The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1905-05-17
RATES
A BATTLE ROYAL.

President Roosevelt has thrown down
the gauntlet in what promises to become
the greatest political and economic fight
in the history of this country. the effort
of the raj roads of the country, which
control has been gradually abandoned IN
the rush incident to the nation progress.
Against the President is arrayed the
greatest aggregate of capital ever com
manded by a single industrial interest and
the finest aggregation Of legal ta.ent ever
out a legal training or extensive study
of economic problems, but guided by an
unerring common sense, the President
has discovered that the greatest evil
which confronts the welfare of the Re
public is the a~l-powerful oigarchy com
posed of the railroad managers of the
eliminating rates, differentiais and re-
bates, have butt up the great trusts, the
blame for which has been err oneous y
charged by the Democratic party 10 the
tariff, and which today ho.d in the PAINS
of their hands the future of men, com
munities and even the nation itself.
At the outset the President is denounced
as radical and ever revo. ulionary. a.
though he proposes no measure which
$500 - a.. 1900
conservative citizen. In his last mes
sage to Congress the President urged
that power be conferred on the Inter
State Commerce Commission to fix a
maximum rate, where it was found that
an unjust rate was being charged. His
message created a sensation, but the
Congress met and adjourned and no ac-
ton was taken beyond the passage by
the House of a hastily prepared railway
bill which it was not even expected by
the House leaders that the Senate would
accept, and the authorization Of a Sen
ate committee to hold 'heariLgs' during
the recess of Congress at which tes.,-
mony on the subject should be taken.
When the Congress adjourned without
definite action the raj way men appear
to have assumed that they had heard tine
end of the subject and that the President
would abandon his effort to accomplish
their control. Those who know the Pres
ident held a different opinion, but as he
said nothing in public and made no dem
onstration of annoyance because he had
fai ed in the first instance. the raj way
men seem to have believed that he had
accepted his defeat as final.
No sooner. however. had the President
completed his hunting trip than he maze
a speech at Denver which has sent a
cold SILVER down the backs of the rail-
way men of the country and vociferous
denunciation Is heard in Washington of
President Roosevelt told the people or
Denver that the railroads had become
the great arteries of commerce.: that they
had replaced the ID highways and turn
pixies, the canals and wagon roads and
that today individuals or corporations
operating railroads practically controlled
the commerce Of the nation. He deciare~
In effect, that the railroads enjoyed spe-
cial priv eyes. the right of eminent %
main, etc.. and that they were the crea-
lures Of the government, not its owners;
were not and never could become private
property; must be administered as pri-
vate property. but, said the President,
I'm my judgment. it is absolutely neces-
sary that the nation-for the State cam
not possibly do it-shou d assume a SUI
pervisory and regulatory control over the
great corporations which practically con-
troll the highways Of commerce"