Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-04-14
MARSH AI1.TOWN, IOWA SATURDAY., 1906

mentality of one of the brightest men
OF the state, and / assume it couples
with this man its immense variety of
interest, and together they are work.
litical welfare.
"These companies comprise the po-
litical railways of the state. / re-
member that there are such companies
as the Chicago Great Western. Iowa
Central, and Minneapolis & ST Louis,
but, in so far as I know, they have
confined themselves to the operation Of
their railways, and have taken no par.
in political controversies.
Will Perkins Explain?
"How are you to explain this COM
bination, tremendous in it's power, far
reaching in it's effects, in your inter-
est? have not attempted to explain
it; l only know that if they succeed,
the railway companies are again IN
power and that Iowa will be reckoned
as hostile to the movement for the sub
ordination of corporate avarice to the
general welfare.
II only know that if you are nomin-
ated these railways will have contrib
uted a great proportion of the votes
which you will receive.
"rhe most vital problems of the
present time relate to the regulation
of corporations, and If we find the So
luton for which we are seeking, 1t
will be in administrations that have
not been installed thru the agency of
the corporations to be regulated, con-
trolled and restricted. 2f
"This is the issue that I present to
you. 1t does not touch or involve your
uprishtness of purpose or your purity
of motive, but it does involve the WEI
fare of a great people and the success
Of a mighty movement.
Bringing Perkins to Book.
"The response to this issue that you
have hitherto made in the columns of
your newspaper is an assault upon my
sincerity. You have. in effect, done
nothing but to declare over and over
again, that If, am controlled by the
railroads and the corporations. you ars
also.' / propose now to bring you to
book, and see what you have to say
before this company of honest men in
defense of the falsehoods concerning
what I have done and what have
said.
You have repeatedly declared that
when I became member of the house
of representatives Of the Twenty-Sec-
ond general assembly entered that
body to represent the railways, that I
antagonized Governor Larrabee in his
efforts to secure railway regulation.
and that 1 voted against the act then
passed and which has ever since been
the law of the state OF Iowa. and which
is recognized as the most effective
railway rate legislation in the coun-
try.
IF this be true, was not only faith
less to the people who elected me. but
/ am falsifier as we'll, for j have again
and again asserted in the most emphatic
way that was part of the movement
which at that time resulted In the leg
islation to which I have referred. Ii
it be not true, that / was then in op-
position to Governor Larrabee, you are
either conscious distributor of false
hoods and calumny, or man so reck-
less in his statements that the people
of the state may justly repudiate you
and your campaign. What did in the
member is matter of record; it is
not attended with the slightest un-
certainty. / give this record to you
with as much brevity as possible.
The Records.
''NIr. James G. Berryhill to whom you
have often referred as the real apos-
tie Of railway regulation, introduced i'll
the early days of that session bill
intended to establish a schedule of
maximum railway rates; that is to say,
fixing definitely and specifically by act
Of the legislature the rates that might
lawfully thereafter be charged by the
railway companies. This was Mr.. Ber-
ryhilrs pet scheme, and embodied his
plan of regulation 1 was opposed to it
and 1 voted against it, as did the
speaker of the house, and as did John
w. Luke, of Franklin county, who,
more than any other one man, is entit-
led to the credit for the passage of the
bill which is now the law of the state.
1t was hardly considered in the senate.
1t was recognized as visionary, un-
tenable proposition, and was directly
opposed to the other plan; namely,
the grant of full and complete
power to the board of railroad COM
missioners to prepare and publish
schedule Of maximum rates. Mr.. Ber-
ryhill's plan has since that time been
repudiated everywhere, and similar
legislation by the state of Nebraska
was afterwards declared unconstitu-
tional. SO much for the bill against
which voted. I would vote against it
now We're a member of the legislative
body before which it came, and I
pause to ask you, and expect you to
answer these waiting people: whether
you believe in the plan of legislative
schedule of rates, rather than the grant
of power to tribunal such as rail-
way commission, to fix and determine
rates. Tell these people whether, If
you are elected governor, you will rec
ommend the repeal Of the present law
and the substitution of legislative
schedule Of rates.
early in the session of the Twenty
second general assembly introduced
bill comforting upon the railroad COM
mission full and adequate powers to
fix rates for the railway companies.
have copy of it in my hand 1t is a
part of the records of the office of the
secretary of state, and neither you nor
can now pervert or change 1t. I ask
teNigent men and tell them whether
you ever read it. I do not know
whether you have or not. If you have,
you have been careless of the truth;
if you have not, you have been guilty