Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-01-23
CAPITAL CHAT.
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resourceful citizen, very much IN
earnest can often devise. he has put
it up to Congress with the result that
measures for the help of railroad toll
ers have been advanced. And he he's
| been very watchful Of all the litigation
that has ensued over the employers
liability law the safety appliances law
and the law enacted during the time 81
the second Cleveland administration
forbidding the blacklisting of employees
by railroads engaged in interstate
Commerce.
Richard Olney, once attorney general
and then Secretary of State is one OF
Mr.. Moseley's intimate friends; 81 Is
Mr.. Justice Moody of the Supreme
Court Moseley is Democrat and was
made Secretary of the Commission as
such but he knows no politics in his
activities for good railroad legislation.
He knows the ms and outs of the
railroad world, wherein President
Roosevelt has more than once found
him a valuable and useful friend.
1t was quite a quarter Of a century
ago that MIR. Moseley was log driver
on the Cara basset and the kennebec.
Some owners of cumberland way up IN
| the vicinity of Mount Bigclow thought
they could float logs down the Cara
basset, q stream of very rocky ara
ragged channel and OF uncertain flow
of water They operated for enc win
ter and as soon as the stream was
open in the spring put the logs into the
Il
French Canadians and put them In
charge Of MoSeley.
There Was neveri:, more telnpeStuouS
log driving enterprise III the history OF
Maine numbering. There wasn't en-
ough water in the stream to float tire
drive. There were frequent Jams and
only q portion of the logs ever reached
the Kennebec at the mouth OF the Car
| rabasset a few miles above Madison.
Some of the logs remained on the high
lodges of the CarrabaSset for dozen
years after -Moseley had discharged
his French Canadians at Augusta anc
felt thankful that the toughest and
most trying period of his whole life
was over.
The French Canadians grew discon-
tented and more than once were on the
point of mutiny. The logging COM
panv, after such a direful experience
with the enterprise, fell into financial
straits and this added to the disatis-
faction of the log drivers.
Even after the logs were ont upon the
broad Kennebec. the troubles of the
drivers and of the Company were not
over for there came a flood and the
ri I1,jInI, NJ tho drive
was lost down the river.
That experience was enough for
Mosaley ard he gait log driving for
ever. His home was in Massachusetts,.
whittier ne went and eventually he
drifted down to Washington. Here he
WIS moro successful and his achieve
mtnts in the Office Of Secretary have
sufliced alone to make Il hiSh and
honorable career.
Last autumn his health failed and
he went back TO Massachusetts, where
there were reports that he was i'll a
dangerous condition. He proved the
falacy of predictions that he was "all
| in and after n few weeks was back in
Washington. hale and hearty and MAX
ing things hum around the offices of
the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Mr.. Moseley is one of the several
very good friends that Eugene Debs,
once head Of the American Railway
Union has in Washington. Mr.. Debs
was here the other day seeking for an
authentic copy Of the report that
President RoOsevelt's commission made
on the presence Of federal troops ct
Goldtield, Nevada. Moseley thought
he could find a report for Debs and
he did. The principles enunciated
therein about the abuse of ordering out
federal troops to suppress strikes were
very like what Mr.. Debs said at the
time of the Chicago strike in TIE sec
ond Cleveland administration. Mr.
Debs. sitting in Mr.. Moseley'a office
told how gratiticd he was that virtual
~ the words which. as spoken by him
were styled demagogic. should now be
spoken by a federal commission OF
high officials.