Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-08-17
EXPECTED DISCUSSION AT CLAIR.
linda is A oNE-sIDED
AFFAIR.
CUMMINs sP0ILs PLAN
The Governor, Instead Of Telling
chautauqua Crowd About Railroads
Takes More Popular subject-Dav-
export Delivers Address on Rail-
roads Side Of Question.

Clarinda, Aug. 16.-(Special.) Be
fore the Chautauqua here today Hon
Daniel Davenport, of Bridgeport, Con-
necticut, spoke on the regulation of
railroad rates by government COM
mission, taking the opposite side to
that Of Governor Cummins who spoke
here yesterday. MrDavenport as rep.
resenting the association of maintain
ing the rights of private property
held that the granting of such power
to government commission could
have but one outcome, l. e., the es-
tabl1shlng OF a fixed rate per ton per
mile which would deprive the Iowa
farmers Of their eastern markets by
eliminating the low rates on farm and
dairy products which now prevail and
under which they can compete with
farmers nearer the large eastern cit
ies
In opening Mr.. Davenport announc-
ed the opposition of his association
to the great Rooseveltian program to
confer upon political board the
power and duty Of fixing the prices
which the railway companies shall re-
ceive for the only commodity which
they have to sell, viz: their services
IN transporting persons and property
from one state to another" Refer
ring to Thomas w. Lawson, who has
been addressing western audiences
recently, Mr. Davenport dismissed
him and his arguments with the caus-
tic observation that Gin the east we
regard him as a typical representa-.
tive of that class, marked for all time
W oh ~ hN 4; ted Cal
lust's pen as lavish Of other mems
goods, greedy Of their own Listen
how, he continued, .tso one gsghe
speaks for that innumerable host
whose money built the railroads OF
the country and whose savings are
invested in them to a degree hardly
conceivable without an actual knowl
edge of the figures" Mr.. Davenport
then briefly outlined the extent to
which the common people are holders
of railway securities, taking Connec,
ticut as an example. In Bridgeport
his home, a city of $4,000 people
there are four savings banks with A.
600 oepositors, and the banks hold
$4,000 900 of these stocks and bonds
4 In Connecticut, with less than a mil
i lion inhabitants there are 475,000 de
4 rcsitors in the savings banks which
hold $82,000,000 worth of these secur
ties. In the six states of Maine, New
1 Hampshire Massachusetts, Connecti
cut, New York and New Jersey there
arc 5,2G0,0c0 depositors In savings
banks, nearly twice the voting pop
ulation," he emphasized calling at
iention to the fact that half the de
! posters weee women and children
Collectively these depositors owr
through the savings banks the vast
sum of $500,000,000 of railroad securi
ties, notably those of Iowa railroads
The speaker then took up the life in
surance companies with $4,000, ,OuC
policy holders" which own $S00,000,-
of those held by fire insurance compa
ments $28,000000,0 of fire insur
ance rests. If you will take the
trouble 10 investigate for yourselves,
he said. you will find it is not the
Rockefelers. the Morgans, the Goulds
or the Harrimans who own the rail
roads Of the country. Their invest
ments are comparatively insignificant
1t is the toiling millions who own the
principal part and their savings have
been invested in them, relying upor
existing statutory and constitutional
guards for tie protection of property
j rights"
II Cummins' Address
! Davenport's address was largely al
answer to the speech Governor Cum
minis was expected to deliver here yes
terday on the railroad questions. The
governor paid little attention to rail
roads and Davenport was not accora
ed as enthusiastic reception as tina
given to Governor Cummins, who II