The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-11

When Loren Fletcher paired against the
bill he prevented the other member of the
pair from voting for it, aud his action
had exactly the same effect as if he had
voted against the bill.
More than that, Loren Fletcher knew he
ought to have voted for that bill. He
had a private secretary there who is also
the Washington representative of the
Minneapolis Tribune You have seen ar
ticles from the Washington correspondent
signed "Carmody.' These articles are
from the pen of Mr.. Fetcher's private sec
rotary. On the 10th of April, Carmody
sent to the Minneapolis Tribune ac-
count OF that vote. Let us see what he
says. I cut it out and put it in my scrap
book. 1t reads:
''All Of the Minnesota members except
McCleary voted to Overrule the chair and
for the Morris amendment to take off the
differentals. The sugar trust received a
hard knock"
What do you think Of that? Here is
your representative in congress. when a
measure comes up in which you are vitality
interested, and on which he has an OPP
portunity to knock the sugar trust. he
pairs which Is the same as voting in
favor Of the trust, and has his private sec
rotary Telegram phi to Minneapolis that he
voted to knock the trust 1t did not
occur to him that the record would tell the
tale. Not content with nsrepresenting
through his secretary. Mr. Fletcher has
the audacity to come back here to the city
Of Minneapolis and tell the people in this
city that he was lined up against the SUI
gar trust" and that our president was
lined up with the sugar trust" Isn't
that what he says? If anybody can figure
out from this record how Mr.. Fletcher
"knocked' the trust, 1 would like to have
him do it. Nor is that all, he has the eff
frontery to go down to the eleventh ward
and tell the people that he can see the
velvety hand Of the sugar trust in this op
position to him. 1 have made this speech
in this city for four weeks. have called
attention to Mr.. Fletcher's action
corded in the Congressional Record at
every meeting, but he has never answered
it and he cannot. Speaking through some
Of his supporters he says that he made
mistake but it was not a mistake because
he was shrewd enough to have his private
secretary telegraph that he voted against
the trust.
THE GREAT lsTHMlAN CANAL
There is another thing in Mr.. Fletcher's
record that 1 want to call your attention
to. You have all heard Of the isthmtan
canal. If you want to go south you can
go by water. If you wish to go east you
can go by water but if you want to go
west to the Pacific coast you have to go
by rail- There is no water competition in
that direction. If you want to ship freight
to the west you are absolutely at the mer-
cy of the railroads. If we had q canal
down at the isthmus, any one Of us who
has money enough to buy IN interest in an
old steamboat could carry passengers from
New Orleans to the Pacific coast. With
the canal built we will have a choice Of
routes from Minneapolis to the Orient as
we now have to the eastern seabOard.
When we have that we can reduce freight
and passenger rates to a rea sonable basis
The isthmian canal will hit that merger
Of the Northern Pacific and Great North
ern great deal more effectually than
!, anything else. The isthmian canal ques-
ton has been before congress for twenty
five years, hut the Pacific railroad COM
panies have maintained in Washington
the most powerful lobby ever known-all
these years to prevent canal legislation.
President Mckinley considered the ques-
ton Of so much Importance that, on his
| recommendation, congress passed a law
authorizing him to appoint a commission
to go down and determine which was the
best route across the isthmus. That COM
| mission was composed of some OF the
ablest men. and engineers in this country.
| 1t was headed by Admiral Walker and
called the Walker commission. They
made report I want to read four lines
| from page 245 of that report:
| pi valley with the Pacific ports are the
roads with which the canals competition
| will be the strongest and the rates on a
large share Of their through business will
be regulated by the water route
The 500 road and all the other western
| lines are opposed to this canal. :, -.. -
! We all remember that when the Spanish
war broke out, the Oregon was on the Pa
| cific side of the continent. We recall how
anxious the government was to have that
| ma gnificent vessel join the squadron or
| the Atlantic coast for the protection OF
our shores and to aid in the humiliation
| Of the Spanish fleet how 1t started on Its
long and perilous journey Of thousands
| of miles, how we watched and prayed fol
her safe passage around Cape Horn. anc
how finally. after weeks Of waiting anxi-
! ETY., the Journey was completed and she
joined her sister ships. How easy this
| would have been had there been a cana
on any Of the routes that MIR. FLETCHER
has fought or favored as circumstances
| dictated. the form Of his opposition. Il
| we should ever again be engaged In a wal
| with a European power, we would be en-
| ba1rassed in the way by the want Of
this canal It's construction Is an absolute
! necessity No member of congress. who
has a spark of patriotism can rishtfully
! oppose this great and patriotic canal.
| Let us see what the position OF MIR
| Fletcher mas Deen on lllS lStHlllioA CeIlld
proposition. have Mr.. Fletcher
speeches on the subject. In the session
preceding the last, there was a bill up II
| congress to construct canal by the Mica
| raguan route. Mr.. Fletcher was mem
! Der of the interstate commerce committee
! to which this bill was REFERRED, anc
strange to say though there was no one
on that committee whose constituents
wanted the canal more than Mr.. Fletcher:
| he was the only member of that commit
| tee who opposed the canal. AT that time
he made a speech and he has printed ant
circulated it among the people OF this cit!
to show how he stood on the. question
That speech was made two years ago.
want to read few lines from it to shov
YOU what his position was. 1t will b.
remembered that this was after the Walk
err commission had been appointed by tn
president, but before it reported. Mr.
I Fletcher said Of the commission: -
"The president appointed one of tn
most important and distinguished com
missions that has ever had work OF TIL
kind under it's charge. i
4 He opposed action at that time and said
But when the report of that commits
sioner comes in, want to take up tina
bill and consider the report in all 1T
phases and all it's features, and am the
in favor Of constructing a canal across tn
isthmus. Whether it be the Nicaragua o
some other route will depend upon the re
port of this commission, and for that rea
, son hope that this bill will not pass a
this session. HrJ Gs..
You would naturally think when the re