The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-01-07

larity with a general assault OF. this
kinds It is a question. His friends
are anxious about it, but apparently he
is not worrying. He is understood to
have said that if necessary he will go
down and out, provided only that he
can get the legislation that he wants.
He is said to have recalled the inter
esting fact that in nearly all countries
history is filled with the names of men
who have sacrificed position in the pub
lie estimation, either permanently or
temporarily, for the sake of principle.
The present situation in the United
States, he is said to have remarked,
may develop into such a crisis, and if
it does, he is ready to face it unfinch-
ingly.
LOSS of Popularity.
Whether the presidents prestige will
be absolutely destroyed or not may well
be a question for debate, but there is
no chance for debate over the state
ment that within six months following
the passage Of his railroad rate bill he
will be much less popular than he is
today.
Helping along this work of bringing
about his undoing will be the railroads
in all parts of the land; the practical
politicians, who never have liked him;
and the democratic party, which, the
moment his a~scendancy begins to show
signs of decline, will join in the hunt
after him.
It is a tough combination which the
president is thus called upon to face.
But he isn't worried. He has been in
close quarters before, and he thoroly
enjoys a fight. He will enjoy this one,
and, if need be, he will demonstrate
that he can stand punishment, if it is
in a just cause.
The motive which will ~actuate the
politicians in moving against him IN
der cover of the dissatisfaction which
will follow the enactment of the rate
law will be purely selfish. They hold
Roosevelt personally responsible for the
r wave of civic reform which has swept
over the country for two years past.
/ They think that if his prestige should
remain unbroken up to and including
: 1908, he would be able to dictate the
nomination of some man of his type
, as his successor. This the practical
Q politicians do not want. -Four years of
this sort Of thing is more than enough
for them; it has beer too much for
o some of them, and they are now painting
f for the return of the good old days a.
4 the hart pants after the water brook.
Alleged woodchucks.
=, Friends Of radical rate legislation
4 have discovered today what they think
y, are two w~oodchucks in Uucle Pete Hep
burns rate bill introduced Thursday.
They admit, however, that Hepburn
" will probably consent to have these al.
legged tFwoodchucks'' taken out of the
bill when. attention is called to them in
the house committee. The Hepburn bill
e is almost az exact o p of the Do1IiFe1
9 bill. Instead of providing for a ""rea.
. sonable maximum rate'' the Hepburn
Q bill allows the interstate m com.
l mission to fix a maximum rate.
! (Which shall be reasonable, just and
u fairly .remunerative,' thus, it 4
claimed, Opening the door for lawsuit.
y and injunctions. The Objectionable
, g feature of the bill is in its provisions
. that the rate named shall 60 into effect
= within thirty days, ~"unless changed by
the commission or enjoined by the
. courts.' This latter phrase, it il
claimed by the radicals, would have tn,
! effect of showing any court that it wa.
the intent of the act to especially pro
y vide for injunction proceedings and il
most cases will have the effect of tying
y up the act till it has been fought thru
the courts. If these two features arr
not cut out Of the bill it is the inten
ton of Esch and Townsend to make {
minority report from the committee anC
It carry the fight on the floor of tn,
house. They say the railroads SHOULD
not have an injunction unless a rate i
confscatory.