Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-10-02

No N62<.Nb
where the little companies, some of
them, couldn't do business. In the
fullness of time we caught on and In
1889 we began passing laws. In the
Fifty-first congress, Major Lacey. we
passed the Sherman antitrust law But
just about that time Cleveland came
in. Well Cleveland was 80 busy bor-
rowing money. SO busy with the hard,
hard times, that he couldn't do much
in the way of enforcing laws Then
came Mckinley and before he could
take UP the work, the war with Spain
came on. Soon after the end of the
war came the assassination of Nc
kinley, and it was then that Theodore
Roosevelt took the oath of office and
promised to see that the laws were
carried out. He has instituted prose-
cutons under the laws and insisted
upon the strengthening of the laws
themselves and he is doing and has
done much to curb the power that the
railroads obtained through the over
sight of the American people. Gap
plause.)
Difficult to Enforce Laws.
But it is right difficult to enforce
all the laws in minute. 1t has been
long time since the Lord, on Sinai
revealed to Moses the Ten Command
ments. There have been few. little
per cent. of the people all the time
down from Sinai to the present day,
who have not obeyed the laws. Nine
ty or ninety-five per cent OF us do
4 right because it is right that we should
but you know there are five or ten per
cent, that if we didn't have laws, there
would be no getting along with them.
But just because we can't make every
one obey the law is no reason for our
railing at that law.
AS the prosecution proceeded 1t
was presently discovered that this
thing of giving rebates involved as a
guilty party not only the common car
rier, or railroad company, but the
shippers as we'll. This fact was dis.
covered by the President, and now
prosecutions are being made and push.
ed all over the country not only
against the railroad but against those
combinations Of capital that take an
4 unfair advantage over competitors by
securing rebates.
Desires Shorter Remedy.
"The President thought that thtre
should be shorter remedy than was
provided for under the old law and In
q message to congress he recommend
4 ed that the interstate commerce com
mission be made more powerful. thai
it's membership be increased and thai
the salaries of these members be rails
ed. He recommended that the depart
ment of Justice be empowered to pro
secute cases before the commission
and when it could be found that any
rate was unreasonable or discriminat
! ing the common carrier should make
it unreasonable. The house passed
bill to this effect under the Leadership
zen, Col. William P. Hepburn Of Clar
linda. The bill went to the senate ant
. was discussed long time there. Som,
, of the people grew weary and salt
, that the senate waited too long. Thu
: discussion ran for about two months
and finally the bill passed the senate
. with the amendment providing for tn
appeal to the courts from any findin,
of the commission. We of the hous
! did not and do not yet think that thi
!. changed the boil in ecect for we do no
= believe that it is possible, under TIL
. constitution to take from any citize,
> of the United States the right to az
. peal to the courts The bill came bac
to the house and was passed as amend
! ed, the President signed it and tn
q wheels are now going around and pre-
;. secutions are being started and pusl
q ed. That's regulation.
q A Square Deal.
, "The Lord didn't make everybod
:. the same size, either physically {
= mentally. All that this governmer
!, should do and all that it was intende
- it should do is to give everybody unde
:. the law an equal chance, squal
- deal, and an opportunity to work o,
:, :, his own salvation. That is all that CO..
:, /, gress has tried to do and l think "
= have done pretty we'll This last CO
:, gress passed upon more importal
q matters and enacted more and bett,
- congresses in the last thirty-tM
= years. know whereof speak fl
= have been there. (Appiause)
why, don't believe you could fiji
= in this whole county, single one
&c our democratic or republican friend
- who doesn't endorse the legislation
~ the last session of congress. I dor
:. believe you can find one of them wi
= doesn't indorse the actions of IL
=. Theodore Roosevelt administrative
. touching the matters / have been tai
10 ing about. And if that is so you t.
me why William Jennings Bryan, Il
peerless leader, has come back to sa7