The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-02-09
M|uARD ON RATE MATTER
NEBRASKA SENATOR GIVES VIEWS
ON RAILWAY PROBLEM.
FIRM FRIEND OF ROOSEVELT

President Roosevelt Only a Few Days
Ago Told Senator Millard That He
Considered Him One Of His Staunch.
est Friends In the Senate.
Washington, Feb. Especial to The
News: A few days ago a Nebraska
newspaper asked Senator Millard If
he had anything to say in reply to the
published statement that he had not
for a year been on the best of terms
with the president. In reply the sen.
ator said:
Nothing could be further from the
truth. The story must have been in
invented by some one who is unfriend-
ly. Why, only within the last week
or ten days President Roosevelt took
occasion to say to me that he consid.
cred me to be one of his staunchest
friends in the senate.
Republicans throughout the state
know that | am strong PARTISAN
that | always support the republican
ticket (as the record will show); and
that | have always supported the re-
publican administration. 1t is my pur-
pose to continue to support admins
tratlon measures in the senate which
include statehood for the territories,
the Philippine tariff reduction, the
railway rate question and all ques-
tions of party policy urged by the pres
ident upon the consideration of the
senate. | shall vote with my party in
all cases"
Senator Millard's best friends will
understand this. While he is friendly
with the railway interest he is equally
friendly with the business interests
and producers of Nebraska, and he
will treat every interest fairly wheth.
er it be that of citizen, firm or corpo-
ration.
If the good citizens OF Nebraska will
wait until the railroad rate bill comes
up in the senate this session, they will
have every reason to be satisfied with
Senator Millard's action in regard to
it.
Senator Millard continued: "As my
residence in Nebraska ante-dates the
advent of most of the citizens of the
state, having settled in the territory
in 1857, | believe / know the people
and the people have come to know me.
Some of them know, as | do, what it
is to reside in a region without rail
roads, and the value of railroads to
the business interests and to the farm
ers and the upiift they give to land
yalues everywhere. While railway
men in many cases have done things
which they should not have done, il
is none the less true that the great
wealth of Nebraska is in an important
degree due to the help of the railways
in getting our products to market, and
in many other ways. This fact should
be recognized by men of all parties.
"Conceding that abuses have grown
up in the method of making railroad
tariffs which call for restrictive legis-
latlon, we must not forget that the rail-
roads are entitled to fair treatment at
the hands Of congress, notwithstand.
ing they do things at times that we
cannot commend. My opinion is that
the railway is entitled to the same
consideration that is due any great
corporation, large business concern or
notwithstanding more, nothing
less.
MY position in this regard is in
harmony with that of President Roose-
welt, who, in his message at the open
ing of congress, suggesting remedial
legislation in the interest of shippers,
used this language:
LET me most earnestly say that
these recommendations are not made
in any spirit of hostility to the rail.
roads. On ethical grounds, on grounds
of right, such hostility would be intol-
erable; and on grounds of mere ma