Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-04-05
DEMOCRATS ENDORSED
The Ohio Legislature Proved to
Be Honest,
THE RAILROADS DISHEARTENED

The Lobbyists Occupation GoEc-Thc
Voters Turned the Rasculs Out and
VIII Keep Them Out-rcople Got Il
Square Deal For the First Time In
Many Years.
The railroad lobbyists ran up against
a stone wall when they attempted to
coerce or corrupt the reform lcgisla-
ture of Ohio. The railroads have q
combination by which they Jointly pay
their proportional share of the eX-
pense of the lobbying in the different
states, similar to the plan of the life
insurance companies. When the chief
railroad officials discovered that the
Ohio reform legislature would be La
Bile to pass a two cent fare bill the New
York Central railroad sent Warren !.
Lynch Of its passenger department to
the Ohio capital, says the Peoria Ill.)
Star, to lobby against the bill. On his
return he said to his friends:
Il never ran against such a game be
fore in my life. The Ohio house GER
tainly is crazy from the front to the
back door. It has the bit in its teeth
and is running away with it. We
thought the members We're going to
hold an investigation, but it looked to
me like a railroad funeral. When a
Pennsylvania man pleaded for time in
np1n. tn fppnich cfotict;nc o,,o ,or-a
sentative told him they did not want
statistics, but what they wanted was
a two cent fare.
THAT settled him and then Henry
Anthrop started in to tell them why
the railroads could not afford to carry
passengers for 2 cents. Representa-
tive Freiner told him how it could be
done. The railroads would save mon
ey,' declared the legislator. by strik-
ing you and your kind who are hang
ing around this capitol from off their
payroll 1t is needless to say that
Anthrop took the count.
Then G. G. HeiElein, also a railroad
attorney, came to bat. Representative
WertZ called three strikes on him be-
fore he had time to swing his stick
once. The people of Ohio will have a
two cent fare and railroad legislation
or they will have no railroads. was the
final ball which Wertz shot over the
plate. Then the representative pro-
ceeded to tell us that the state rail
road commission was but q part and
| parcel of the railroad interests of the
state.
"The funny part of it is that every
II of the members is strictly honest.
If you were to give the poorest one Of
them 100000 the first thing he would
do would be to expose you on the floor
of the house,
AS the Democrats control the Ohio
legislature, having a majority of the
senate and by combination with some
Independent Republicans control the
house, there is for the first time in
many years a square deal for the peo-
| pie of the state. The railroads have
discovered that the majority Of the
members cannot be controlled in the
usual way that Republican legislatures
have been purchased, and the corrupt
lobby is knocked out of business. 1t
is seldom that evidence can be produc-
ed of such corrupt deals between the
railroads and Republican legislatures.
but the above evidence is voluntarily
| given by this railroad official and in
dicates the rotten condition the Re
publicans have fostered. No wonder
the voters turned the rascals out. and
such revelations as the above will lead
the voters to take similar action when
clecting other legislatures. and especial
ly when electing congress next fall.