Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-08-07
LAFOLLETTE ON The TRUSTS
Country Must Capitulate To or Con-
troll Combines, He Says.
CAN AND WILL DO THE LATTER
Senator, who speaks al
Bellevue Assembly and Dimes at
Mckinley Club, Approves
Standard Fine.

, wEDNEsDAY-YOUNG PEOPLES DAY.
/ Mr.. Arthur Chase of Omaha, president OF
. the Nebraska Christian Endeavor unlon'
h MoTning Programs sabbath school insti-
tute and Bible school.
! a. m-Elementary Sabbath school work.
10 a. Embarrassing the School," Mr.
il a. m.-Bible study, DR.. Jenkins,
2;SO p; Mcclure, 'Colored folks f,t.,d as .
! p. m.-Lecture. "Travels in Norway"
illustrated by stereopticon views, Frank X
Robertson. Music by the Dunbar Bell Ring
ers.
The fine imposed upon the Standard
was not too heavy. It is too bad the Inn
! prisonment penalty could not be applied.
/ There can be no doubt the people will
! pay for II.
/ This country must either capituate to
1 the trusts or It must control them. 1t
can do the latter and will.-Robert NJ La
! Toilette.
Senator Robert NJ. IaFollette arrived
in Omaha Tuesday morning and was met
at Union station by Mr. Kerr of the
/ Bellevue summer assembly He was the
! orator of the day at the assembly
The first thing that strikes one is the
I fact that Senator LaFollette is physically
little man. But his appearance is strik-
! ing. The little, shapeless brown felt hat
! pulled far down over the left eye, the
thick bristlng grey hair brushed back
! over his ears, the slate colored trousers
and long frock coat of the same color, all
| are unique. Nor is the distinguished sem
! ator a lou-spoken man ordinarily. But
| mention railroads or corporations and his
/ grey eyes light up with a fierce light; he
closes the right one, fixes his auditor with
the left and launches FORTH tapping home
| his points with a long forefinger on the
| coat lapel of his hearer. In that moment
! LaFollette is transformed into a David
to fight the giant OF corporations. And
he makes one feel that he will pick the
| most death-dealins pebble from the brook
and send 1t with the most unerring aim
and the greatest force straight to the
unprotected portion of the corporations
anatomy.
Looking for Rest.
| Senator LaFollette said he wanted to
| get to some place where he could be
| alone and rest. A description Of the
| charms of Bellevue made him decide at
once in favor OF that place On the car
he talked to a reporter for The Bee.
"The fine imposed by Judge Lands
the Standard OIL company by no
means too heavy" he said. mo fine could
| be too great for such a crime. 1t is too
bad that the Imprisonment penalty had
been taken from that law, for the violation
| Of which the fine of SOS. 10000 was i'm
posed or course this fine pleases the
people, but there can be no doubt that
by putting the screws a little harder
here and there over its vast properties, the
corporation will make the people pay It.
| Can this be remedied? Certainly. Sup
| pose for example that the punishment for
| a violation of this law were to be made
a fine of one-half the corporations entire
property fol the first offense and the other
half for the second offense. Do you think
| they would risk breaking the laws with
such penalty threatening them? don't
believe the principle of vested rights would
stand in the way of the passage of such
an act.
N" HALFWAY Measure GOe--
| This country must either capitulate to
the trusts and corporations or it must con-
troll them believe 1t will control them.
Halfway measures won't do much good.
We have only Just driven in the thin end
! OF the wedge Take the railroads. The
establishment OF the Interstate Commerce
commission and the passage Of the rate
bill are all very good, but they are by no
means adequate. Seven men cannot at
tend to the regulation of the rates on the
vast system of railroads to which the peo-
pie of the United States pay annually more
than it costs to run all the governments,
national, state and municipal The admin
istrative department of the commission
must be expanded and enlarged.
THE next thing to do Is to get at the
value Of the railroads and a correct state
ment OF their gross income and expenses.
With this data to work on the commits
sion can arrive at an intelligent under.
standing of what fair profit to the rail
roads is and from that deduce what
are just railroad rates. Under the law as
It now stands the commission cannot do
this. 1t can consider disputes between two
shippers, but 1t cannot determine what is
a fair rate. That only be done when
an intimate knowledge of the inside af-
fairs OF each railway system is known.
"The rebating evil must also be at
tackled at It's root OF course there are
hundred ways of giving rebates to favored
shippers. For example, damages can be
allowed them on their shipments.
II am not a pess'mist. My attitude is
the very opposite, I believe this govern
ment is big enough and this people
strong enough to put the corporations
which are operating in direct violation OF
the laws under their feet"
This, of course, will be the main line
of my efforts in the senate during the
coming session. am working very hard
now and have dates to fill until November.
believe the American people must be
educated 10 a full realization of the evils
and dangers of the corporations 1 send
out a great deal OF literature. It Is my
propaganda. I hire a man who attends
only to supplying printed matter on the
subject TO those who desire IT,"
Senator LaFollette referred to the work
Of the late Edward Rosewater, with whom
he had extensive correspondence on politi-
cal matters.
REFORMER AT THE ASSEMBLY
Senator LaFolette IL the Big StRr