Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-10-12
SENATOR LEWIS ON THE STAND.


town as second class mail matter
SENATOR LEWIS ON THE STAND.
The Ceda.. Falls Record, with a view
to investigation, or to Senator Lewis
embarrassment, it doesn't matter par
ticularly which, following the senators
notable speech at Clarinda, propound-
ed the following question:
VIII Senator Lewis take the stand
and tell an anxious public whether,
during all the years he has served as
+ legislator, his vote on any partlcu-
lar measure was in any respect inf1u-
enced by tf1, presence of pass in his
8 pocket? Let's have some direct evil
dence from those who have been rid-
& ing on free passes. Theorlzing ana
moralizing ON anything Of this kind is
not half as useful just now as sons:
personal testimony
The Records interrogatory was
widely copied In state papers. The
pro-railroad press gleefully crowded
the question home. Now Senator
Lewis acc ,mmodates this circle OF
OF anxious enquirers by candid ex-
planatory letter to the Des Moines
Register and Leader that, however 1t
emay fail to satisfy the crowd of his
ouestioners, conveys the information
they have been demanding. Senator
Lewis says:
I do not ordinarily answer my rail-
(. i I la hor I ~.
Naded my personal affairs before the
public, but he Record asks reason
able question and I will reply. as my
answer must necessarily shed add
tional light upon the motives OF the
railways in giving passes to the legis-
lators.
At the age Of 81 I was elected to
the house and received my annual pass
over the railway passing through my
home town. felt then that 1t was q
mark Of personal courtesy and did not
know then what afterwards learned
that there was a Quid pro quo attach-
n1ent to the gilt. In my first session
! I made a small speech favoring the
massage Of a bill directing the Iowa
ssschedules Of reasonable rates of
charges . which shall be ta-
ken as priraa facie evidence in all
courts that the rates fixed therein are
reasonable end just" The bill passed
and har ever since been the law of
Iowa. by the way, 1t Is a far more
drastic law than is asked OF congress
BY President Roosevelt.
NY action seems never to have been
forgotten or forgiven by the general
40 Tor roi1 xya
an end 10 their sending me passes
now for seventeen years, during eleven
years OF which I have been member
e the general assembly. I have not
complained Of their action from that
day to this and would not now men
zion this personal experience except
COR the publicity given the Records
INQUIRY. so that it will not do now to
/ charge that t am actuated by a desire
to ret even with the railways or to
air q personal grievance for not hav-
s Ing passes. AS a legislator l do not
want them, and when my term of Of
ice expires I know I could not get
them Il I should want them.
@s L. w. LEWIS.
That cross examination is danger
Gus is an axiom among lawyers. An
swers often embarrass more than
questions. This is one of the cases
& where a question propour1ded with
view to impeachment establishes in
stead of destroys testimony. Senator
lewis doubtless has more to tell Of
some other II his enemies will keep
on asking questions.
In all this controversy over the
Lewis speeca its author has all the
best Of it. Ills statements have been
corroborated in some cases by those
who sought to destroy him. He has
nroduced the evidence when he has
been challenged. Now the personal
attack upon him has been effectively
disposed of. The senator has not rid
den on passes since he spoke for rate
regulation seventeen years ago. he
has since then been the subject OF
( "discipline," and no passes have been
sent him by the general solicitors, who
distribute the magic pasteboards In
the reservat ion. If the Record had
been striving to support the conten-
ton Of anti-free pass agitators-
which 1t was mott could have pro-
pounded no question and received no
answer better calculated to carry con-
viction that the intent of the free pass
As to influence legislation.
The Record and it's pro-railroad
anti-rate regulation brethren still have
the witness Pray go on with the ex-
animation. The public is anxious for
further investigation of a case so well
begun. The senator seems to be a
willing witness. Ask him more ques-
lions. -
ABOUT FOOTBALL.
Press reports have it. that President
Roosevelt has had heart to heart
conference with the leaders of colleg-