The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-05-08
AS TO CONGRESSMAN MARTIN

IN advocating the candidacy of
Hon. e. w. Martin, the stalwart
nominee for congress, one can do
SO with the full assurance that the
gentleman is entitled to the highest
praise for his actions in public life.
Whatever came up in congress
that was for the good of the general
public, Mr.. Martin was found advo-
eating their case in the halls of con-
gress. The Hot Springs Star presents
the record of Mr.. Martin in the fol-
lowing timely article, and which will
carry weight and conviction to the
minds of the voters and showing
them that they will make no mistake
in supporting Mr.. Martin at the June
Primary:
HE was a member of the comn.it-
tee of western senators and repre-
sentatives selected to prepare the ma
tional irrigation bill, and worked
earnestly for it's passage. 1t became
a law, and under it the semi-arid and
arid west is being reclaimed. ST..
100000, is being expended in Butte
county on the Belle Fourche project,
covering 100, 900 acres of land. The
Cheyenne river project in Fall River
county was actively pushed by him,
and if he is returned to congress we
have no doubt but he will succeed in
having the government bring this
project to a successful completion.
"It was Congressman Martin who
started the national investigation of
great corporations and trusts by pre-
pairing and pushing to passage the
resolution for investigation of the
luton and Investigation of this char
acter and the form of the Martin res
olution was followed in the Standard
Oil investigation, investigation of the
coal combine, and in similar investi-
cations. 1t was the beginning of a
series of inquiries into the conditions
and conduct of great interstate cor-
porations, which is rapidly develop
ing into a national policy of control
and regulation of all corporations en-
gaging in interstate commerce. In
this matterMr. Martin was a leader
and not a follower, and was recog-
nized as being instrumental in help
ing inaugurate one of the chief
Roosevelt policies.
"He drafted and introduced bills
for the regulation and control of cor
porations engaged in interstate COM
merce by a federal license system
requiring all such corporations to
show to the satisfaction of the secre-
tary of commerce and labor that they
are not e capitalized. are not a
trust or combination in violation of
the law, and that it is their purpose
to operate under and in obedience to
the federal statutes, as a condition
of receiving license to do business in
interstate commerce, providing for
the regular examination of their af-
fairs similar to the examination of
national banks and providing as a
penalty for violation of the laws of
the United States the forfeiture of
their license and right to do business
in interstate commerce, besides GRIM
inal penalties. This is now the policy
of the Roosevelt administration and
is favored by the president III his
message to the present congress. He
also supported the railroad rate legis-
lation actively and made a speech
advocating it, and also the plan to Ii
! lions.
HE introduced and assisted in
the passage Of the bill to establish
the national sanitarium for disabled
volunteer soldiers at Hot Springs.
Nearly 100000 has been expend-
ed by the government in aid Of the
veterans Of our wars. Not only the
people Of this locality feel grateful
for his active services in behalf of
this great s%anitarium, but veterans
from various states who have been
here feel that MI. Martin did them
and the nation a great service.
Being a member of the commit
tee on public buildings and grounds,
he was in position to insist upon lib
eral treatment Of our state in the
matter of public buildings. During
his term as a member Of the COM
mittee, the appropriation for the
! Aberdeen building was increased
and appropriations made for federal
buildings at Pierre, Yankton, Dead
wood, Lead, Watertown and Mitchell.
He promoted and passed numer-
Gus bills of less national Importance
than the ones already alluded to-.
A bill for the relief of settlers on
the Black Hills forest reserves; a bill
allowing homestead settlements on
on the agricultural lands within for