The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-10-29
HEPBURN, WHERE
DID YOU GET IT?
nepburn's Wealth and Its Ac-
QUESTION an Issue.
CANN0NASkED BRYANQUEST|ON
let Us Hear From the Colonel
as to His Wealth.

Our Uncle Joseph Cannon, the
friend of the interests and the maker
Of the Republican platform and the
sponsor for the vice presidential nomi-
nee. asked Mr.. Bryan some questions
about Mr.. Bryan's wealth. Well, Uncle
Joe got what he deserved and the peo-
pie of this country got the frankest
statement they ever read of an honest
accumulation of wealth. Bryan told
everybody just how he had gotten the
peep from the Republicans since the
statement was given out.
We are glad Uncle Joe thought of
this matter for it is one that may we'll
be considered by the people of the dis
trict. 1t is one that the colonel
should be made to answer.
There are number of reasons for
this question being pertinent to this
campaign. One of them is the fact
that Colonel Hepburn voted to in
crease his own salary from $4,000 to
$500 per year at very recent date
without any instructions from his en-
ployers. Just suppose that your hired
man should come in from the barn to-
night and say, We'll, John, l am to
receive $500 per month instead of
$4,000 beginning tomorrow morning."
What would you think of that? What
matters would you take into consid-
sration before making the bargain
valid one by giving your consent to it?
We can name a few things that you
would take into consideration.
You would say, well, William, you
are good hand and you have been
doing me good work, that l must &C
knowledge, but had not thought that
you should have such a raise" Then
you would go over the matter of your
own prospects for the neXta few
months. You would consider the pros
pect of getting good market for
your farm products and the probable
fty of William being the man that
would get the most out of the job for
you. Now suppose it developed in the
investigation that you and William
should make that your markets were
not the very best obtainable and that
he had been instrumental in making
such the case, suppose it should de-
velop that you were hindered quite
materially in getting to the markets
and that a man in the farm west Of
you was able to get to the same mar
ket that you went to at cheaper rate
and that William was to blame for
that being the case and that your
neighbor west Of you could get your
hogs and butcher them and ship them
10 the market that you would take
them to for less money than you
could do and that William was to
blame for that condition existing Now
suppose that it would develop that
while you had been keeping William
working for you that he had been TAX
Ing the time that you were paying
him for and had made himself very
rich and had gotten whole lot of
money because of the fact that he
had been your employee. You would
not raise his wages and you would not
keep him working for you at any
price, would you?
Well, Colonel Hepburn is just such
D hired man. He has voted while he
has been member of congress for
measures that have made it possible
Tor the buyers of grain and cattle to
get together in a friendly arrangement
and to make it impossible for you to
get better market than they wish
you to have. He has allowed the beef
trust to grow up and rob you of your
profits. He has allowed the railroads
TO obstruct your means of getting to
market by means of rebates and dis
eliminating freight charges. He has
allowed it to become possible for the
meat trust in Omaha to buy your cat
tie and hogs and take them to Omaha
and dress them and then take them to
Chicago through your land at a less
rate than they would charge for the
animals on the hoof, and if you hap
pened to have few cars of cattle on
the road at the same time that you
wished hurried to market, he would
permit the railroads to set your train
on the sidetrack until the meat train
got by and went into Chicago and the
market ahead of you and your live
stock. These conditions have existed
and you have Hepburn employed as
your hired man to correct these condi-
tons, and instead of doing so he has
permitted them to continue this meth
I'd of doing business without the rails.
Ing of hand. Such has been his rec
ord. You all know such to be the record,
Now while you have been employing
him and he has not been working for
you he has been getting lot of money
from some place. Let us look at that
Hepburn has represented this district
for many years. Many young men in
this district have come to majority
and past 1T and Hepburn has been in
congress since before their birth
When Hepburn went to congress he
was brief1ess and clientless attorney
of Page county. It is said that he
was worth nothing. At the convention
In Cpuunfl El,.fec 1yy, ~, \ xuons Grcy