Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-03-22
washington LETTER.
w AsHINaToN, D. G., Mar. II, 1906.

It would be entertaining to know what
the President and Senator Tillman really
think Of each other. Probably nobody will
ever know exactly. But there seems no
doubt after Senator Tillman s impassioned
defense OF the rate bill in his personal re-
port on the measure shat the President
has found by accident in the Senate q
champion who echoes his views and who is
really standing for the spirit of the law
that the President has set himself to have
enacted Thus there is presented thegcuri
GUS spectacle Of the President and his bit-
terest personal and political opppnent
fighting shoulder to sholder in the same
cause. Senator Tillman has often proved
himself a fighter after the Presidents own
heart, and his language on the rate bill is
no less logical and infinitely harder and
more rugged that the things the President
had to say in bis message as to the neces-
sity for rate legislation. In fact some Of
the naked and unsightIy truths that Till
man exposed to view in his speech are 80
vital to the interests Of everyone who has a
real heart interest il the c0untry that they
may well be reproduced. For he says that
| it is a case OF finding out whether the
government can control the railroads or
whether the roads control the government
and if the latter proves to be the case, there
is period OF radical reaction and social
reYolution ahead that may lead to blood
shed OF worse. In the course Of his remarks
Senator Tillman said: s.Those who are re-
sponsible for delay or inadequate legisla-
tion will find that when at Hast the food
gates of popular wrath and Indignation are
hoisted, there will haYe TO be some fine
grinding done.
THE situation to-day brings into promi-
hence the fact that the proposed legislation
is nonpartisan.
sIf any decision of the Supreme Court
shall declare that Congress is powlerless to
grant speedy relief through commission,
it needs no prophet to tell what an outburst
Of surprise and Indignation will sweep
over the country. Whatever else Congress
does or fails to do, the producers of the
country should be relieved from such
danger Of being compelled to make good
the values of over-capitalized railroads as
turks in the innocent looking and plausible
provision about, fairly remuneratiye rates.
within the last few years the railroads
have become transformed into the yeriest
band OF acknowledgements who do not
thrust their pistols in the faces of their
victims and demand money or their lives =
but who levy tribute in freight rates which
are as high as the traffic will bear, deny ac-
cess to the market, monopolize with brazen
affrontery one Of the prime necessities of
life, Goa, and in every way show their abso-
lutte contempt for she people and the peo-
ple's rights.
s'We should divorce absolutely the bust
ness of transporting freight as a public
carrier and the business Of producing
freight to be transported.
eff those who are interested in these
great properties will not consent to wise
legislation TO relieve the distress of the peo-
pie, there is danger Of more radical policy
and leaders coming to the front, with the
result that legislation far more drastic and
dangerous shan any thing proposed in this
bill, and the one amendments to be offered,
will be speedily enacted. !"
The foregoing is but a part of Senator
TilIman's personal view as presented to the
Senate. How near it comes TO being an
accurate view, every householder who has
felt himself in the grip of the railroads
through enhanced prices Of living will
realize. It is a fat warning to the railroad
magnates and the owners Of the colossal
fortunes that the railroads have built up to
come into camp and act with reasonable
decencY lest worse thing befall them
Whether the railroads and great Interests
now we'll represented in many high priced
seats in the Senate, will heed the warning,
the vote on the rate bill viii make plain.
The prospects for reasonably satisfactory
legislation are somewhat brighter just now.
But there are many things that can happen
between now and the vote on the bill.
Much pressure has been and will be
brought on individual senators in favor of
the BILL The pressure against it has al
ready been brought in large rolls, and there
is more where that come from It is possi-
Bile shat the railroads will see the situation
in the same light that Senator Tillman has
presented it, and will call off their Hobbies
when they have done what they think is
the utmost they can safely attempt. At
the same time it is possible that their eyes
may have been pulled shut through top fat
| feeding, and if this is the case, she legisla-
tion is sure to be either delayed indefinitely
or else will be Of so unsatisfactory q
character that it might as well not have
been passed.
TIM c4 n