Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-03-16

| tion with tho ,,ouer to fix rates, this
question also must be determined ny inc
| supreme court should the prop'seu Id"
| be enacted.
'"rhe Senate must determine by It's vote
what shall be its attitude upon ,.ie queS
| tons of court review and Ihter'ocu'"iS
| suspensions. The whole question at Issue
Is to giving relief to the producing III
| terests of the country revolves around
| this feature of the bill. If any decision
| of the supreme court shall declare that
! Congress is powerless to grant speedy re-
| lief through :, commission. it needs no
| prophet to tell that an outburst OF sur
prise and Indignation will sweep ever the
| country
Commenting on the gross and the net
earning Of railroad property, Tillman SAID
| that once year every dollar in the irlt-
| ed States passes through the hands OF the
| railroads and every three years becomes
| part OF their new earnings. lie askeu
| II 1t was any wonder that the RAILROADS.
have the most brilliant legal mmds at
their command TO conduct legislation ana
asserted that the struggle was between
men and money, citizenship and capital
| He discussed the building of great Tor
| tunes and the manipula ton Of great prop
critics. Summing up the situation he salo:
1T is impossible to deny that this great
| accumulation Of wealth IN the hands of
the few is such menace to liberty that
the honest patriot stands appalled, by tn"
| outlook"
| After commenting at length upon what
| he declared to be the existing system of
juggling with railroad properties for i'll"
robbery of the masses" Tillmar stated
| that this phase of the subject brings INTO
great importance the relation TO Con-
| gress of the increase in capitalization
| whether it is the purpose Of Congress to
| compel the business industries to pay div
| idendS, not upon the real value of these
properties, but on the fictitious value
which has been sought to be placed upon
them by the Increased Capitalization.
Concerning the application of the bill Ia
| this subject. he said:
| There is q dangerous provision in this
| bill which. in my judgment. ought to he
| stricken out, and that is in Section Il,
| where the interstate commerce commits
| sion is told "to determine and prescribe
| what within its judgment be the Just and
| reasona BILE and fairly remunerative rate,
| etc. The last words are too elastic and
| ambiguous and can be construed to mean
too much that it would be harmful and
| dangerous for Congress TO enact into 4
| law. Fairly remuneratve rate on what?
| The actual value or the fictitious value
| of the properties? Are the railroads which
now pay no dividends because of the int
mense amount of watered stock TO be al
| lowed to compel the producers who use
| their lines to pay n dividend on the eX-
cessive capitalization"
Tillman declared there could be no JUS
| tiCe in compelling the people as q whole
| to pay dividends on watared stock pr
| marily to increase the fortunes of men
| already too rich.
| ''Whatever else Congress does or fails to
do he added. 1.-The producers of the
country should be relieved from such dan
| ger of being compelled to make good val
ues of Over-capitalized railroads rs turks
| in this innocent looking and plausible pro-
vision about fairly remunerative rates u
| Tillman recommended that amendments
| to the bill be adopted which would give
| relief to "the anomalous and outrageous
condition of affairs disclosed as existing
in West Virginia.
| Continuing, he said:
| vested with the rights of eminent do
main to construct their lines and granted
| liberal franchises and charters the rail
roads designed to be public carriers foI
| the benefit of the whole people in the last
| few years have become rapidly transform
| ed into the veriest band of robbers-high
waymen who do not thrust their pistols
| in the faces of their victims and demand
| money or their lives, but who levy tribute
| in freight rates which are as high as tho
| traffic will bear, deny access to market
| monopoliZe with brazen effrontery one OF
the prime necessaries Of lfe-coal-and il.
every way show their absolute contempt
| for the people and the peoples rights.
I'VE should incorporate in the bill an
amendment which will compel all rail-
| roads to make connections with any and
every other railroad, public or private,
and grant just and fair traffic arrange
| ments; also a provision to divorce abso-
| lutely the business of transporting freight
as a public carrier and the business OF
| producing freight to be transported"
Tillman concluded with "a word of eau
ton to the friends Of the proposed legis-
lation.' He said:
Our full expectations may not be real
lied at the present session of Congress.
The opponents of effective legislation arc
alert, have had large experience and are
| thoroughly organized.
THE demand of the people for relief
from the expressions and wrongs they
now endure may be thwarted by the grea :
influence Of the railroad corporations.
This influence has hitherto been para
mount and its representatives in the two
houses may feel that it is safe to refuse
to redress the grievances and to continue
the policy of non-interference. They NAV
ignore popular clamor and either pass no
bill ut all or enact one that will prove
wholly inadequate. They may paltar
with us in Il double sense;
Keep the word of promise to the ear
And break it to the hope
Such action on their part will in my
judgment he very unwise and will only
dam up the water. The issue will be
made the paramount one in the next cleo
ton end those who are responsible fer de-
lay or inadequate legislation will find that
wphen at last the flood gates of popular