Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-03-28
THE IAFoLLETTE AMENDMENT.

Senator LaFolette of Wisconsin
pleased men generally when he broke
down old time senate precedents by
making speech on an important pub.
lie question although he is new men,
Der. Several senators have expressed
themselves in favor of prohibiting rail-
roads as common carriers from being
directly interested in the commodities
they carry, and it seems to be generally
agreed among public men that the prov
iRce of the common carrier should be
restricted. 1t is agreed, for instance.
tbatrairOads must not own coal lands.
but Senator LaFollette has gone a step
farther and insisted that no stakeholder
in railroad should be interested in
coal lands. He declares in favor of for.
fixture of acquired coal lands if owned
by railroad stockholders. Senator La.
Toilette says: Il want to put on record
the protest of one individual against
the declaration that now or at any fu-
ture time the railroads of this country
can secure the mastery over any prod
uct which they handle as transporta-
ton companies. This government is
stronger than any of It's creatures. 1t
is stronger than any aggregation of rail-
roads, monopOlies or trusts. Its GEN.
tralizatlon of power must be superior
to all others. l want to write into the
statute books the provision that rail
roads must be common carriers and
nothing else"
We are just now passing through the
period when it is to be determined
whether this government is stronger
than any of its creatures" TIE Com
mOner takes Senator LaFollette's view
of this question. 1t is generally admit.
ted that the common carrier must not
be interested in any of the commodities
it transports, and the United States su
preme court has recently rendered de
cision supporting this view. But it has
often been found to be difficult in pop
ular government to avoid the accom-
plishment of unhOly ends by representa-
tives of special interests If we are
content with the enactment of law
prohibiting railroad company from
being interested in the commodities it
carries, there is nothing to hinder the
managers of that common carrier from
violating the principle in round.
about way. Senator LaFollette's plan |
to prohibit the stakeholder AS we'll as
the corporation from being interested
in commodity to be transported would |
fill the bill. Some such amendment |
should be adopted. The American pee. |
pie are confronted with real evils and |
these evils must be met with real re |
forms.
One senator protesting against the |
LaFollette amendment said: 1T is a
rather ugly thing to say that stockhold-
ers in railroad must not own any In.
tereSt in mine" The American PEG.
pie have commissioned certain corpo-
rations to discharge the duties of com
mon carriers. and in order to protect |
themselves from imposition they have |
a right to say that neither the corpo- |
ration nor any one holding stock there |
IN shall be interested in a commodity |
subject to transportation. This decree |
is essential to the protection of public |
interests, and while some reforms may |
seem ugly" or drastic we must not |
forget that we are confronted with |
very serious situation and feather dust. |
er blows will not bring relief to the |
pubilc.-COmm0ner.