, 1905-05-13
ROOSEVENT AND THE RAILROADS

1t is evident that all will not be
smooth sailing in the matter of rate
legislation. President Roosevelt is deep
ly in earnest in his %endeavor to secure
for the American people a law that
willact with equal and exact fairness to
both the transportation lines and the
public. His Denver speech left no
shadow of doubt as to the position he
will take AID that speech was empha-
sized by his utterances on his way east
To an Omaha Bee reporter he made it
plain that he would not again be a can
didate for the presidency, thus leaving
him perfectly free to act in the inter-
ests of the entire nation, without fear
or favor.
In discussing the matter, Mr.. Well
man, The able correspondent of the
Record-Herald, says 1T is now a fight
to a finish between President Roose-
welt and the railroads over the rate
bill. The prevailing impression in
Washington is that the result of the
battle will be a draw or compromise.
For some time a widespread belief had
existed that the president was weak
ening' on the proposed legislation
granting the interstate COM
mission power to make rates. But this
belief has been dispelled by the utter
ances of the president himself at Den
yer and by Secretary Taft's plain talk
to the delegates TO the railway con-
gress in this city last night. The pres
ident boldly declared for a grant Of
power to make a new rate where an
old rate Is disputed and found unreas-
enable, and Secretary Taft bearded the
railway lions in their den, so to speak,
n gave them a good lecture besides.
The president is thus seen to stand
squarely in the position which he took
In his message last December, despite
all rumors that he had reached the
conclusion that therein perhaps he had
gone a tritle too far. Mr.. Taft's plain
talk to the railway men last night, and
President ~Stuyvesant Fish's heated re-
ply, amount almost to a sensation. The
secretary, speaking, as everyone rec
ognized, for the administration, warned
the American railway men within the
sound of his voice that if they wished
to play the wise part they would get
nnf 0f the NAV and nnrmit Tho ,,orlo
to rule. He bluntly told them the more
they kicked against public opinion and,
by inference, against the leadership of
the president, the worse it was likely
to be for them in the end. From ex-
p~ressions of opinion heard among the
American delegates to the interna.
tional congress today they did not like
h secretary's way of reading the riot
act to them, and are prepared to fight
all the harder against the proposed
grant of power to the interstate COM
merce commission or any other subsid-
larry tribunal of congress-"
Leading republican senator's also
are ~displeased at the frankness of the
president and of his spokesman here at
h seat of government. They look up.
on these two speeches, one immediate
ly following the other, as evidence Of
collusion between the president and
his secretary of war, who is sitting on
the lid and they resent the whole per-
Torrance as an effort to place them in
leading strings and to tell them from
the White house what they should do
In h hall of legislation"
Mr.. Wellman has probably gone a lit
tie far in his predictions. There is no
reason to believe there will be any
tight between the president and the
senate. The conservatism, as it is call
ed, of the senate will be compelled to
yield before the general demand of the
people. All that the president asks
and all that the people ask is a square
deal. They desire that the interstate
commerce commission shall have pow
er to fix rates, subject to appeal to a
higher tribunal. The railroads should
be entirely willing to accept this reas-
enable demand. II they do not and are
backed up in their position by the
United States senate, then something
worse is likely to follow. Rather than