Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-30
FORAKER
ANNOUNCES
CANDIDACY
OHIO SENATOR WILL GIVE
BATTLE TO TAFT
ANNOUNCES HIS ENTRANCE IN
PRESIDENTIAL RACE
WouId-Be Nominee Of Republican
Party Defends His Attitude Toward
Rate BllI-Points to Crisis and
Says, "a Told You So"
BY Associated Press.


WASHINGTON, Nov. Ex-senator ]. B.
Foraker made it clearly known today that
he will contest the Ohio delegation to the
Republican national convention with Mr.
Taft
This decision is contained in letter to
Conrad j. Mattern, vice president or tne
Ohio Republican league. who forwarded
20 Mr.. Eoraker a copy of the resolutions
adopted by the advisory and executive
committee of the league indorsing M
Foraker for the senatorship and for the
presidential nomination. He defends MS
course in relation to the passage OF the
railroad rate bill and insists that the
necessity of the railroads of the country
to spend millions of dollars annually IN
Increasing their facilities makes this pao
time to hamper the roads in any unneces
sary way by legislation.
Senator Foraker says he is gratified by
the Endorsement of the committee at this
time because it is a fiat rebuke to the
suggestion that the office of United states
senator is to be stripped of all the real
honor attached to 1t by making It's m
cumbent a mere agent to register the de-
crees of somebody else.
Out for Presidency
In the course of his letter Senator
Foraker SAYS: IT do not want to even
sppear to be a candidate for two offices
at the same time, and therefore forego the
double honor proposed and with heartfelt
appreciation accept the support for the
presidential candidacy which the commit
tees have so generously rendered"
Continuing, the letter says: Il not only
stand for the broad principles involved
but stand ready to submit to my const!-
tuents for their judgment, not only my
action in three instances when l was
unable to agree with the president, but
nv entire record. / may haYe made mis-
takes, but no speech or vote or other ac'
will be found that was not In accordance
with the conscientious Judgment formee
by the aid of the best light at the time
attainable.
"My action on the question of join
statehood and in the Brownsville matter
your committees have approved, as be-
lieve the great majority of Republicans
do everywhere.
.orhere are doubtless yet many who
criticise my vote on the rate bill, but i
the assurances with which my mail is
filled, coming as they do from every sec
ton of the country, are not misleading
the number of these critics is rapidly
diminishing.
.'In the debates on that measure L took
rains to point out that if the government
took upon itself the duty and RESPONSE
hility of making rates it would OF neees'
s;ty have to determine not only now mucn
:, railroad should be allowed to make, ou'
also how much it would be allowed te
spend-how much for operation, for exten'
SONS, for equipment and for every othel
';em of necessary expenditure, all Oh
which it is impossible for government
IN do satisfactory, and that the result
would inevitably be that just at the time
when a rapidly increasing business 1ol
the road was making it necessary FOL
them to raise hundreds of millions annu
slly for increasing their tracks, cars anc
general facilities we would impair tins
confidence of investors in their stocks ant
hcnds and thereby not only make 1t I'M
possibIe for the roads to sell the add
t,onal securities necessary for such pur'
POSES. but many of the holders of them
moth at home and abroad, to dispose o
what were already outstanding, and tha
ir consequence the market would be sc
largely oversupplied that their values
would shrink, dragging down all KINDS o.
securities with them until panic and dis
ester would take the place of peace anc
prosperity.
'To say L told you so is always un'
gracious. but it is, trust, permissible
TO point out that from the day the rate
bill passed the trend has been in the
direction predicted, and while othel
things have contributed, that measure
has q full share of responsibility for the
unhappy financial and industrial condi-
tiors with which we have been overtaken
Urqes Use of Common Sense
''While there should be efficient super
vision and regulation of interstate com
merce and the carriers and corporation:
of every kind engaged in this. such super
vision must be consistent with the con
stitution and with sound common sense
."The moral standing of the business
men of this country has always beer
high 1t was never so high as it is now
rhere is consequent 7 less occasion thar
ever before to restrict commercial free
dom by statutorXS demands of manage
ment and surveillanS that are apparently
framed on the thed4 that all men are
criminals. Such legisfation hampers en-
tArprises. retards business activity ant
Mscredits the whole nation"
In conclusion the senator adds:
..When the national committee shall
have issued the call for the next nationa
Republican convention shall, as hereto
fore announced, formally request the
state central committee to embody in 1t:
call for the next state convention re
di,irement that all delegates to that con
vention shall be chosen by direct vote o.
the Republican electors of the state a.
dulv authorized primaries, held in accord
,nce with the statutes applicable there
to-"