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Show THE COMING CAMPAIGN IN IOWA. In the vicissitudes of politics, remarkable re-markable as they are, it seems strange to think. of an exciting political canvass in the state of Iowa. It is only a few years since the Republican party was able to command there a majority, ample am-ple after all accidents, and apparently invulnerable against any and all assaults as-saults that might be made upon it. It readied its high-water mark at 75,000, and its average for many years was in the neighborhood of 50,000. For a long time the Democrats did not elect enough members of both houses of the legislature to make a respectable caucus, cau-cus, and it was not until 1874 that they were able to choose one member of congress, con-gress, for the first time in tw enty years of continued andcontinueus effort; and yet two years ago in that state a Democratic Demo-cratic governor, Horace Boies, was elected by a majority of nearly 7,000; the lower house of the legislature was a tie between the two great parties, and the Democratic representation in tha senate was greatly increased over any similar body in the history of the state for thirty-five years. The influences that have brought about this important result, and have given the Democrats of Iowa renewed courage, are many and varied. It has taken nearly twenty years of growing opposition to the majority party; it has been necessary that "bosses" of various kinds and degree should set. themselves them-selves up in that state, and after arraying ar-raying themselves , successfully against its interest for a time, find themselves finally beaten and disgruntled. It has taken a good many years of fanatical temperance legislation to do its part in bringing about this suspicious result. re-sult. It is now more than thirty years since the first prohibitory law was passed in Iowa. Modified from time to time by the removal of some of its restrictions, it was made more severe by the legislatures of 'S6 and '83, until the people of the state became finally aroused to the fact that their material and moral interest were suffering decay. de-cay. Then it was that it became impossible im-possible for the majority party to adopt any means of staying the tide of revolt. From that time on Republican supremacy supre-macy in Iowa was doomed. When men like the present governor of the state, life-long Republicans, were compelled to leave the ranks of their party, it was only a question of time when Democratic supremacy should be insured. With the organization of the convention conven-tion held last week in Iowa, was opened open-ed one of the most interesting as well as one of the most important political campaigns of the present year. It was demonstrated last year that, in spite of an unfriendly gerrymander, the Democrats Demo-crats could elect more than i majority of the delegation in Congress. They I did this while losing the state by a plu-ralityof plu-ralityof about three' thousand. This year the campaign .will be conducted not only upon State lines, with the purpose pur-pose of continuing an administration of local affairs such as it has enjoyed under un-der Mr. Boies, but also upon lines of national policy. The McKinley law will be an issue in Iowa no less than it was last year or than it is during the present year in the State of Ohio where the author of that law is himself the candidate of his party for Governor. For the first time in the history of the Democracy of the State of Iowa, speakers speak-ers will be drawn from every part of the country to discuss before her people the important political questions which divide di-vide the whole country. It will no longer be possible to appeal successfully successful-ly to the memories of the 1' te war, or to put life into old and dead issues. The Republicans must fight this year for their lives. They have everything to gain. They must win back the state, or it will be idle for them to attempt to make a serious canvass for votes in any western state, at the Presidential election elec-tion of next year. If they cannot win back Iowa, they cannot hope to win back Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan Mich-igan or Wisconsin, nor to hold either of the Dakotas. There is every indication that the Democrats will be able to re-elect Governor Gov-ernor Boies. He has made an admin: istration excellent in every way, thoroughly thor-oughly honorable to his State. He has, indeed, brought to it honors which have long been its due, but which have been haltingly given because of the fact that it has put forward weak and insignificant insignifi-cant men for its highest honors. Now that it has again conferred them upon a man who has thoroughly merited them, the people of the State are not likely to forget for-get him or the courage that l?e has shown in the discharge of his duties. The country will watch with unusual interest the canvas now in progress in that trans-Mississippi State. |