Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-04-14
LARRABEE VS.. PERKINS.

IAfthApEE VSs 6nNiiNSs
The story of how Iowa got railroad
rate regulation eighteen years ago as
related by the central figure in the
great contest. Governor William Lar
rabee, is reprinted elsewhere as taken
from the ex-governor books which ne
wrote soon after retiring from Office.
1t will repay reading.
The fact that George D. Perkins, as
candidate for office. has sought 20
gain favor among the people by rep
resenting that he was chief among
those who sustained Governor LARA
bee at that time and that the Iowa
4 rate regulation law was secured
against the vote of Mr.. Cummins, then
q member of the legislature, makes
the narration especially timely.
Candidate Perkins has printed In
his paper great deal of matter, in
Guiding half page picture, all in
tended to convince persons unfamiliar
with Iowa history that Mr.. Cummins
voted against the Iowa railroad rate
regulation law. Nowhere has he per-
mitted to be printed in his paper, nor
has the fact been acknowledged by the
Des Moines Capital, the Cedar Rapids
Republican, Burlington Hawkeye or
other papers of that kind, that MIR.
Cumnlins was for the bill which be-
came the present Iowa law and voted
FOR it. Yet Governor Larrabee says:
$50 we'll did the bill which was
finally adopted by the committee re-
fleet the general sentiment of the MEM
bers of the general assembly that not
single vote was cast against 1t in
either house upon it's final passage"
Candidate Perkins has also under
taken to state the issue on which Gov
ernor Larrabee was elected and he has
declared that it was on a platform de-
handing sln elective commission and a
2-cent fare. But Governor Larrabee
says that:
TN the political campaign of 1887
state control of railroads became one
of the main issues"
Mr.. Perkins has found it convenient
when confronted with the facts to put
them all aside and continue his pre-
tensions to being the only simon pure
and really sincere progressive of eigh-
teen years. ago by shouting "populist"
or free silverite" in derision at those
who refuse to misquote or misinter-
pref history to suit him.
Will he try to besmear Governor
arrabee with epithets and insist that
The governor has conglomeration Of
.,opulists, democrats, hybrids and
swaggerers singing ink for him and
using his charred stocks
If there was any question about the
falsity Of the Perkins charge it has
been removed at Spirit Lake today by
the reading of the letter from Governor
Larrabee to Governor Cummins in
which the ex-governor says:
81 want to congratulate you on the
enactment of the anti-pass law. 1t
curtails the powers of railroad mana
gers and takes away from them a most
insidious power. used by them for
bribing purposes.
II have much pride in our law of
1888, which you helped much to frame,
especially in putting on the finishing
touch concerning the long and short
haul clause. This, especially, I have
looked upon as the best legislation on
the subject 1 have seen. Perhaps I
should not have written you upon this
subject, but I feel deeply the necessity
influences, as I know you do, and you
have the battle in charge.
''The Kossuth county convention in
dicates what appears to me to be the
general situation. Had you a few
more friends to help as Senator Elkins
did, your walkover would be easy.
Eternal vigilence, however, is the price
of liberty, and it is about the same in
political contest"
II know you are straining every
nerve to free our state from corpora
ton domination. You should have the
support Of all of our people in your
contest"
But the real significance of Governor
Larrabee's brief story of how Iowa got
rate regulation. aside from the fact
that it fatty contradicts all of the es-
sential points in Perkins pretensions,
is In the evidence which he gives that
the railroad lobby has not changed its
methods in the least in these eighteen
years. Then. as now, there was the
smooth tongued railroad attorneys
lowering about the hotels. the delega-
ton of experts in special cars, the dis