Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-12-21

nor. appointing Cumnins. Later they
added the charge that behind his can
didacy for governor was concealed
purpose to get Allson's seat
The rate bill was then pending in
congress- In April 1t was in the SEN
ate Dolliver, inspired by that burn
ing in effigy of Hepburn, had gone
back on the interests that, made him
senator. and was supporting the presi-
dent. When the story was told over
the wires that the president was weak
ening and disposed to accept com
promises. bolivar came from the
white house with statements that the
president stood firm. He voted with
the democrats to report the house Dill
out of the senate committee. Cum
Minis was supporting the bill. He had
gone to Washington to give testimony
in support Of it, and that drew that
broadside that Steve Elkins fired at
him for it. A senator was to be elect
ed. Dolliver was a candidate. Gums
Minis was charged, as usual, with
scheming to get it. Had he been mo-
lived by personal ambition he would
have tried for it. and. doubtless. have
got it. Instead. he aided Delivers re-
election Cummins set the cause, to
which Dolliver was faithful, first set it
above his personal ambitions Dolliver
was reelected.
The fight In the senate was raging
over the point of court jurisdiction
with minor combats over LaFollette's
mendments to put starch into the
bill. The Interests senators were
lighting to secure to inferior courts
10 ;r;, of fhnE
interstate commerce commission and
to take jurisdiction of appeal from it's
orders The Interests won and Sena-
tor Allison was credited with making
the compromise" as it was termed;
the surrender, as it in fact was. We
i have since seen in conflicting decisions
of inferior courts the unwisdom Of
Allison's work.
| The supreme court had taken the
starch out of the rate act of 1887 by its
decision in 1897 that it gave the COM
mission no power to fix reasonable
rate. For all the intervening years
Senator Allison had sat dumb under
that decision. No word or act of his
indicated an interest in vitalizing the
original act. The oysters served to him
at lunch in the senate restaurant were
not dumber than he. When the fight
was at it's hottest he became incon.
veniently sick, but not too sick to be
unable to aid the interests in getting
| compromises"
No wonder that Allison's friends
here among the interests were afraid
that someone would challenge his right
to represent the people Of Iowa in the
senate No wonder that it was coming
into the minds of Iowans that their
senator was more careful of the Inter-
ests than of them. 1t was this fear
that prompted them, after Governor
iCummins had become again cand1-
date for governor, to charge him
with aspiring to the senate. 1t Was
this, more than friendship for the gov
ernor, that prompted Torbert, at Alli-
sons home to write to Cummins. The
play was to get from the governor a
statement like that Dolliver, TAT Coun
Gil Bluffs, said he made, that he, in
1906, favored Alilson's reelection in
/ 1909 With full knowledge of Allison's
shifty course on what was then the
paramount national issue, with himself
earnestly supporting the presidents
policy, how could Governor Cummins,
without self qualification, have said he
wished Allison reelected three years
later?
In April, 1906, Governor Cummins
was, as he wrote Torbert, "cand1-
date for governor and for nothing
else"-- q part Of the letter now care
fully suppressed by the reactionar1es
in their commensurate we have no
doubt that he then left, as did all sim
cere supporters Of President Roose-
velt's rate-control policy, that some
man who was earnest and hearty in its
support and that of corporation control
logically following it. one more truly
Representative of IoWa's sentiment
should take Senator Allison's place
after 1909