Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-23

| IeidllHS 10 tHlS SUBJECT which NAVE
been offered in the congress. The Dol
| liver bill is a fair measure so far as
it goes. IT does not go far enough,
/ in my Judgment ! regret that the
senator did not offer a measure suf-
| ficiently stringent and sweeping to
cover the subject as it should be COW
cred. The Hepburn bin of this year
l find is IL decided and material i'm
| provement over the Hepburn bill of
| 1905
Il cannot help believing that il ut the
| time of the supreme court decision,
Iowa had had in the halls of congress
some man as ably equipped as many
of those now there, who would have
| detied the railroad and corporation in
| nuences, and promptly offered an AIDE
quate measure and supported it with
the energy, enthusiasm and loyalty
which should be felt by every son of
Iowa in the fight for popular rights,
there would now be on our federal
statute books Il law under which the
people. exploited annually for 5000
10000 transportation rates. might nave
some voice in determining those
| charges.
Tariff Revision Next.
~ have no doubt of the loyalty of
the president of the United States 10
! the principle of the revision of the tar
| iff.to adjust schedules which are gross
~ unfair; but credit him with perfect
honesty of purpose in emphasizing at
this time the railroad rate regulation
question. 1t would he unlikely that
two propositions of such vast import
ance caud be carried on Simultaneous
| ly, in view of the corporate influences
| which control congress. and believe
| that President Roosevelt has chosen
the more important in pressing for the
law to restore to the people right
which should be theirs of participating
in the determination of the transporta-
ton charges which make and unmake
business, communities and men.
"rhere is no doubt of the demand for
tariff revision. 1t is an important sub
iect in which the people are vitality IN
terested. not alone on account of the
$500 100000 of revenue raised from
the tariff charges. but on account OF
the vital relation between the tariff
and prices of products both sold and
bought The question is pending ana
remains to be settled.
The fact we'll Illustrates the grave
situation which the people face. The
settlement of the railroad rate regula-
ton question will not dispose of our
ills. completely; he who fancies that
the passage of the Dolliver bill or
measure much more drastic, indeed,
one sufficiently comprehensive as to
dispose of this question right. would
end our grief and mark finis on the
70 Iva n the
people of their own government, is
sadly mistaken man. 1t is but one of
the steps involved in this struggle.
Importance Of Regulation.
1T is a marvel, as some one has said,
that there is opposition to the idea adj
vanced in the Dolliver bill and by those
who advocate reasonable rate regula-
ton, that the people should be denied
their right / have called attention to
the fact that the railroad rates of the
country are now fixed by ten or fifteen
men, and they are men without legal
authority or power, without official
responsibility or character, who have
taken no oath to perform public duty
or deposited bond to guarantee it:
they represent but one of the parties
to the contract, and in their hands lies
the power of levying unlimited taxation
in the commerce of the country, with
out protest from our representatives in
legislative halls during many years.
the power to build up one mans bust
ness to the harm of another's to build
up ONE community at the expense of
another. and to divert into private
purses excessive and unjust charges
for public service.
"rhey do it quite differently in Cam
ada. There the whole business of fix
ing railroad rates rests on the should
ers of three men in public service, and
it is charged so efficiently, so equitably
and so intelligently that there are few
complaints and the railroads find them
selves relieved of the chief source Of
trouble in their operation. Even the
time tables are indorsed by these COM
missioners and so far as my investiga-
ton discloses the system is generally
satisfactory both to the people and to
the railroad interests. Canada has not
the mileage and is not as populous as
America. but it is larger in territory.
Yet in the United States they OBJ
ject to giving to seven men or nine,
bearing official responsibility the power
to fix railroad rates in case of dispute,
and protest that the courts shall be
empowered to decide as to whether
rates are compensatory.
II am chagrined that men should Sc
riously talk about contiscatory enact
ments when the subject of regulation
of rates is mentioned. When we have
the interests of 100000 people at
stake in adjusting their relations to
the railroad corporations, which ex-
tract annually over $4,000 100000 from
them, my judgment is that we should
be tender of the peoples interests and
not so fearfully tender of those of the
railroads.
Favors Primary Law.
ut has been suggested that a prim-
airy election system might bring closer
to the people their chosen representa-
tives who seem now to be influenced
more by the tenderness they feel for the
railroad corporations than by the in
terests of their constituents. l have
not studied the primary as an institu-
ton, but it is plain that there is a de-
cided tendency toward it's establish
ment. If it will bring back to the people
a closer association With their SER
wants, it is a desirable thing.
Il used to believe that long service
in legislature positions was good
thing. Possibly 1 was influenced by
my own experience, for l discovered
that it was easier to do work and dis
charge the duties of the nlace the