The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1905-10-05

attorneys, the legislators, governors,
and other state and national officials;
and a majority of them ride free upon
all railroad trains. The power of the
combined lawyers of the country will
be directed against the railroad legis-
lation wanted. What one lawyer is
retained on the other side?
Ministers of the gospel are espe-
cially cared for by the railroads. They
are given half fare In any event and
free riding whenever asked for.
Tainted money and free passes are
forced upon the ministers of the gos
pei, and the college presidents and
professors without limit. Look and
see how many of them speak out for
railroad legislation and against trusts,
for cheap food and oil and coal, now
made costly by high rates of railroad
transportation.
Universally, the proprietors and edi-
tors of newspapers fail to buy their
railroad tickets and to pay cash fares
like other citizens. The usual method
of corrupting the newspapers is to
enter into contracts with them, by
which in return for advertising in the
papers there are issued special tickets
for transportation to the proprietors.
Each newspaper opens a running &C
count with it's railroad master and
makes advertising charges for any
thing or everything it may choose to
publish at some convenient rate of
charge. The railroad keeps similar
running account with the newspaper
and makes charges for all the tickets
which it issues to the paper; and they
are given without stint-yellow mile
age mooks sometimes, and free passes
sometimes. The system is cunning
one, but all the more deadly. The
newspaper proprietors OF the country
get their ridinl either free or for as
little as they choose to pay for it;
Power to Fix Rates
The great and perhaps the only
thing that is necessary is the power
to fix rates, which is championed by
the president; and that would be alb
solutely potent against discrimina-
tons for very simple reason: If a
railroad grants lower rate to one
customer than to another the inter
state commerce commission, upon
proof of the fact, will fix that rate as
the legal and only rate for all per
sons, and discrimination instantly
ceases from that very condition. 1t is
the one great remedy which the com
mission has been striving for and
the railroads successfully resisting
for twenty years-the fixing of a new
rate when an old rate is proved TIC
| be unjust-and now the time of tria
has come, with president for the
first time on the sode of the people
Hope to Brighten President
If the president cannot by any sucl
methods as / have Indicated be di
verified from the support of the prop
osition to give remedial power to the
commission, nor led to qualify it to it!
destruction, the intention of the rail
road managers is to endeavor to per
suade him to content himself witt
merely recommending 1t in his mes
sage and letting congress deal with i
without further urging of any sor
from him-the further urging with
out which they are sure they can over
lay and postpone or defeat it. Thei
plan has been to brighten him if the.
could and if not, then to persuade
him. Their plan early in 1904 wa
to defeat him for the nomination a
president, and if they could not, the1
to nominate conservative democrat
whom they thought could be con
trolled by the money power. The.
did not defeat Roosevelt, but the,
did nominate Parker and were salts
fed with him. But 1t soon appearet
that the latter could not as pluto
crat carry the democratic vote, an,
SO he Joined the prOletariat an