The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1906-09-20

land on both sides of the railroad, and
one to prevent fire insurance companies
from insuring property for greater
sum than the actual cash value thereof,
and last but not least was the two cent
passenger fare bill. The reason that
all those measures failed to become
laws, was that special interests were
so introduced in Iowa that they had
powers sufficient with the majority to
present their passage, but the effort
made for those bills brought them to
the attention of the people of the state
with good results, and with proba-
bility of their enactment into law. Ever
since the Civil war Except the Cleve-
land administrator the Republican
party has had control of the govern
ment and policy of this country. This
was possible to degree on account
of the prejudice of the people against
the Democratic party, on account of
the Civil war and the selfishness of the
pro-slavery faction of the Democratic
party, at that time, Since then every
special selfish interest found faithful
ally in the Republican party from the
spectators in government bonds
during and after the war, to every
beneficiary of spoliation under high
protective tariff system that has en-
abled their special favorites to amass
larger fortunes in given time, OH
account of the protective system, than
in the same period of time, anywhere
on the globe, and the effect of their
policy has been to control the price Of
the raw material and the finished pro-
duct and the labor employed in such
manufactures, and the industries thus
aided found it to their selfish interests
to maintain the party in power by
contributions to their campaign funds
with sums of money of a magnitude
hitherto unknown in American politics,
not for the legitimate expenses of their
campaigns alone, but as vast bribery
fund to control the national election
and the very nature of the benefits
received by protective extortion and
the desire of the benefciaries to retain
the system so advantageous to them
made it certain that campaign funds
for the Republican party had only to
be suggested and the money was sure
to come. But the extortions of the pro-
tective system have grown until even
republicans have demanded that where
the tariff was shelter to monopoly it
should be removed, and because of that
demand on the part Of the progressive
republicans of Iowa, we have witnessed
a contest for nomination for governor,
prosecuted with an energy on the part
of one faction and resisted by the other
faction, with display of malice and
disregard for majority rule unheard of
in our state history, until rule or ruin
seems to be the policy Of the disap-
pointed minority of the republican
party of this state.
Gov. Cummins in his message to the
31st general assembly said in regard to
railways, that it is natural and newt
able for railway companies in common
with other great corporations, to at
tempt to direct the course of govern
ment and mould it's policies to promote
it's own interests. That railway mana
gers will endeavor with all their might
to secure the enactment of such laws as
will make their properties more valu-
able, and their revenue more ample, and
that they will exhaust every influence
to prevent the passage of such laws
which restrain or regulate their prac-
tices. And for that message and his
policy he has called down the wrath
of all special interests in the state
That they need rate regulation and
train service regulation by law is appar.
ent. They have given such train SER
vice as suited the managers. disregard.
ing their obligations to the public to
furnish ample train service and trans.
portation at the reasonable cost of the
same with a fair per cent for reasonable
profit, until there has grown general
demand for regulation of rate and train
service that will do justice to the peo-
pie and railroads alike. The railroads
do not take the people into
their confidence and tell them the
exact truth about the value of their
property. They do not say how much
of their stock represents substance and
how much is water, for reasons fully
known to themselves; but they have
maintained conditions satisfactory to
them, by free passes and rebates to
shippers, until the congress of the
United States have been forced by
public opinion to give power to the
interstate commerce commission to reg
ulate rates and have forbidden the con.
tinuance Of the vicious free pass system
to the end that their reign of bribery
shall cease. In all the reform attempt.
ed, state or national, only those that
Observation-Disclosures e.-c,0~.>o.~.,.oooo~~o
/ Continued on page q