The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-03-28
FAIR PROPOSAL REJECTED
RAILROADS ATTEMPT TO KILL
PRESIDENT POLITICALLY.
Mr.. Roosevelt T~hereupon Hlames
Railroad Kings for the Spread
Of Socialism.

New York, March 26.-Under the
heading, Railroads Threaten Roose-
velt With Political Defeat in 1902
the Herald today publishes the follow
ing from it's Washington corresponds
lent: Behind the scenes in Washing
ton there is under way a contest that
in its bearings on national parties
n the political future of public men
and because of public sentiment on
one side and the vast interests involv-
ed on the other, is likely to be more
potent than the isthmian canal, Cuban
relief and revenue reduction ques-
lions rolled into one.
It has to do with the attitude that
shall be maintained by President
Roosevelt, the administrative officers
under him and congress toward the
railroads CT the country. The CAPT.
~talists who are managing and manip-
ulating these properties are men
whose influence can be felt in politics
or business from the Atlantic to the
Pacific.
While all this has been going on, the
big railroad men Of the country have
been paying occasional visits to Wash
ington for the purpose Of protecting
their interests at the white house and
in congress. For three months there
has been a steady stream Of these
f1nanciers. j. p. Morgan has been
there three or four times. Daniel S..
Lamont, Marvin Hughitt, E.. H. Har-
riman, James J. Hill, Paul Morton,
Stuyvesant Fish and a dozen others
have been here off and on, all armed
with the argument that the president
should let well enough alone.
Alarm was felt in the first place
yer the activity of the interstate com
MERGE commission in making an in
vestigation for the avowed purpose Of
as%certaining how the law was being
violated and then deciding whether
suits should be brought or not. The
railroad men have been making iron
4S0A OO00No tAAON IAHO AALCI oLdLO OO1n.
merce commission did not enforce the
law and had made no effort to do it.
This put the interstate commerce COM
mission on its mettle, and it decided
to see that the law was enforced, .un-
less the president interposed.
To obtain that interposition many
visits were paid to the white house.
The president was given very
vivid descriptions of what a panic
meant, and 1t was a matter Of easy
inference that it he encouraged the
enforcement Of what the callers char
acterized as an obsolete and oppres-
sive law he could not expect political
support from the business interests
If the country who felt that they were
about TO be attacked.
1t is related that during one of these
the president of a western
southern road, the stock of which
few years ago was selling at 25 and
s now at par and a half, wasrvery in /.
'istent in describing the iniquitous
eature of the Interstate law.
The president told him that he
would be very glad to meet the rail !
Dad men Of the country, with the rep
e%sentatives of the shippers, and per- !
ect a law upon which all could agree !
nd which would safeguard every in /
crest and do injustice to none. He (;
1ould use his influence to pass such a !
!
The railroad men rejected the prop !
declaring that the railroad !
wanted NO law at all, or q law
nat should be q dead letter. claiming !
nat the railroads under their present