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

speech before the Wapello county sec.
ton of the Corn Belt, Meat Produc.
ers association was listened to with
close attention and deep interest
full report of this address is published
In this issue of the Courier.
What the governor said on the oues.
ton OF giving the interstate railway
commission power to remedy abuses
in accordance with their findings. met
with the full approval of his audience
NJ was an endorsement both by the
governor and his audience of the yie.
orous and unequivoeal recommends
tfon of President Roosevelt on this
subject. But the governor went fur
ther and emphasized a statement that
the railways are bonded and capitalize
ed for thirteen and half billions OF
dollars, while their value, he said Ia
less than eight billions, and that al
the people had to pay rates to return
an interest on this valuation, they
were thereby being wronged and the
clear inference was that railway rates
are entirely too high and should be /
materially reduced so that the returns
would be in proportion to the actual
capital invested To thinking men this
sounded very much like the governor
was talking to the galleries" for eff
rect. America has today the lowest
railroad charges in the world. To
foreigners it is amazing that
freight can be proftably handled at
as low a cost to the people, as 1t IL
in the United States. The public
is not asking for any general reduc.
ton in rates. What they do ask for
IS effective prohibition Of diserimina-
ton In rates OF the giving of rebates
to favored shippers, together with the
remedying of any abuses when such
are found to exist after hearing and
investigation by the interstate rail.
way commerce commission. There
are throughout the country, thousands
upon thousands of holders Of compar.
atively small amounts Of railway
stocks and bonds, running from $500
up to few thousand dollars for each
person. These people have invested
in these securities to have sure and
permanent income and it is safe to say
that the rate Of interest Which they
receive on their investments will not
average over 81 or per cent It
will be difficult to convince them that
they are getting too big return on
their investment. Furthermore. the in.
weston in railway stocks is entitled. in
all fairness, to the increase in the val.
ue Of the property thereby represent.
ed which inevitably comes with an in
crease in population and business of
the country, the same as the owner of
farm or an investor in any other
kind of property.
The governor criticised the senate
and declared this body as a, whole is
no longer representative of the people.
We think his charges in this direction
are entirely too sweeping in their char.
acter, or at least he did not note ex-
ceptions which in all fairness, should
nave been made. If the people of Iowa
are not now and have not for years
been truly and faithfully represented in
the United States senate, then repre-
sentative government is farce and
no people on earth have ever been
truly represented In law making
body. That there are unworthy, cor.
poration and self-serving senator's who
deserve all the governors anathemas
is unquestioned, but Iowa is not In
that class and the exception should,
in justice, be distinctly stated in maxi
ing any general charges against that
body.
| The governor with a reference to the
steel schedule gave the tariff and In
cidentally the so-called "standpatterss
little whack. 1t was the English pre-
mier, Mr.. Disraeli, who declared that
free trade was "a mere question Of
expediency.' 1t was Daniel Webster
who as United States senator applied
the same declaration to the question
of protection. The people of the Unit.
ed States today regard the matter Of
changing the tariff schedules very
much in the same light They look
upon it as ga mere question Of exped-
iency" and the indications are that
they are not yet ready to move In the
matter; but rest assured, when they
are ready, they will move.
The governor has wonderful flow
of language and is magnetic speaker.
He held the closest attention of his
audience for nearly two hours. His
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