The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-08-23
CONG. M'CALL
GIVES WARNING
Massachusetts, Statesman
Criticises Policy of
Administration.
FEARS ONE MAN POWER
Against Reign Autocracy and Makes
Plea for Rule of Fathers-Re-
fers to Rate Law.


man Samuel w. Mccall, in an address
at the Marshfeld fair yesterday criti-
cised the tendency to "centralize all
power at Washington" He also re- i
ferred to the Standard Oil fine i'm
posed by Judge Lands and the recent |
railroad legislation by congress.
Mr.. Mccall said an industrial crisis /
would have been reached long before /
this had it not been for our almost |
invulnerable prosperity Speaking of
the so-called Capitalization of power
at Washington, Mr.. Mccall said:
The tendency of the times appears |
to be. first. to centralize all power at
Washington and then to have it all
exercised by one man. But I say, let
the people keep, to be exercised under
their eyes. all the governmental powers
not necessary to national unity and
safety, and let them adhere to repre-
sentative government. If you have a
government by representatives chosen
with reasonable fidelity you will have
government by the people. The extreme
views of one representative in one di-
rection will be vffset by the extreme
views of another in another direction,
and the result viii be a safe and
Decries One Man Power.
But If your government is imaged in
one man there viii be grave danger. 1t
will reflect all the extreme qualities of
the man. You are liable some day to
have a president supremely lacking in
the qualities of statesman. one who
is egotistic, impulsive. of immature
judgment. a mere glutton of the lime
light. ready to barter away prosperity
and even his count tvS''s freedom for mo-
mentary applause.
IF he is an autocrat, such as he is,
such for the time. will your country
be. Instead of a mighty nation, great
| in her physical strength and greater
! in her moral qualities, you may have a
strutting, confscating, shrieling, med
ding America. God save US from such
day.
Adhere, then, to the representative
! government of the fathers. to the only
! kind of government which from the
foundation of the world has cherished
human freedom.
"One of the federal judges has just
imposed a fine of such proportions that
it allies itself with the tribute which
a victorious nation imposes upon a
vanQuished one, a fine that probably is
not greatly exceeded by the aggregate
of all other fines imposed by our federal
courts since the establishment of the
government. The offense was the re-
ceiving of a discriminating rate from
q railroad company. Whether the fine
| fine were right or wrong or whether an
ordinary shipper would have been even
subjected to prosecution upon the exact
facts of this case I shall not argue.
"As Mr.. Bonaparte is not engaged in
sinking the constitution this year. an
nounces that he is after game he
might be willing to take whatever
came But I allude to the matter sim
ply for the purpose of calling your at
tention to our railroad legislation.
Views on Rate LeGisIatiOn.
"Twenty-three years ago congress
was asked to confer upon an executive
department the power to fix railroad
rates as a remedy for railroad discrim-
ination. At that time there reposed
upon the statute books the act against
rebates and discrimination under which
, this 30,000, 900 fine has been imposed
a statute so sweeping that it not mere
, ly prohibits beyond question the Civ
, ing or the acceptance of a discrimina-
. tory rate, but which, the law officers
of the government now contend, sub
jects a shipper to a heavy penalty ever
where he accepts a rate in absolute
good faith and with no reason to be-
lieve he is getting an Illegal rate.
The question suggests itself why
were not old laws enforced rather thar
new ones demanded? The practice il
government of expending the maxi
mum amount of noise and disturbanc
to secure the minimum Of good may b
diverting but it is costly. 1t OBJ
liberated a great foreign trade in pack
ed meats IN order TO get Legislation
which every packer wanted.
Prophets of disaster were not want
ing two years ago. of whom. I con
fess. I was one. who predicted som
OF the evil results that now are be
ginning to appear. We are pretty nea
the edge OF a financial setback. A
economical and industrial crisis at thi
time would be senseless and wanton
but we should already have had one
our prosperity had not been weIlnig
invulnerabIe. There is a likelihood, too
that the step that has been taken wi
some day lead to the ownership o
railroads by the government. on tn
principle that he who fixes the pric
OF a commodity ultimately will ow
it."