Omaha daily bee., 1906-11-01

Commerce commission At first they put
in some evidence, but afterwards they tusu
let all the evidence for the railroads go in
did not introduce any evidence and waited
until II got into court to try the real case.
Now the present amendment the rate
bill which Mr.. Roosevelt recommended,
was that that order of the Interstate Com
merce commission should be enforced, ana
that II lay with the railroad company to-
show, IL 1t chose to show and could show,
by getting out an Injunction suit in court
that the order ought not to be enforced.
after the order is made,
And what mas been the result? The re
suit has been that the Interstate Com
that the railroads have come to-. under
stand Qf ! may use a colloquial express
tween the time when that ACT was passed
and went into effect and the first OF Sep
TENDER there have been more notices OF
reduced rates filed by the railroads in the
Interstate Commerce commission office nan
ever before In the history of the law which
has been on the statute book for twenty
years. (applause) And on the 10Th of
August, two days. after the act went into
erect, there were 500 notices filed In that
office by the railroads of this country re-
ducing rates.
It is fact that shows that something
has been accomplished. 1t shaws that the
fear of the Lord and the fear OF the law
have been put into the hearts Of the rail
road managers. If you have any railroad
frienO-any man who is working in the traf-
hc department OF the railroads GU ASK
him whether there has come over the at
mosphere of that Office very hea thy
change, and whether they ale not now
sending to the law department of every
railroad the question whether this is within
the law or that Is within the law. Before
department of the railroad company. and
the question then was will 1t fit? Now
the question, is, VIII It result in an indict-
ment and conviction. (Cheers)
Now do not mean to be classed, in MAX
ing these statements with those who de-
nounee corporate wealth, who denounce and
give the impression that every rich. man is
to be condemned; on the contrary, we must
look this matter straight In the face; We
must know that the use of wealth, and
corporate wealth as capital 10 reproduce IT.
self is at the basis Of modern civiiz ton.
and at the basis Of modern property. The
right OF property next 10 the right OF per-
sonal liberty is the most important right in
the development az the world and any,
body who seriously and wantonly, by leFis-
OF corporate wealth will bring fer m re
suffering on the poor, on the laboring man,
upon the lowly, upon thore who derend on
wages. than he will upon the manager and
corporate owners. CCheers) In other words
while we recognize or one hard the evi :
that have come from the organization OF
wealth BY its misuse and abuse, we should
fail utterly in our duty 10 society II we
did not also recognize that we should not
entrust the suppression OF those evils "a
anyone who does not realize the great good
and the Indispensable character Of the
proper and lesitimate use OF corporate
heHllns AAnEe~E.l
Now he would be an arch consplrator
against this country who would Interfere
with the present prosperity
Finding the evidence.
Another matter that had 10 be taken into
consideration was the question OF finding
the evidence A Bureau Of Corporations
las been created. Mr. Garfield has beer
at the head OF 1t and he has been engaged
In investigating all the corporations that
have had TO with interstate traue, and
some OF his Investigations nave been most
fruitful For instance, his Investigation IN
reference 70 the standard OIL company IN
which ne found that that company made j
srsat part OF its revenue out Of the ss;ecrei
companies, Not only that, but some OF thC
open rates which II nNed were so deftiy
hNed that they were able 20 shut out a
great territory 10 Independent competitors
For instance in New England there was
some arransemCnt that Kept the independ-
ent producer out of the New England terri
tory altogether; but when these matters
were published, when indictments began
10 be found, the managers of standard oil
company concluded that those skillfully
fixed rates had better be wiped OF the
slate; and today the Independent oil re-
the price of oil in New England has fallen
Now take the tobacco trust which Is in
dicted IN the Upited States court in New
thai. licorice enters into most OF the manu-
factdred tobacco, and the manufacturers OF
tobacco cannot get along without hcorice
This tobacco trust controls the sale oil
hcOTice and they said 20 the companies thai
10 Which refer ed. I'VE viii sell You at I
/ certain price, then we will sell our OWE
trust Companies, that come In under that
| contract, AZ a price much lower than that
When they were indicted IN the courts o.
New York, even before trial, and fore con,
] viction, they announced that they would
sen at the same price 70 both companies
whether they were under their contrat'
| or not.
| TIE Sugar trust came into competition
! with the beet sugar factories Of Michigan
/ and other places, and notified the raurOa.
| companies that IN order 10 meet that com
| petition they must have secret rebates
| and so they got them. Well tie New Norl
| Central railroad and the Sugar trust Eavl
been convinced In tho Unlutd states cOur
| for New York because n thos- rebates
And that step and the other steps are IN
| reasons why, as / said before, the fear d
the Lord and the fear OF the law has en-
tered into the hearts Of those managers