Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-03-29

consideration? If you . understand
those duties and obligations to be sim.
liar to those of an advocate, then
have no criticism of your conduct ex
cept to say that you were on the side
of the railways instead of on the side
OF the people. have thought. how
ever, that as chairman of such com
m1ttee your duties and obligations
were more nearly like those of
judge; namely, to hear both sides pa.
tiently, without bias or prejudice, and
then to decide impartially, without
fear or favor. You heard patiently,
but it was clearly apparent in your
crcss-examination that you had decid-
ed the case i'll favor of the railroads,
and you were determined to shatter
my evidence if you could.
You quote the following questions
and answer to show that the cross-ex-
animation was not hostile:
Q. Governor, have you anything
further to say?'
A. Nothing, except to express my
thanks for the patient and courteous
way IN which the members of the COM
mlttee havetlistened to my statement
Courtesy Not Questioned.
Remember that never alleged any,
thlng against your courtesy. If YOU
had taken the trouble to quote other
parts OF my speeches at Fort Dodge
ana Spirit Lake it would have an.
peared that l gave you full credit for
courtesy Your courtesy was SO com.
plete that it became as elaborate as
mat OF the knights of the olden times
| Wnen they were about to draw blood.
IL cannot be that you have lived to
middle age without observing the CON
slant association of courtesy and hos
unity You were very kind and patient
with me, personally, but you were de-
termined to slaughter what said.
nave reread your cross examine
ZION, and repeat that those parts
which you quote, as well, as all the
remainder of 1t, show conclusively that
you had made up your mind that the
proposed authority ought not to be
given to the interstate commerce com.
mission, and your effort was to show.
through the cross examination. that
the power sought to be given was I'm.
necessary, dangerous, and filled with
disaster to commerce. will not
quote from the examination. but if any
person who may read this letter wants
to know what construction should be
put npoN 4, let it be read as it appears
IN the report of your committee.
No Brutality Shown.
u The cross-examinat ton is not brutal.
t nor did ever say it was brutal 1t is.
/ from beginning to end however, just
/, such a cross examination as an attor-
r ney for the railway companies would
Y nave conducted, and it was unseemly
i for you to assume that attitude AS I
Y said in my speeches, / cared nothing
' for your cross examination, but I was
e indignant because the chairman Of a
/ committee appointed to investigate
t and hear evidence became the advo-
f cate of one side of the very contro-
e versy it was his duty to settle and
/ adjust So much for the cross exam
ination.
"Your second, third and fourth ac-
cusations present pure questions of
fact. I said in my speeches that sit.
/ ting at your right hand, was the gen.
. eral counsel, as was informed. for
|. y all the railways Of the country, EN-.
= ployed for the specific purpose Of OBJ.
3 structing and defeating the measure
' that had been recommended by the
! President of the United States.
,. Depicts the Scene. 1
d "The scene in your committee room
Is is sharply stamped on my memory, and
It 1t Is impossible that can be mistaken
s. about It. You sat at one end of a long
If table, and I sat at the other On the
d. right side of the table Cooking from
ot your point Of view sat the following
or senator's, and in the following order;
at Cullom, Keane, Foraker, Dolliver ans
If Newlands.
le "squarely at your right hand, just ,
at trifle behind you, sat a gentleman
lie who, as was afterward informed, wa
g. ex-senator Faulkner. inquired wha
lie relation he bore to the investigation
n and / was told that he was an EN-
a. ploye of the railway companies to re
Sc sist the proposed law. do not know
at whether the other senators saw him o
not, for their faces were turned towar
IN me, and therefore away from him, bu
e; do know that you saw him, first, be
n cause be was so close to you that 70
ee could not turn your head without SET
h ing him; second, because you were
ed conversation with him a part of tn
Id time; third, because saw him.. wit
ut his hand on your shoulder, pass to 70
Questions which you read and then pr
to me. There can be no mistake abor
40 this, for my senses were as alert Jul
II then as human faculties can be.
No when l discovered who this ma
- ~ was and his business there it SCENE
~ to me that more shocking and ind
-, feasible spectacle could not be pr
al scented. You were charged with an II
portant duty-one affecting not on
.ae the interests of railways, but OF M
~ lions of people. You were in a lars
ne sense a judge sworn to render
,ou shrewd judgment, and yet while Il
lat trial was proceeding and before "
les delivered your Judgment you sat the
'ss. apparently taking counsel of lawy
red who was there to defend the railwa,
Thy against the proposed authority of Il
Ing interstate commerce commission.
ley you can find better words to characte
be ize such a proceeding than have us,
it is because your vocabulary is larg
ese and you can put condemnation
,a11 ,,ora oponh fic tarmS