Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-11-26
Regards Result of His Inter
view With the President
as Entirely Satisfactory
STILL LOYAL TO THE IOWA. IDEA
Thorough Discussion at Washington,
of Tariff Readjustments = Federal
Control of Railroad Freight Rates
the One Great Question Which Will
be uppermost in Congress.
oecial to Times Republican.

| Special to Times Republican.
| Des Moines, Nov. ga. B. Cummlns
returned from Washington this week
fairly delighted with his interview with
President Roosevelt, and with what he
saw and heard at the national capltal
on political matters as well as pleased
with his final success in the matter OF
! the inscriptions on the Shiloh monu-
ments. AS was stated in advance OF
his going, and stated many times, the
governor went to Washington by APP
pointment, especially to appear there
on behalf of the veterans of Iowa regi-
ments which fought at Shiloh. He also
had an appointment, along with Gov.
Van SAINT and others, to present to the
president the matter Of proposed
amendments to the interstate COM
merce law. Incidentally not only the
president, but many others, talked with
him about tariff readjuStments and he
reiterated to one and all his we'll known
sentiments which have been branded as
"the Iowa idea" in politics.
IF ! am not in error" he said, "the
one great question that will be upper
most in congress the coming winter
| will be that of federal control Of rail-
road freight rates. would not feel at
| liberty to speak further of our inter-
| view with the president than to say
that 1t was entirely satisfactory and
4 that in the hour that we had with the
Il H.. As,11 I,
very fully He manifested great inter-
est in the subject. I can only suggest
| that those who are interested in the
| subject should make note of his mes
sage and sec for themselves what the
president thinks on the subject.
'It is not new. subject at all. I
have advocated this very thing on ev-
erv occasion where 1t was pertinent,
and my views have been very clearly
stated number of times in the past
few years. 1t Is useless to deny that
| in the operation of railroads competi-
| tion has been wholly eliminated. I
stated to, the president, as stated at
Dubuque and elsewhere, that while
there is great competition In getting
business among railroads, there is no
competition in rate making. The power
to make rates has been placed in the
hands of a few persons. 1t is true
here. as 1t has ever been true in all
such cases. that where the power to
make prices or rates is entirely in the
hands of one Of the interested parties
exclusively that power Is abused. Such
power over the commerce of the coun-
trv cannot be safely entrusted to an
interested body. With competition ell
minated, rates must be adjusted by
law. The proposition is so simple and
SO conservative that I am surprised
that railroad men should oppose it. In
fact. know great many railroad men
who as individuals, believe this the
proper solution Of the matter.
"What is wanted in the way of leg
islation is that the power to revise and
hands Of some federal authority If
rates are found to be exorbitant there
should be. authority to fix reasonable
rates, and to put them into force i'm
mediaJtely. Let the burden OF showing
them to be unreasonable be upon the
railroad companies. If 1T remains for
the individual shipper to appeal to the
courts and go thru long and expensive
litigation the power will be of no ad-
vantage at all.
"Statistics will show that in the
past four or five years, with the date
making power entirely in the hands Of
interested persons, the net revenue of
the railroads of the United States has
been increased 40 per cent. and this at
time when the mileage has increased
only about per cent. Now this does
not prove that the railroads are get
ing 40 per cent too much for their SER
vice. But it does show the enormous
power which is exercised somewhere in
the matter of exaotions from the peo-
pie for transportation service"
In regard to the necessity for MAX
ing an inquiry into the tariff schedules
and for entering upon a revision to re-
move the manifest inequalities of the
tariff, Governor Cummins returned
more enthusiastic than ever before, for
that which he has been advocating SO
long and SO earnestly in Iowa and else
where. His feelings are quite diff
ferent from what they were six
months ago when Iowa standpatters
were threatening to annihilate him
politically for refusing to subscribe 10
their doctrine of the absolute sacred
ness of the present schedules. and were
neaping abuse upon him for being
tariff ripper" because he wanted the
republican party to make PLAIN dec
laration in its platform in favor of en-
tering upon the work of revision of
schedules at definite time.
Tariff revision is in the atmos-
phere" said the governor. 1T is all
the talk at Washington and in the
east. l was fairly overwhelmed with
inquiries in regard to the subject II
was not necessary for me state my
views They are well known to every
one am now and have been right
along in favor of revision. But news
paper men AND politicians swarmed a :
bout to talk it over and to know What
suggestions would make. 1t is what