Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-07-17
LEHMAN TALKS On
IOWA SITUATION
Says the People Have No Prejn-
dice Against the Railroads
AS Such
OF THE IOWA FIGHT
Former lowan and Noted Lawyer Dis
cusses the Cause Of the Present Des-
perate Effort to Defeat Governor
cummins-Besan in 1888 When
cummins was Elected to Legislature.
[By Ora williamsl
Special to Times-Republican

BY ora WllllamSJ
Special to Times Republican
Des Moines, July 17.-"There is no
common among the people, no natural
antipathy to corporations calling for
restrictive legislation either state or
federal
The speaker was Fred w. Lehman,
of st. Louis. He dropped into an easy
chair at the state house when the
writer began to draw him out on
themes with which he is especially
familiar Mr.. Lehman was for many
years an attorney for the Wabash rail-
road. He is attorney for the st. Louis
street railway systems. for the Asso-
ciated Press, the st. Louis Republic.
for many good paying clients. No
more forceful intellectual giant ever
went forth from Iowa. He was
democrat in Iowa. but he is one of the
partisanship.
w udU ulQ lSI yOu ldSl III your
office in st. Louis about Iowa poli-
tics?" his questioner had asked.
You said that Governor Cummins
would be nominated for governor
again; and he will be-
Mr. Lehman cannot be accused Of
being an over-ZealouS friend of the
Iowa governor. Their lines crossed
many times in the other days, and
they clashed fiercely in the courts and
in politics.
ut seems strange to me-" he con-
tinued, that this particular time
should have been chosen by the rail-
broad politicians for test of their
power and strength in Iowa. The time
is not propitious."
But if there is no prejudice against
railroads. then why do the people so
quickly reject the leadership of their
politicians?"
"The railroad business as business
is entitled to considerat ton the same
as any other, and the people are quite
ready to give it. The railroad busi-
ness commenced practically about
1910. Not until 1872, when the Gran
ger legislation was started, was there
any disposition to interfere by legisla-
ton with the railroad business. For
more than Al years, or until 1887, the
railroads were free from any attempt
at federal regulation. What was the
matter? 1t was just this, that while the
railroad owners had regarded their
property as public in the matter of ex-
ercising the right of eminent domain,
and for the purpose of securing tax
aid and concessions, they had insisted
upon treating their property as private
in it's business operations. Then there
grew up conditions which were offen-
sive. The owners were largely far re-
moved from the immediate field of op-
erations They demanded of their OPP
Grating managers results, no matter
how; and the managers put up fares
and charges and reduced expenses to
the limit Out of the desire for larger
profits grew the rebate system, and
that of favors to some shippers and
some communities at the expense of
others. 1t was short-sdghted sys-
tenn, but it became firmly fastened on
the railroads. Finally the people de-
manded, and rightly demanded, legis-
lation to regulate the railroads. It
was inevitable.
Eve have conditions now much like
they were 18 and 20 years ago, if you
will recall. l went from Des Moines
to st. Louis on one occasion, on invf-
tation of Mr.. Ashley, of the Wabash,
to speak to round table of railroad
men. and I was introduced as the man
who had been writing anti-railroad
platforms in Iowa. I said it was true.
r I, of Tofa r
came to the trial of my first big
case for the Wabash, a case involving
the so-called tripartite agreement. 1t
was an agreement among railroads
which forced Iowa farmers to pay ex-
tortionate charges. 1t was largely re-
sponsible for the uprising which sent
Col. Hepburn home while the people
were getting their rights from con-
gress I dug out of my scrap book
one of those platforms l wrote for the
democratic party in Iowa, attached to
it few facts which we discovered in
regard to that agreement, filed it as my
argument in the case, and saved the
Wabash $4,000. And I can say now
that if we had had here in Iowa
the facts which I possessed when we
had finished disclosures concerning
that tripartite agreement in court in
later years, we would have swept every
congressional district of Iowa as we
did the Eighth with Major Anderson.
"And today there Is again good rea-
son for fresh demand from the peo-
pie for curbing the power of railroads.
Here we have the Burlington officials
convicted at Kansas City of illegal
practices, and convicted in a court that
could not be accused of populistic ten
dencies. Judge Mcpherson permitted
those convictions to stand because the
evidence was absolutely convincing Of
the guilt of the offenders. They have
oeen convicted elsewhere. When the
managers of great mercantile houses
on Washington street testified in court
that unknown men came into their