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

with the combination of packing houses,
which by means of rebates heretofore
granted by the railroads have become
an odious and oppressive monopoly?
The people of your district are a long
suffering and forgiving people. They
believed when they restored you to
power and place that chastisement,
however grievous it may have been to
you, would work out in your case in the
peaceful fruits of righteousness. Is it
any wonder that they, in connection
with the people of the state, desire to
know where you stand on this import
ant question? Do they not have right
to know?
Never was there a more appropriate
time to give evidence of true statesman
ship than just now. Politicians are
common, statesmen are rare. In this
presidential year the common people
are taking no special interest in the
election. Why should they? Both part
les are in substantial accord on the
maintenance of the gold standard. The
tariff rippers" are silent as the grave.
Scratch democrat and he bleeds pro-
lection to home Industries. Imperial
ism is ghost. The fat fried. out of
great corporations runs into two'barrels
this time. The struggle is simply be-
tween the ms and outs, interesting at
and state and national, present or pros
pective. Why not take up subject in
which the people have vital interest
and tell the farmers of your district
why they should pay $3.50 per car more
on hogs and $40 more on cattle in order
that the beef trust may pile up yet
other millions with which to monopolize
not only the live stock markets, but the
poultry market, eventually the butter
and egg market, the grain market, and
even the grain and live stock feeding
industries?
Here is your opportunity, the oppor-
tunity of your life. This is no time for
tlamboyant defamation, for academic
discussion of abstract theories, for
sophomore oratory or appeals to the
prejudices Of the people in order to
make one-half of the people believe that
the other half is so intellectually infer
ior and morally corrupt that they may
not safely be trusted with the govern
ment of this nation. 1t is time for
real craftsmanship. Can you afford by
your silence to set the seal of truth on
the charge so generally and universally
made that you are the foe of any effort,
to amend the interstate commerce bill
in any way that will make it effective
and limit the now absolute power of the
railroad combination to determine what
the people shall pay for transportation?
The present situation, as you know, is
entirely satisfactory to the railroads.
What your constituents and the people
of Iowa generally want to know is, Is it
satisfactory to YOU? Will you by 81
lence or inaction put the Eighth District
of the great agricultural state of Iowa
in the position of allowing abuses and
wrongs which President Roosevelt has
condemned, to go unchecked and their
perpetrators unwhipped of justice? We
hope not; but, to be entirely frank, we
fear.
Wallaces' Farmer is not a political
paper, but will cheerfully give you any
reasonable amount of space to answer
the questions herein proposed, and to
tell where you stand on this subject,
which means more to them, more to the.
entire west-indeed, more to the entire
nation--than any other question raised
between the leading political parties.