The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-09-25
DRYDEN VS..
| LA FOLETTE
Senator Dryden Exposes the
falIacy Of Senator La Fol-
lette's Statements.
THE RATE BILL AMENDMENTS,

| den issued to-day a statement con-
cerning the speaking tour through
this State of Senator La Toilette, Of
Wisconsin, last week. Mr.. Dryden
takes up some Of the assertions made
concerning him by the Badger State
man and replies to them
The New Jersey Senator says,
among other things, that Mr.. La
Toilette has assumed the role Of a
political school-master in instructing
| the Republicans of the State as to
what they ought to do in the manage
ment Of their own political family
affairs. and adds that Mr. La Toilette
consorts with, consults with and acts
largely with the Democrats and
against the Republicans. This, Mr.
Dryden asserts, can be learned, not
only from what Mr.. La Toilette says
but by looking down on the Senate
floor from the galleries.
Mr. Dryden adds that an attempt
has been made to show that Mr.. La
Follette's visit to this State is like
the campaign of Cannon, Taft and
Beveridge in Maine. But it is differ
ent, the New Jersey Senator AYERS,
because In Maine it was contest
between two opposing great parties,
/ while here it is matter solely be
| tween the members of the same par
/ ty. Mr.. Dryden remarks that it Is
his opinion that there is not another
Senator on either side Of the House
who could be induced to go into an
other State, attack the Senators OF
his own party and mix up in domes
tic affairs.
Concerning MIR. La Foliette's at
tack on the railway rate bill, Mr. Dry
den says that in doing this the Wis
consin Senator has attacked Presi
dent Roosevelt, who signed the bill
| and the Republican Senators and
Congressman who passed the meas
| ure. Mr.. Dryden,s letter continues:
There is one measure upon which
| La Toilette assaiIed me, of whichl
wish particularly to speak. He has
| accused me Of failing in the perform
ance Of my duty to the people anc
Of favoring interests OF railway cor
norations, because ] voted against
the amendment to the railway rate
bill which he proposed to the Sen
| ate on May IA. Let it be clearly un
derstood that this was not a measure
recommended by the President, MOI
introduced nor recommended by ths
committee Of either House Of Con
gress having the railway bill Il
/ charge It was La Foalette's measure
and his only. This amendment pro
posed to confer upon the Interstate
Commerce Commission politica
| commission, the membership o.
| which is liable to become a politica
| football--the enormous power to FL
the value of interstate railway prop
critics and then to establish rates o.
charges which should yield fair re
turn only upon the; values SO fixed
What La Toilette himself expected
would be the result Of such legisla
ton he has stated IN his graphic
phrase that it would squeeze out
seven thousand millions of dollars ir
value The enormity of this, mon
strous proposition staggers a human
mind
congress had then been in ses
sion about five and one half months
1t was in the throes of the great dis
cussion upon the railway rate bill
Amendments of great Importance had
been introduced and we're pending
and were under daily consideration
Other measures of vast importance
to the country were awaiting action
The great appropriation bills, the
Panama Canal bill, the meat inspec
ton bill, the free alcohol bill, the
| immigration. and naturalization bills
and other measures of great nationa
concern were yet to be taken up.
eImmediately after La Toilette Of
fered this amendment Senator Hale
one OF the ablest and most distin
guished members of the Senate
arose and moved that it be tabled
After a brief debate vote was tax
en- upon Senator Hale's motion, and
lit was passed, forty yeas and twenty
seven nays. OF the forty Senators
who voted yea there were thirty
nine Republicans. including myself
and one Democrat. OF the twenty
seven Senators voting nay there
were twentyone Democrats, five Re
publicans and one alleged Republi
can--La Toilette. II, then I voted
against the interests Of the people
in favor of railway corporations 50
did thirty-eignt Of my Republican
colleagues, involving many Of the
purest and ablest members Of that
| body.
IF La Toilette voted for the inter
ests Of the people and against the
railway corporations, then doing SO
he found himself allied with the
Democrats and opposed to the Re
publicans For myself can not
make 1t too emphatic that am Re
publican and thai act upon all
great party measures with my Re
publican associates. II that opens
me to criticism. shall gladly accept
it
But now let US see how much In
the interest Of the people this boast
ed amendment Of La Follette's was
He himself has stated that the rail-
way securities which would be az
fected BY his proposition amount to
about thirteen billions Of, dollars, that
OF this amount he expected to
squeeze out about seven millions Of
dollars
- nor fna