Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1906-11-02

Wheeling Traction Company, Inc
West Virginia Bridge 4 Construction
Company, etc., etc., etc. His interests
have destroyed independent towns
that were thriving, and have built up
in their place other towns that are de-
pendent upon him. One illustration
of his methods, being typical, VIII
serve us as well as hundred. The Full
mers owned coal mines which Elkins
wanted, He owned the railway upon
one of whose spurs the Fulners de-
D ended to get their coeI to market The
fulluers found could get no cars; then
the spur somehow fell1into such disre-
pair that it was unsafe to run carsover
it If the Fulmers should get court or
der compelling Elkins to furnish cars;
finally, he began to tear up The tracks
of thesp A succession OF utterly law
less acts; miniature Of he mans ca
reer! Bold where boldness was neces-
sary, sly where slyness would best
serve, always energetic, implacapiy
greedy, unscrupulous-such is Elklnr,
the citizen. And he has got together
more than thirty million dollars; he
represents the debauched state OF
West Virginia in the Senate; ana
tn IRE he is the man who passes
upon all measures relating to our IN
.rstate comne-ce--the bulk Of the Ia
Dor of the American people, the bulk
o. their prosperity, for just or unjust
distribution, as Elkins, under Aldrich
and ''the interests" may decide
What has Elkins done in the Sen
ate? Except only the recently COM
PEELED rate bill, which as we shall see
In due time is fraud, nc measure ev n
pretending to be for the people CT
against the looters has been reported
from his committee. That fact alone is
enough to stamp the man, just as the
face of vast robbery rampant and pig
thieves unmolested and unafrAid
throughout the nation would be enough
of itself, and without the crowding
confirm atory evidence, to convict the
Senate of treason. But let us recall, as
a specific instance of Elkin's. treason,
his most conspicuous act of perfidious
comm ission.
In the winter of 902-1903 he re-
ported, and the Emerged" Senate pass
ed, an amendment repeating that pro-
vision of the law which made punish
able by imprisonment the infamous
crime of observation-disclosures toa ut
word to characterize the crime
that is almost on par with muir
DIR as an assault upon vital rights.
Te jail with the man who steals an
overcoat or loaf of bread; but only a
fine for stealing by singh tlnance"
sneak-thievery the property, the busi-
ness, the prosperity of tens of thous-
ands! This is Elkin's climax of sena-
torial achievement, thus far. 1t is Sig
nificant Of the power Of the merger
over the House that the Elkins act
passed it by two hundred and forty-one
to six, so eager are the Washington
politicians to serve the "merger" a d
sthe interests" if they can get plausi-
BILE r .ast n for doing SO. The fact that
President Roosevelt signed it shows
how unconsciou he then was OF the
perfidy he had to deal with at the other
end of Pennsylvania ave. The reason
advanced by Elkins for his bill, and ae-
cepted by many who should have
known better in the excitement OF
the tremendous applause from the
agents and newspapers of "the
INTERESTS was that railway Off
ais would let themselves be convict
ed if the penalty were fine only
whereas they would not permit it j
they had to go to jail. the common
sense of the matter was expressed with
more than judicial moderation by Fed
eral Judge Bethea at Chicago last April
when, in imposing a fine upon some
rebaters, he said he doubted if any fine
would prevent the criminals from ire
peating this offense or cause others to
hesit ate to follow their example, and
that 'if there were provision fer i'm.
prisonment, much more might be &C
complished.
EXPOSED BY LA TOILETTE.
| The real reason for the Elklns &C
was exposed by Senator LaFollette in
speech in the Senate on April 9th,
last. He told how the Wisconsin legis-
lature in 1903 ordered an expert inves
tigation of the books of the railways
Said he;
''That was just about the time of tn
passage Of the Elkins act. 1t was dis
closed tia then ilroads had made NOR
than seven million dsllars of deduc-
lions for rebates"
i Obviously if Elkins and the Senate
had not FASTENED to the rescue, the
high officials of the railways radiatins
to the North and Northwest from. Chi
cago would have had to go to Jail; 70