Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-10-21

unjust. But the railroads true to theil
instinct of protection and true to thai
instinct OF defying the law whenever
the opportunity offers, challenged the
interstate commerce commission
Again the fight was carried to the SUI
preme court and in 1897 this court
construed the language of the law il
such manner that it declared the
commission had authority to hear ties
tlmony and If a rate was unjust to con
denim that rate, but that the law gave
no authority to the commission to say
what rate should be substituted That
was like trying to run a locomotive
after taking all the coal from under
the boiler. The supreme courts con
struction of the law ended the useful.
ness of the interstate commerce com.
mission. 1t was stripped Of it's power
Senate Stops Progress.
Again appeals were made to con-
gress to remedy the defect in the
law. The commission made report
In 1898 setting forth the deficiency
and asking for the power which for
ten years it had been supposed to pos
sess. But congress did not act In
1899 the condition was the same. In
1900 it was the same, and so on year
after year, in 1901, In 1902, in 1903
and in 1904, but in 1905 the house of
representatives, under the mightiest
sentiment ever known to have been
aroused on any industrial subject in
the history of the nation, passed a law
which was intended to right the error.
This passed to the senate and that
body instead of adopting it began an
investigation through Its interstate
tee for four or five months conducted
an examination as to the policy and
wisdom Of this measure. 1t is now
before the United States senate and
am informed on reliable authority
that the committee will probably re-
port at the coming session of congress
against the granting Of this desired
authority to the interstate commerce
commission.
MY sole purpose and aim through
out this summer has been to create
and give voice to such sentiment
among the voters Of Iowa as shall
give impulse to the power of the
American citizen to render 1t unsafe
for any man in Washington to deny
to the commerce commission that au-
thority for which we have asked. You
are interested In the fight that is on.
Never has a question been raised in
this country so vital and important
since that Of the sale of human be-
ings. The question Is this: DO you
or do the railroads own this country?'
They think they do and don't wonder
at their confidence. It Is broad ques-
ton and this is only single phase
have no doubt that you will triumph
In your fight, but there are thousand
other questions inseparable from it
though to your selfish interests they
may not be SO apparent
Gospel of Common People.
II am preaching the gospel of the
common people of the United States.
We must in the end determine wheth-
er the experiment in governing, so
beautifully started by our forefathers
shall be perpetuated or shall languish
and die. said that 1 am preaching
the gospel of the common people.
The expression common people may
have slipped from me unawares, but i
do not want you to misconstrue it.
Do you know to whom refer when I
say the common people?' I dc not
mean the poof, the lowly, the desti-
tute, those upon whom the hand Of
adversely has been laid with unusual
harshness. If you put that construc-
ton upon my words revise 1t at once.
The common people to whom l refer
may be rich or poor, great or small,
famous OF obscure, learned or unlearn-
ed, virtuous or vicious. They may
have lived all their lives in that
beautiful sunlight Of prosperity or
deep in the shadows and the gloom of
affection and poverty. They are the
men and the women upon whom the
government has not and cannot con-
fer any privilege not shared by all
their fellowmen and fellowwomen.
The highest moral, mental and mater
ial welfare is secured and maintained
by just laws and their vigorous exc
cution.
II take 1t that l am talking today
to common people. Can you think of
anything the government can do for
you that will be of benefit to you that
will not be of like benefit to your
neighbor? If you cannot you are of
the common people Of the United
States, the people to whom our fore
fathers committed the destinies of this
great nation. We are, some of us, so
accustomed to the rights and privi-
leges Of citizenship, we have enjoyed
them SO long, that we grow to think
that no neglect can forfeit them. It
isn't so. You may wear citizenship
by virtue of the courage Of your fore
fathers, but your sons will not wear
it unless you prove yourself worthy of
the priceless heritage.
The History of America.
''You are the first people on this
earth who ever had such rights as you
enjoy. There were six thousand weary,
dreary years in which the common
people fought for kings and princes,
worked for masters, and died without
glory in death or JOY in living. But
there came day when on the shores
of America an altar was erected to
the true faith. Here our forefathers
set up that altar and lighted the fire.
1t burned, fitfully at times, 1t
Is true, but 1t continued for
$50 years after the best souls and
spirits Of the old country had hao,,n