Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-12-08
LARRAB[E SEES
STATE OWNERSHIP
Ex-Governor Lauds Rooseyelt's
Stand as to Control Of Rail
road Rates.
BILLION DOLLAR FREIGHT TAX
Mr.. Larrabee Speaks of Governor
cummins' Consistent Attitude on tho
Subject as Expressed In tho Bills
I He Introduced In the Legislature
Fifteen Years Ago.
,ecial to Times Republican.

! Special to Times Republican.
| Des Moines, Dec. Sit will be gov
ernment regulation Of railway rates or
government ownership Of the railways,
| possibly the latter anyway. This is
the view of Ex-Governor William Lar.
rabee, whose address before the inter.
state commerce convention at st. Lou.
| is last month fairly startled the poll.
| ticians.
suited me better in what he has said
on the subject Of federal regulation
of interstate commerce Matters" said
| Governor Larrabee. He has stated
| the case plainly. He has pointed out
inS few, but emphatic words, just what
| is wanted. 1t shows that he. knows
what he Is talking about and has con-
sidered the subject carefully. He has
| spoken firmly and his words ought to
| be needed
with such an expression from the
| president Is 1t not likely something
will actually be done by congress%
.That Is hard to tell. The infiu-
ences which surround the members Of
congress are such that the proposition
will be hard fought. The atmosphere
at Washington is different from that
out in Iowa. l will say this, how
ever, that shall consider that II the
delegation from Iowa does not heed
the words of the president and support
him in this they will not be repre-
senting the sentiments of their constit-
uents.
II am ready to go even farther than
this Governor Larrabee continued,
"and I will say that unless congre.,s
needs this message OF the president
and makes provision, and that right
away, for some government regulation
of interstate rates, we will have gov
ernment ownership of the railways.
| Unless we get government control, we
ship-and am not sure but that we
will have the latter anyway. But Of
this am sure, that the people will
not much longer tolerate conditions sls
we find them now.
There is not another nation on
earth," continued the ex-governor,
that would tolerate a system under
which few men meet and fix rates
for all the shippers of the country, WHO
fix tax upon the people approaching
two billion dollars year, and allow
this to stand without review of any
kind nor subject to any modification.
The action Of the railroad men them
selves has made government owner
ship very easy, and unless something
else is done it seems almost certain
to me that the people will finally In
sist upon ownership.
"I regard President Roosevelt as one
of the most advanced statesmen of the
time," continued the ex-governor Il
have heard 1t intimated there is like
ly to be a clash between him and
congress over some of these Questior,s.
Whatever happens feel sure that the
president will not back down on any
thing he has said. He has wonderful
capacity and he has the backbone to
stand up for what he believes to be
right. / am not ready to approve all
that he has done, but in this matter
Of the great commercial problems con-
fronting us he is right and his view
will prevail. A short time ago a man
came to me in st. Louis and talked
to me about Roosevelt, saying that
the president and his wife have be-
come very unpopular in Washington.
especially among the old political lead
ers. told him was glad of 1t, and
he ought to be admired for having
made himself unpopular with a whole
lot of persons at Washington.
So
II am very glad, indeed, that Govern
or Cummins has taken up this subject
of amendment of the interstate COM
merce law and is making fight for
the modification I hope and believe
he will fight 1t thru to finish without
any compromise or hesitancy It will
hardly be charged to him that he is a
recent convert. Why, don't the people
of Iowa remember the work Mr.. Cum
minis did in the legislature when he
was member fifteen years ago, in sup
port of the bill to give to Iowa thru
our railroad commission the very thing
we are seeking today for the interstate
commerce commission? Mr. Cummins
voted for that bill and he introduced a
number of bills of his own, looking to
the same end He has consistent rec
ord on the subject covering at least
fifteen years to my knowledge.
81 am not at all alarmed about gov
ernment ownership of the railroads. I
believe that under government owner
ship the railroads could be operated
at less than so per cent of the present
cost of operation, that the. service
would be better and there would be
absence of all favoritism. have trav-
Id On railroads
ed and operated by the government and
I know that the plan is practicable.
But what we want now is federal regu-
lation just as within state lines we
have state regulation Of rates, and un-
less this is secured it looks very much
to me like government ownership as
the end"
mt. -