The news & observer., 1905-11-19
PROMPTLY TABLED THE SPEN-
GER RESOLUTIONS

Sometime ago it was stated that Mr..
Samuel Spencer, president of the
Southern Railway had been put in
command of the railroad forces or
ganized to defeat the Esch-Townsend
bill. The significance of his being
put in the lead is due to the fact that
it is necessary to secure the opposition
of Southern Democratic Senators to
defeat the legislation or ''cut the CUTS"
out of 1.-THE result to which the
transportation monopoly is committed.
The Southern Railway, under Spencer,
Andrews, McWharter, Thoms, Rod
man and the other officials, is in poll
tics up to it's neck. It's free use of
passes, employment of host of law
yers it does not need, its mot giving a
damn" for any newspaper that stands
for proper regulation, makes it the
ideal corporation to whose head
should be committed the task of
thwarting the demand of the people,
backed by the National Democratic
Convention and the Republican Presi-
dent. The railroads expect Senators
Elkins and Foraker and other cor
poration Senators to divide the Re-
publican Senators by getting them to
favor some emasculating amendments
that would give a sham bill, or defeat
the bill that would bring results.
How can Democratic Senators be
lND1A ~ T0nF nnr.Dt 10 q
tional platform and induced to vote
with us?" was the query that troubled
the railroad bureau which is already
said to have spent two million dol
lars in an attempt to create sufficient
public sentiment to warrant Senate
rial opposition. In the South, the
Southern Railway has exercised great
influence and in some States there
are Senators who fear to invite it's
hostility Spencer is the man to
work them" was the solution, and
Spencer has not been idle. In fact,
he has been so strenuous that he for
got himself and said: Il don't give
a damn for the Atlanta Journal be-
cause that paper is outspoken against
railway interference in politics and
for State and Interstate regulation.
1t seems that the railroad town of
Spencer and the neighbOring town of
Salisbury, in appreciation of the great
things the Southern Railway has done
for them, are ready to help Mr.. Spen-
Ger in any way possible, and the labor
unions are resolving and doing about
actively to put pressure on the North
Carolina and other Southern Senators.
At the meeting of the Federation of
Labor in Pittsburg last week, Sails
bury labor delegate introduced the
Salisbury Spencer resolution against
the Townsend bill. What hap
pened to it? Here is the Associated
Press report: There was not rip
pie of objection in the convention,
however. when it was moved to lay
the resolutions on the table. Unani-
NOUS consent was given this move"
So it appears that Samuel Spencer,
who don't give "a damn" for news
papers that oppose railroad bossism.
is a mighty powerful man at Spencer
and Salisbury, but a mighty weak
man in the National Federation of
Labor In Salisbury and Spencer
nearly every member of the labor
unions directly or indirectly gets his
bread from Spencer's railroad. In the
National Federation of Labor, four
hundred delegates representing g.
OO0,Q0O trade union membership, do
not seem as ready to do what Spencer
wants as do the inhabitants of Spen-
Ger.
But can Spencer do what he has.
undertaken? Can he induce a single
Democratic Senator to bolt the Ma
tional Democratic platform of his par
ty? That is what he is asking every
one of them to do who is urged
to vote against government reg
ulation of railroad rates. Does Spen-
Ger and the Southern Railway exercise
more influence over Democratic Sena-
tors than the National Convention of
the Democratic party I'VE shall see
I'll