Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-03-29

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The ELkINS LETTER |
VEST VIRGINIA SENATOR'S RE-
PLIES TO cyMMlNs' CHARGES
OF UNFAlRMEss
washington, D. G., March 10, 1906.
Gov. A. B, Cummins. Des Moines, La.
Dear Sir: Unless you are wrongly
quoted, in your campaign for renomi-
nation you lay great stress upon al
legged misconduct of the United States
senate, and particularly on the in
fanny of it's committee on interstate
commerce. You are reported as giving
your experience before that committee
Rs follows: quote from the report OF
your speech at Fort Dodge:
g 4 was invited to give my views, or
heliver my statement, rather, before
That committee The room was full to
pverfowing, and honestly believe
was the only man in the room, unless
II was the members Of the senate, who
had not gone there on a pass, and up
on the instigatfons Of the railways
delivered my statement and 1t re-
quired three quarters of an hour
pleaded as best could for the rights
of our people out west, for the rights
Of the shippers, for the rights Of the
..~1<l -, -, - $bA oor,pfrv for an an11al
and fair and decent opportunity to car
ry on their business, and pleaded IN
the same way to rectify the false dis
ordinations of unjust and extortion-
ate charges. finished and said, Gen
tlemen, I am at your disposal" They
began their discrimination. They
ss-examined me for six hours. Six
hours just to find out what know
about the railroads, and with the ex-
ception of the questions put to me by
Senator Dolliver, and they were very
few, there was not one single question
put to me from a friendly standpoint
The chairman of that committee cross
examined me for more than four hours
and every inquiry that he made Of me
was made as a hostile cross-exam1ner
and made for the purpose OF over.
throwing what said, and sending me
home in disgust and humiliation. In
all that time that chairman of that i'm
portant committee, created for the
purpose Of bringing out the true state
of affairs, pursued me as a relentless
lawyer would pursue a hostile witness
on cross-examination. did not care
much about that. What little
knew about the matter I could
tell, and what I did not know
about 1t there was not power enough In
Heaven or in that place down there
TO extort from me. I got along fairly
we'll, but it did seem to me that once
in while that committee that had
heen raised to protect me and you
.',-t committee that ha been created
'r.2ztlgate e..i tbs 81 s!aa D lstien and ex
p 70 a1Iors adyang IN yau leiiei
4.'ose evils, hA,sh5 then have ex
y ~ or suggested question thai
'S7N have been favorable to the
Of the people, but not so. Thai
:, not. however, what finally set my
So ignation all af1re. Sitting on the
~ssI 4. hand side Of the chairman OF the
Interstate commerce committee. 81
close to him that it seemed to me theil
arms were intertwined in loving asso
citation and embrace. was the genera
counsel, as was informed, for all tn
railways of the country employed 10
the specific purpose of obstructin
and defeating the measure that ha
been recommended by the Preslden
of the United States, and for whic
your senator (referring to Mr.. Doll
yer. for you were speaking in thi
time at his home town. is at this MI
ment SO valiantly fighting. saw tha
man? I don't care much about tina
as you know would just as soon b
cross -examined by an attorney of tn
railway companies upon this subjet
as the chairman of the interstate con
merce committee of the senate, ther
Is no difference between them,-I sa
that man pass to your chairman, sa
your chairman, because every senate
in that legislative tribunal represent
all the people of the land, and he ha
sworn to do his duty faithfully an
with fidelity,-I saw that man pass U
to that chairman a score OF question
to be put to me. 1t was not, N
friends. the cross-examination, 1t WE
not the difficulty of the inquiries th'
were put to me, but when l saw TIL
man sitting side by side, in comple1
communion, in utter and entire symp
thy with the counsel of the very COZ
panies that it was the very duty
the United States government to re
ulate and restrict my indignation owe
came my discretion, and | said the
and have oft times since, that
long as God gave me voice al
strength 1 would denounce that |
fanny from one border of our COUNT
to the other"
Spirit Lake Speech.
IA few days later you made spec
at Spirit Lake, in your state and aft
speaking of the passage of the He
burn bill through the house, you
reported to have said:
".The bill is now before that CEN
tery which we have established
Washington While 1 am engaged
this want to put headstones I
some Of those there. They seem
be engaged in hurting galley-west
cry measure proposed by the peop