Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-04-08

H~eef' PNhiihNOtO W DCCOillc IdWS
last winter will in no way benefit
the people or curb the trusts.
There is nothing in the party record
and nothing in the bills, except the
titles, that forcbode evil to the
trusts. 1t will, therefore, surprise
few men to know that the real
authors of the bills are the trusts
themselves-the very ones that
tried to hoodwink the people by
sending kilograms to the Senators
ordering them not to pass these
antitrust" bills. The New York
journal of Commerce and Com
mercial Bulletin of March %, con-
tains the story of the authorship
of the Elkins anti-rebate bill. A
dispatch TO that paper of that date
from Chicago says that "A meeting
of western railway executive Off
Gals to discuss the Elkins law. it
was stated that A. j. Cassett,
president of the Pennsylvania;
Paul Morton, Second Nice-Presi-
dent of the Santa Fe; and +. ID.
kenna, First Nice-President and
general counsel of the same road,
are authors of the bill. tits stated
that the first draft Of the bill was
made by Mr.. Kenna and embodied
the ideas of the three men named.
This draft was submitted to the
President. the Acknowledgement
and the chairman of the Interstate
Commerce Commission. and suisse
quently was amended. As finally
introduced, however, the bill was
essentially the bill prepared from
the suggestions made by Messrs.
CaSsatt, Morton and Kenna. after
repeated conferences at the White
House. Mr.. Morton says of the
law: II believe the act will secure
the maintenance of freight and
passenger rates, and this will be Of
ineStimable benefit to the entire
countrywide railroads, the shippers
and the consumers.
There i no doubt i'm the mind of
any sane man that the bill will
benefit the railroads. but his
statement that it will bene-
fit shippers and consumers is
a gratuitous insult to the intelli-
gence of the people of the country.
The railroads can be benefited only
10y increased freight rates, and
these must be paid 10y shippers and
consumers. The railroads will get
the benefit and the people will pay
the freight. 1t is case of heads
! win and tails YOU lose.
Even in face of these facts the
Republicans will still continue to
call the Elkins law an antitrust
measure. The people can't beat
such game SO long as they allow
the trusts and the Republican party
to shuttle and deal the cards and
hold the stakes as well.
The President of the United
States has started on another huge
swing around the circle which he
modestly calls AN umpretcntious
little outing for the purpose of
avoiding publicity Let lie see
about that. The schedule calls for
about 200 speeches and the party
accompanying the President con
sists of two secretaries, one doctor.
three stenographer, two secret SER
vice men, one pOetnaturaliSt, repre-
sentativeS of three illustrated
papers, representatives of three
press associations, one official pho
tographer, and two telegraph oper-
ators. What a delightfully."- orig
inal way of avoiding publicity. 1t
Is surprising that he did not take
along brass band with which to
hunt those bears. The truth of
the matter is that the gentleman
who occupies the highest civic
position in the country is never so
happy rs when he is in the lime
light on the front of the stage.
This trip is stumping tour pure
and simple, He wants that nOmi-
nation heap more than he wants
those bears, and he is not overlook
ing any bets that will pile up the
blue chips in front of him.
| said some time ago, in this cor
respondence, that the President
would call an extra session of the
5Sth Congress some time in the
early part of next September.
| missed it about month, as it is
now given out from an official
source that the extra session will