Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-05-05
SEN. DOLLlVER ENDS SPEAKING TOUR IN OTTUMWA

Governor Van SAINT Of Minnesota
Governor Cummins went to Washing
ton to lend his great weight and in
huence toward inserting such a para
graph in the Presidents message. He
went with clamor and much noise. He
called at the White House and met
the smile that never comes off. The
two governors went into the inner
chambers of the chief executive. The
representatives of the press secuted
outside. The interview is remarkably
short. The governors emerge from
the President arm in arm, with a
i! pleased expression on their faces
They are besieged by newspaper men
for an interview
I'VE cannot betray the condolences OF
the chief executive, but will say to
you boys, that we got all we asked
for"
That statement was fraud. Presi.
dent Roosevelt had, at the visit, a
copy of the message Just received
from the printer and written three
weeks before that time It is humbug
and bosh and Governor Cummins
claims the credit Of the railroad reg.
ulation plank in the Presidents mes
sage. This is, say, false leadership.
Immediately on reaching home the
governor goes up and down the
state proclaming what a power he
is with the President and the great
acts he did in bringing the President
around to his way Of thinking.
There may be some doubt whether
a man as hard pressed as am for
time ought to turn aside even for a
| few minutes from the main road OF
his discourse to finish up contro-
versy such as has arisen in the news
papers in connection with previous
speech, in an effort postponed far too
long, to defend the Iowa delegation
in congress against the charge of hav-
ing been asleep while public discus
sion was raging throughout the state
with Governor Cummins at it's heal
for long period Of years, about the
amendment Of the Interstate COM
merce law SO as to give the commits
sion the power which it is said to
have lost by the adverse decision CT
the supreme court in 1897.
Speaking at Des Moines earlier In
the week I took occasion to brand
| elio PiSSul y VI POpuldl upl uu0Ci
Governor Cummins' leadership as 4
product of the Imagination, an over
worked bit of fakerism requiring
some what dogmatic treatment. l had
in mind particularly the remarks
matte by Polk county urist, more
| famous as wholesale dealer in saw
logs, now circulated in pamphlet
form by the Cummins managers as
the chief argument in the governors
behalf. This quarter-sawed jurist
stated that the supreme court took
the power away from the Interstate
commerce commission to make rates
in 1897 and that for nine years there.
after that the people had clamored
In vain to have the power restored.
He then adds: "Where were Dolliver
and Allison during that time? ALI
son was in the senate during all of
the time and Dolliver was there Ave
years or more, and l defy you gentle.
men to show that they stood in the
halls of congress or upon the stump
advocating the granting Of this power
to the commission. They were silent
as CLANS. There was just as much
necessity for this law in 1900 as there
was in 1906, and where did they ever
raise their voices for it. Our bold
courageous and fearless Cummins
making speeches not only in Iowa but
all over the entire United States on
this question. Where was that man
that vaunts his courage during these
exciting campaigns? Still silent"
Bogus Republcanism."
This is a pretty picture and has
done such fine service in behalf OF
bogus republicanism" in Iowa that
one naturally has reluctance to turn
1t to the wall made the challenge
at Des Moines for the governor or
any of his friends to produce from
any official record or any newspaper
or even the tradition made without
being furnished to the press, in which
he demanded or suggested such an
amendment to the Interstate com.
merce law prior to the autumn of 1904
was familiar with the official mes.
sages and addresses and I trust a
memory that has served me fairly
well as reader Of the public press.
AS an inducement to the governors
friends to bring forward the evidence
of the governors activity, l offered q
reward Of one thousand dollars, the
thousand dollars which the governor
put up in connection with the Torbert
letter also took occasion to say that
congress was altogether as active on
this subject as the public was in Iowa
and cited as an evidence of it that
neither nor any other member of the
delegation, by letter or conversation
with the people prior to the autumn
of 1904, had had their attention called
to the popular demand for such an
amendment to the law as President
Roosevelt afterward recommended
These things were said to explain tn =
apparent negligence Of congress and
to distribute the blame for it, If there
Is blame, equally among all con
cerned. Three days afterwards, &C
cording to the Register and Leader
the governor retorts that he made
speeches ''for congressional activity
on the subject of railroad regulation
as early as 1902 or even earlier" but
that retort does not cover the ques
ton. Men had been making speeches
in Iowa for thirty years on that sub
ject The question is what speech
did he ever make proposing that the
interstate commerce law should be