Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-03-15

dress was printed in the congressional
record but of that document the cop
les obtainable are few. The cost of |
the address in pamphlet form
would be large and there seems to be
little possibility of the speech being
widely circulated as a whole.
The address was not as Senator
Dolliver announced, intended as a
technical analysis of the constitutional
features of the house BILL which is the !
Dolliver bill in fact. 1t was intended |
to be plain statement of the case; |
a declaration of what the bill is and
to do in language that every
body can understand and appreciate,
and it seems to have made a great hit
in this direction.
One or two features in the speech,
and other eastern senators to make
Joined in with the democrats and that
his loyalty to the republican party was
open to question: are worthy of close
perusal and attention. Touching the,
charge that he was heading toward So
cialism, Senator Dolliver said:
ut has been said that have been
misled into a socialistic agitation now
general in the country. I do not think
so. l will tell you one thing, however,
that 1 do believe. I believe that the
time is at hand when those who de-
sire to defend the law of property had
better consult together to bring back
the old institution of society to stu
alton where it can be defended. am
enlisted in that fight. l have not a
trace Of socialistic spirit in my think
ing. do not look forward to govern
ment ownership of anything govern
ment ownership OF railroads or farms
or banks or any OF the instrumental
ties OF commerce. do not wish to
see the government doing the bust
ness Of the American people and all
the rest of us standing around in front
Of the gilded domes of our state CAPT.
tolls or our national capitol, waiting for
our occasional dividend out of the
gross product of nothing in particular.
I do not yield to the fasc1nations of
that cheap philosophy of human life.
I believe in the laws that have built
society up on its present basis and
will say to you, gentlemen. especially
those of you who are concerned about
the great interests of property in the
United States, that a storm Is gather
ing and the time is approaching when
the American people are going to
make an inquiry into the rights by
which men in a few years acquire
hundreds of millions of dollars and
rise TO an influence that threatens to
subordinate even the government Of
the United States.
THAT inquiry will be made. When
that time comes l will be on hand to
defend the law Of property. Capital is
the earnings and the savings of labor
I believe in that Whoever charges
me with trying to forward any scheme
for government ownership of railroads
or any other socialistic experiment in
the United States, misunderstands
both my public record and my purpose
as a humble worker in the ranks Of
our common citizenship.
I will say another thing. This same
charge of socialism was made in En-
gland in the house of commons when
the government undertook the same
sort of management of railway prop
critics that we contemplate here to.
day. A man whose name cannot
recollect just now, a solid old Welsh
man, l think got up in the house Of
commons and said that instead of
looking toward the government owner.
ship of railroads the people were TAX
| ing the only possible step there could
be taken to make the government
ownere of railways impossible, at least
for generations, in the United King.
dom. say now and here that unless
we can in some way agree upon an
| offnaf{yra 1ot m ~
we are face to face in America with
problems which may ultimately In.
volve a serious harm to our institu.
tons by the forced resort Of the peo'
| pie to untried methods in our business
organization. do not want to see
that day, but think 1 see far enough
into the movements of public opinion
to understand that unless the people
of the United States are given some
adequate protection against the
abuses Of railway management or the
possibility Of such abuses arising in
the future there will be formidable
movement very much before the end
Of this generation in favor heart and
soul Of the governmental assumption OF
these great instrumentalities of com
1 merce and business"
Senator Doll1yer paid MS respects
to those senators who have sought te
read him out of the party and to dis
credit his republicanism in the follow
ing manner:
zone thing more. have been &C
cused by some of carelessness and in
difference to the political party tt
which I belong. do not intend tc
spend very much time defending my
self against that charge. / have al
ways enjoyed the reputation at home
and nearly everywhere else of being
a little violent as a partisan and lit
tie slow in perceiving even the mos
obvious merits and virtues of oul
brethren upon the other side. l reck
! on it may be that have outgrown {
4 good deal of that; at any rate / do mo-
notice it in myself as much as I USED
4 to; but / still have pretty vel
grounded and vigorous conviction tina
the best service the democratic party
can render the American people is t.
a stand on guard and see that their at
| foire ora wall and trlIly administered