Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-02-20
POSTUM VS.. EXPRESS COMPANIES.

C. w. Post, of Postum Cereal fame
and fortune has sent petition to the
president of the senate charging Sena-
tor Platt with participating in an ille-
gal conspiracy and combination OF eA-
press companies to prevent competl-
ton and asking that the New YORK
senator be unseated. Senator Platt is
the perfunctory president OF the Unit
ed States Express Company at a large
salary. His duties as the head of this
l,rge concern do not appear to be on
erous so far as supervision OF its busl-
ness is concerned, but New York's sem
Tor senator is without doubt worth the
money to the express company or the
soulless corporation would not pay 1t
over. A part of Mr.. Posts petition is
an affidavit by c. e. and e. M. Daw-
son, the former of whom is secretary
of the Post Check Currency bureau,
which details a statement by Senator
not in the senate to represent the
United States Express Company, at
the same time he could not favor and
would fight any measure that seemed
against the interests of the express
companies; that his company had
nearly ten thousand express offices and
had no office the other companies had,
50 that the country was pretty we'll
covered; that what affected one affect
ed all, and that he naturally felt that
he would have to oppose any legisla-
ton which seemed to conflict with
the interests of the express companies
in any way. Consequently he was
aaginst the Post Check Currency bill
"because it conflicts with my express
money order business"
If, as is to be presumed, Senator Plat
made the statements ascribed to hin,
1t was no new revelation of senatorial
morality. 1t is fairly understood that
States senators are in the senate, as
Mr.. Flatt says, not to represent cor
porations, but to see that nothing hap
pens to them. There are railroad SEN
ators, express senators and senators
for every powerful special interest, but
not all of them are so frank or so
secure in their positions as Mr. Platt
Mr.. Post will find many to agree with
him that they have no moral right to
their seats in the senate whatever they
may be able to claim and hold by law
and custom.
But about Mr.. Post himself. He
represents his own and other special
interests quite as much as Plat does
his express company. His plan for a
check currency is not all altruistic.
Behind it is the catalog house and Mr.
Posts plan to sell Postum Cereal post
paid. His energies and his money are |
being devoted to a campaign for a |
parcels post whereby the government |
an actual loss and Mr.. Post and the
catalog house are to reap benefits at
the expense of tens of thousands of
established retailers. 1t is more or less
evident that if Senator Plat had con-
scented to Mr.. Posts currency scheme
that no affidavit would have been
Forthcoming from Mr.. Posts hired
men.
The. American people are lovers of
fair play. So much so that they are
disinclined to act upon evidence fur
nishei by one interested party against
another Mr.. Posts petition is simply
q grand stand play to make capital for
a parcels post by discrediting Platt
1t is likely to discredit both the sena-
tor and the millionaire, who hopes to
further ais own plans by exposing an
other.
But when special interests fall out
honest men get their chance.