The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-10-13

was not questioned, but it was decided
that il was not duly expressed I'm the
enactment; and ever since then the peo-
pie have been demanding an amendment
OF the law which would restore it's orig
inal intent.
| No man is more fully aware than you
are of this popular demand. AS chair
man OF the interstate commerce commit
tee you have had an opportunity to hear
representatives of the various interests,
you have heard the whole subject dis
cussed in all it's bearings by the repre-
sentatives OF great commercial organi-
cations, by eminent jurists, by the inter-
state commerce commissioners them
selves, and by the most eminent rail-
road attorneys. If there is man living
! in this state, or in any other state, in
this country, or in any other country,
who has had an opportunity to go to the
very bottom of the subject and know
the rights and wrongs of the people,
you, Colonel Hepburn, are that man.
Men who do business with the railroads
land all do either directly or Indirectly
in your district, in your state, and in
every state, have the right to know
where you stand on question of such
vital Importance.
No man ever becomes so great that
he can afford to refuse plain answer to
fair question. You have attained a
position of great prominence and power.
You have beeh honored by the people Of
your district by your conferees in con-
gress, by the administrative powers of
the government. But you have not at
tanned that position, and never will at
tain it, where you can ignore the
wishes, the questions, and the demands
of those people from whom your power
springs. You are man of unusual abil-
ity, mental strength, and positive force.
You know where you stand on this
transportation question. You have
good and to you sufficient reasons for
your position. Surely the people of
your district and the state of Iowa as
we'll are not unreasonable in asking you
to tell them plainly what that position
is.
To bring out more fully our meaning,
we ask you for direct answer to the
following questions:
First-Do you believe that the making
or, as it is termed, the fixing of rates,
belongs exclusively to the railroads?
Second-f not, do you believe it in
the power of congress to so amend the
interstate commerce law as to enable it
to correct prevailing abuses?
The Cooper bill now before your COM
mittee, as You know, (a) gives congress
power to correct rate which, after a
hearing of all parties, it finds to be I'M
lawful, unjust, and discriminative, and
makes it's orders promptly operative.
(b) Authorizes it to determine division
of joint rate when the carriers fail to
do so. icy Subjects the orders of the
commission to review of the courts,
which orders may be stayed or suspend
ed pending review. (d) Provides that
the orders of the commission may be
enforced by injunction and offenders
fined.
Third-Do you have any objections to
this bill; and if SO, how would you
amend it to correct present abuses?
We ask these questions at this partic-
ular time because of the similarity of
present conditions in your district and
in the state to those prevailing in 1886.
In that year and for years previous your
constituents were paying $3.50 per car
Of cattle from Creston to Chicago, and a
similar rate at all stations in, the west
ern portion of your district; while on
the same train cattle were carried from
hduSaS ClOy anu Omdna at $40. flour
was then shipped from Kansas City to
Des Moines for 10 cents per hundred
pounds in car load lots, while towns in
your district had to pay 16 to 20 cents
for half the distance. Your constit-
uents pay 23aa cents per hundredweight
on the cattle and hogs they ship to Chi
cago, while on the same train cattle are
carried from the west to the same point
at 16 cents.
The long established rate on packing
house products between Chicago and
New York is 100 per cent of the rate on
live cattle, and $50 per cent of hogs and
sheep. Yet the beef trust gets it's pro-
ducts carried through your district from
Missouri river points to Chicago at 49,
cents per hundred pounds, while your
constituents pay 23a cents on both cat
tie and hogs. If the live stock rate is
just, then the beef trust should pay 35aa
cents on the product. If the dressed
beef rate is just, your constituents
should pay IA cents on cattle and Is
cents on hogs. Is it any wonder, there
fore, that they are inquiring by what
methods they can be put on an equality