Mexico Missouri message., 1906-10-18

unbiased Judgment Of the commission
should protect the shipper while the
railroads are getting the decision of
the courts.
The people should rise up in their
might and demand of the next legis-
lature this protection.
/ confess that l heartily agree
with General Hadley that railroad
rates in Missouri are too high The
general, however, permits himself to
be little deceptive in dealing with the
rate question. He knows that the
schedule promulgated by the Com
mission two years ago, was not an
absolute rate but a maximum beyond
which the railroads cannot 60 He
says that the Commissioners Maxi
mum between Kansas City and st.
Louis Is GO cents while the railroads
are voluntarily maintaining go cent
rate on first-class freight. These
points are the most highly competi-
tive in the state. If General Hadley
will examine the mileage rate main
tanned by the railroads to non-com-
petitive points-he will find that the
Commissioners Maximum reduced
them materially. AS / have before
stated, on purely intra state business,
the rates were reduced 10 per cent.
But l am not defending that schedule.
did not endorse 1t because l did
not believe then, and do not believe
now. that the reduction was anything
like as great as it should have been.
At that time I proposed as basis
of reduction a so cent rate on first
class freight across the state-be-
tween Kansas City and St. Louis. l
have since proposed the same reduc-
ton as a starter and If General
Hadley will control his Republican
member of the board, Missouri peo-
ple need not long endure the exces-
sive freight rates which he is so elo-
quently exposing on the stump. Cen
eral Hadley knows that l have appeal
ed to him personally to use his in
huence with the Republican member
to the end that the people might be
given relief. He heard me in st.
Louis at the oil hearing earnestly APP
peal to the Republican member to
stand with me for a fair reduction in
rates. General Hadley will not tell
the people of Missouri, privately on
publicly. that the Republican member
of the board could not have reduced
the rates in this state had he been
willing to vote with me. l have been
eager to act as General Hadley knows
for he has had opportunities to
know-and am ready tomorrow
morning to go with Commissioner
Wightman to Jefferson City and pro-
claim a schedule of rates such as the
people have been vainly asking at the
hands of the board.
Let General Hadley deal in facts,
let the chips fall where they may.
Honest man that he is in my estima-
ton, he should not play small poll
tics in the interest of his party, by
ignoring facts in his possession.
But, my friends, no matter how
strong your laws guarding the interests
of the shipper are, unless you elect
men to serve on the commission who
have some regard for the people
men who believe the people have
rights to respect as well as the rail-
roads-your commission will be prac-
tically Vauleless.
And now, my friends, ask your in
diligence while I refer to this feature
of the situation / believe that one
should be very careful, exceedingly
careful, in holding up either the pub
lie or private character Of another.
Character is a very sensitive thing.
A single word has sufiiced to rob men
of that which required a lifetime to
acquire
It takes only a hint to besmirch,
1t takes years to establish an enviable
reputation. 1 have never in all my
newspaper experience assailed the
CT aracter of human being without
the most searching investigation.
do not now recall that any mans
private character has ever been detri-
mentally discussed in any newspaper
over which 1 presided.
/ have been equally careful of the
record of public men-men who have
been called upon to serve the people
I'm public Office. l know how prone
people are to believe a public servant
u faithful--how unjust, sometimes
public sentiment is in judging those
IN official positions
am a partisan, perhaps as strong
a partisan as Missouri contains, but
/ would not have the best and most
lucrative Office within your gift, II
to get 1t required the tearing down
of a fellow being. The char
acter of a Republican is just as
sacred in my estimation as the char
acter of Democrat.
I am not a candidate before the peo
Pile of Missouri in this campaign.
am, however, an Office holder by YOU
grace, and as such my record is open
to public inspection. / could not hide
that record if / would. 1t is not only
an open, but it is a written book
Every official act Of mine since the
people of this state confided to my
hands the duties of the honorable and
important position of railroad com
missioner, is Of record.
No man is excused for being ignor
ant of that record. No man-witi
justice in his heart-would stand VI
before the people of this state, no mat