Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-07-06
ROBERT N. LAF0LLEITE
HEARD At CHAUTAUQUA

that competition could be stalled.
There are today 45S Industrial combi-
nations dominating the market. These
have three or four thousand millions
actually invested, but are capitalized
for nine thousand millions. When you
buy their products, you pay interest
upon dividends of nine thousand mil
lions, instead of the actual sum invest
ed. Take the United States Steel com.
pany, which has control of all the priv
ate corporations, owns 80 per cent
Of the richest iron fields Of the Lake
Superior region. it controls the output
Of McConnellsville coke, the cheapest
and best material procurable for the
manufacture of steel. We think about
gold and silver as precious metals, but
they are not comparable to iron. You
blot out iron and you blot out every
thing. One could talk a month and
show where this country stands on the
combination and trusts. There are 453
industrial combinations and $40
known as natural monopilies, such as
the street railway. telegraph COM
panies and express companies.
When a measure is introduced in
congress governing the transaction Of
business by these concerns, the lobby
agents get busy on 1t and ultimately
are victorious. They are bound to-
gether in corporation of trust and
] they work with cunning The plan our
forefathers wrought is not carried out
today by the government. So long as
your representative does the will of
the people, the government will be
representative.
But that moment he has nothing to
do with the government, that repre-,
sentative is employed by the corpora
tions. My talk, perhaps, sorter shocks
you. You may think me extreme I am
one Of the most conservative of men.
and know the things that are real. The
politician understands the situation. If
honest he served his constituency in
his scope of service. The statesman
sees things and tries to prevent them.
Function of Government,
Now fellow citizens let me apply
all l have said to what is before the
people today. suggested to you that
trusts and combinations were pre-
vailing. Now what have the trusts and
combinations to do with the railroad
companies of today?
| Transportation lies at the founda-
ton OF everything in commerce and
society. 1t is absolutely essential to
the life OF every community. Railroads
are junction of government. From
the year 1900 hundreds have been
spent In the repairing and making Of
harbors and bridges. Thousands have
been given to the railroads by the
government. What right has a govern
ment to give to the railroads? Let us
see what it leads up to. 1t means that
as matter of fact railroads is func-
ton OF government. I do not stand
here for government ownership of
Railroads and / hope no one misunder.
Islands me, but If ,ti1ere is no remedy
TO better the service of the railroads
cheaper rates to shippers, and less
monopoly, ! bust the government will
take it. Whatever is necessary to give
the people control of the highways to
market should be done. The control
OF transportation is the control Of the
commercial life of the country. We
nave heard of the transportation COM
panles likened to the arteries of a
man. Cut them and life is, extinct
IN conclusion, Mr.. LaFollette gave
an illustration of the manner trans
portation companies do business. He
suggested to the residents of Wapello
county that he be given the contract
for the changing of the roads of black
mud into fine paved streets, sufficiently
wide to accommodate two wagons,
lighted in the evening by electric light,
and parked with beautiful flowers and
grass. He would do all this for moth
ing, simply asking in return the priv
ilege of placing a toll gate at the ends
| OF the various roads, and charging the
people of the community what was
fair to himself and reasonably fair to
them.
| Evening Address.
| Governor LaFollette in the evening
said in part as follows:
II am admonished that must be
expeditions in order to allow this audi
ence to witness the entertainment
which Is to follow. The lecturer to
succeed me was born in Australia, and
he tells you in illustrations and lecture
or that country. He shows some rail-
roads OF that country which are owned
by the government, and while l know
not what he says of them, he may
have similar views as mine Fellow
citizens when | talked to you this at
ternocn, l said it was a right of the
government to regulate and control
transportation. That it is not only
the right but the duty Of the govern
ment to control it. The railroad is a
natural monopoly. l mean by that
that 1T is built for control of traffic
alone. The railroad is given lis power
by the state, it is a creature of the
state, and therefore should be a pos
session of the state. 1t is a natural
monopoly that the people must obey.
The people should demand of the rail
road however, these three things:
"Ffrst-That service be adequate to
the demands of the country and the
people through which it serves
"Second-That reasonable rates to
the people and to the railroad be oper-
alive.
"Third-No favoritism or Partially
lc.n t~,0 H. -