa dele
cation did not agree with Cummins and
French on the coinage plank Cummins
was made Iowa member Of the national
committee and as such he had charge
Of the western end of the campaign
which resulted in the election Of Nc
Kinley. ts
OF course there were other Iowans
with aspirations. James S. C1arkson
narrowly missed becoming an Iowa
candidate for the presidency. Horace
Boies was presented to a democratic
national convention as the Iowa offer
ing. Senator Dolliver was to have beer
l presented at Philadelphia as the Iowa