Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-04-01
Letters Sent Broadcast Ask Aid
Of Business Men and Labor
Forces
WANT PETITION TO LAWMAKERS
Railways Design to Work on State
Legislatures Now and Do Missionary
Work With Congress Later Danger
of Financial and Industrial Crisis
Pointed Out.

tempt is DelEg maze t1TuQuI lHe lHiu-
die west to induce business men and
members of labor organizations to sign
petitions and write letters to the
governors of states, members of iegis-
latures and members of congress- ask
ing that the present attack on railway
enterprises, thru the legislatures and
congress, be abandoned. Unless this is
done, says the literature which accom-
panies the petitions, financial and in
dustrial paralysis viii ensue, and that
very quickly.
The plan of working the middle west
along the line referred to was cooked
up in Chicago at a meeting of the Un-
ion League club, March s. This meet
ing was called at the the request of the
responsible managers of numerous
middle west railroads centering at Chi
cago, and the petitions were printed
and distributed under date of March %,
a week ago.
The moving spirits in this enterprise,
SO far as the literature is concerned,
are the heads of FIVE large railway sup
ply houses in Chicago: ii. K Gilbert.
vice president of the Buda Foundry &
Manufacturing company; a. H. Multi
ken, president OF the Pettibone COM
pany; L. B. Blgh, president of the
Chicago Railway Equipment company;
A. C. McCord, president of McCord &
Co., and J. Nj. Hopkins. general mani
ager of the Camel company, all of
whom sign the circular.
The blank petitions by tens of thou
sands, have been sent TO the states of
Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio IN
diana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska,
Kansas and Missouri
Perhaps hundred copies of these
blank petitions together with the Cir
cular letters accompanying them, have
been forwarded to officia-s of the gov
eminent in this city, SO that the adj
ministration is aware of what is going
on.
The principal attack at present, Of
course is to be made on state iegisla-
lures in which railroad legislation is
pending. 1t is the plan of the Chicago
organizers to have the business men
not only sign these petitions, but also
to write letters to their governors and
the members of the legislature in whom
they are directly interested.
Everyone of these letters says
the literature in question, will be
4 written by voter"
Letters of a similar character are to
be written governors and state legis-
- l. ~. lot1 =
& cations, speaking for al their mem-
bers. In short, if the scheme works,
pressure of a political character will
be brought to bear, and in this way
much offensive legislation now pend
ing is to be defeated.
After a while this onslaught is to be
taken up against members of congress
and the senate. Says the circular let
ter: IF 10 per cent of the men to
whom we are sending this letter will
write their governors and legislators
4 the present crusade against the rail-
roads can be stopped"
The president is still considering
whether or not he will go to Illinois to
make an address in response to the in
yftation extended him by the manufac-
turers' association of that state. The
advice he has received with reference
to the advisability of making such a
speech is sadly mixed. While a ma
& iority Of the gentlemen who conferred
with him one night early last week
Including members of the interstate
commerce commission and of his cabi-
net-thought it would be a. good thing
for him to make the speech, very re-
spectable minority of them think he
ought to decline the invitation. Among
3 the minority so advising are UNDER
stond to be Secretary Cortelyou, Sec
retarv Garfield, Secretary Loeb and
& commissioner Lane. Frank B. Kellogg
~ ST. Paul is also understood to hold
+hat nothing is to be gained by such
a speech.
The president, with this division OF
/ onin;on among his advisers, is hesitat-
ing. Last night. it was, said, on gool
authority, that he has figured out that
a. stlhe earliest he could not get ready
to make such a speech until after the
middle Of April, owing to the heavy
press of public business, and that time
is so near the opening of the James
town exposition that many OF MS
friends confidently expect that ne Will
wait fand deliver himself regarding the
railroad situation at the latter place.
More than one member of the cabinet
and of the interstate commerce com :
mission regard the Illinois invitation as
morally an effort to shake the president
out and put him on record. This done.
there would be great embarrassment, II
later on. the situation should SO change
as to require that the president change
his mind, as at present tentatively
made I'D. This point has been made to
him with great emphasis within the
mast day or two. AS the result of 1t,
II NAV be said on ample authority that
If the president should make an Illinois
speech. or If he should discuss the rail-
roads at jamestown or elsewhere, 1t
will he in a way that will mark him as
being entirely consistent with his prev
ious record.
A good many stories are af1oat re-
garding the presidents alleged attitude
toward the railroads, and one OF the
latest is that he is abandoning his
original ground in favor Of the APP
praisal of the physical properties OF the
railroads Another story is to the eject
that the president already has mapped
out his railroad policy SO far as the
remainder of his administration is con-
cerned All these stories should be dis
missed with scant ceremony by those
who are endeavoring to find out what
4he presidents position will be.