Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1908-05-29
FROM THE
COMMONER
MIR. BRYAN'S PAPER
THE PRESIDENT URGES CENTRAL
lZATlON.

recommended democratic reform, 1t Is
the more free to criticise him when he
recommends things undeniocrattc. One
of the undemooratic things which he
has recommended is the surrender of
the right of the state to control com.
merce within it's borders. He says
that state commerce forms but
small fraction of the commerce carried
by the railroads through each state,
and that actual experience has shown
that the effort at state control Is sure
to be nullifled in one way or another
sooner or later" He then proceeds to
with effectiveness and wisdom; II
should have control of both, of the
business and of the agent by which
the business is done, for any attempt
to separate this control must result in
grotesque absurdity." Explaining this
proposition he says: "This means that
we must rely upon national legislation
to prevent the commercial abuses that
now exist and the others that are sure
to arise unless some efficient govern
ment body has adequate power of con.
troll over them, In another part Of
the message he says that he believes
that ultimately we shall have to adopt
national incorporation law" but he
recognizes that this may be impos-
sible at present"
We are thus brought face to face
with most serious proposition, name
ly, whether the dual character of our
government shall be preserved as it is
defined by the constitution, or oblit-
Grated as is proposed by the president.
What is the situation? Congress
now has power which 1t has not exer-
oised; it has all the power 1t needs.
For ten years a railroad lobby at Wash
| ington prevented the adoption of the
recommendations Of the interstate
commerce commission, and while new:
legislation was prevented, the rail-
roads continued to grant rebates and
to make determinations. The work of
the lobby was open and notorious. 1t
Is less than three years since repre-
sentatives Of two Of the leading rail-
roads of the east used the Hobbies of
congress to bride members into the
support of appropriations desired by
the railroads. These representatives
did not disguise the fact that they
| kept a record of the votes cast by
| members and rewarded with passes,
or punished them by Withholding
passes, according to their votes. The
| pass evil has at last been corrected,
but 1t required tremendous convul-
sion and all the influence that the
| president could exert through an
aroused public opinion.
If the railroad influence has been
SO great when congress exercised con-
troll over interstate commerce only,
what will be the influence when all
regulation is centered at Washington
and the railroads enter politics for the
| purpose of controlling the senate, the
| house, the interstate commerce COM
mission, the president and the courts?
| Already there are indications that the
railroads ere planning for the coming
campaign. One railroad attorney an
nounces that the railroad employees
must stand with the railroad managers
| against any party which attempts to
| antagonize railroads-and to antagon.
lie the roalroads means to antagonize
| the views of a few railroad magnates
who aspire to control the railroad sys-
TENS Of the country. Another organi-
cation has been recently formed which
announces that railroad batting"
| must stop-and railroad batting can
only mean the attempt of the legisla-
lures to regulate the railroads. The
| railroad managers are studiously cir
culating the idea that business has
been impaired and industry generally
paralyzed by criticism of railroad man.
agement and by proposed remedies.
1t is impossible to exaggerate the ex-
tent to which the railroads will enter
politics II the presidents plan is car
rted out and Washington is made the
arena in which the people must fight
| all their battles for railroad regulation,
At present :he people of large num-
| Der of the states are enjoying a two
| cent passenger rate; this reform did
not come from Washington. It came
from the state legislatures and Secre-
tary Taft has gone to the trouble of
| telling an eastern audience that the
| president is not responsible for the
rate reductions. 1t was state legisla-
| ton that led the railroads to demand
national incorporation and the removal
OF legislation from state capitals to
Washington. Can this be in the inter
est Of the people? 1t is a serious is.
sue that the president presents and
one that the people must be prepared
to meet, for while he has fought for
reforms on some other subjects, he is.
on this subject fighting hand in hand
with the very men who attempted to
prevent the passage of the presidents
rate bill. The conspiracy formed
among the leading Republicans of the
senate had for it's object the proven
ton Of any rate legislation, and only
by focusing public attention upon the
subject could the president defeat the
conspiracy.
The fight for the preservation of the
| rights of the states is not revival of
the doctrine of secession. The railroad
magnates attempt to make it appear
| such because they are not prepared to
| meet the real issue. The question is
not whether state has a right to
withdraw from the union, but whether
IT shall have the right to protect its
| citizens while it remains part OF ~.
union The state legislatures are
nearer to the people than congress Is.
a congressman represents some 200,-
ooo people and is personally known to
but few of them. A member of the,