The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1906-02-08
6Bs Nebraska Independent

each one of which is intended to
prevent the execution of the proposed
law.
The president and every one OF his
loyal lieutenants have been bonn
barded with an alienation of argu-
ments, threats. and piteous pleas for
mercy. Extraordinary influences have
been set to work TO induce President
Roosevelt and Chairman Hepburn to
permit the introduction of section
in the bill nominally designed to pro-
tect the interests of The railroads, but
really intended to defeat the whole
purpose of the law and throw the
settlement of every rate In the United
States into the courts, where 1t would
be kept by high priced railroad law
yers until the shippers were dead and
the shipments decayed and forgotten
on the platforms Of the freighthouses
Roosevelt is Firm
President Roosevelt has refused TO
be bull-dozed or cajoled, and his ex
ample was followed by Chairman Hep
burn of Iowa, be II said 10 his ever.
lasting credit, because the time was
when he took different point of
view 1t is only fair that his consti.
tuents in Iowa should understand that
| he has resisted senatorial blandish-
ments and corporation beguilings
which might have landed another man
| and resulted in the introduction into
! the railroad rate bill of a little joker,
which would have destroyed its orlgi-
nal intent and which would have,
with equal certainty, defeated the will
of the people
| Tt was Senator Knox of PennSyl-
yania who first uniimbered the bat
teries in the attack on President
Roosevelt He was al the White
House and the purpose of his visit
was simply and solely to induce the
president to accept the so-called com
promise" which Senators Elkins, Aid
rich, Foraker, Kean, and Crane have
been seeking to inject into the body OF
the bill,
/ This so-calied compromise provides
! that when a shipper complains or a
/ rate on the ground that it Is unjust
| and unreasonable the Interstate com
MERGE commission shall thereupon in
i quire into the facts. If it sustains the
shipper it proceeds to fix what il
j deems to be a maximum reasonable
rate. Under the bill as it stands thai
i rate would stand until it was upsei
by the supreme court on a question
as to whether the commission enacted
/ lawfully" or not.
/ Under the proposed compromise,
which, of course, is not a compromise
at all, but a surrender to the railroads
after the commission had fixed wha
it considered a reasonable rate thu
! railroads could then appeal to thu
circuit court for review" Tha
means that the circuit court woult
have to take jurisdiction of the whole
thing. 1t would go into the facts O
the case, hear witnesses, and deter
, mine whether the action of the inter
, state commission was properly takeI
or not
i A Railway Fake
4 The Nebraska railroads, through
) their organized propaganda, continu
{ to deluge the members of the state,
delegation in congress with letter
purporting to represent the interes
! taken by their employees in the pre-
posed railroad legislation. These lei
/ ters were first received in Washing
! ton during the last week in Decem
Der last Each week they increases
I. in number until now the Nebraska
! congressman receive an average @
! from fifty to sixty day.
The propaganda was first starte
: from North Platte. Then the letter