Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-05-08
Utterances in Washington and
Iowa Not Intended to Be Read
in Same Connection
RECORD is BROUGHT TO LIGHT
DoIliver Pictures His Rate Bill as Mo-
del Of Observation-Disclosures Thinks
Differently and Both Dolliver and
Allison Vote to Table important
Amendment.
Speciar TO Times Republican.

Speciar TO Times Republican.
Dcs Moines, May S.--What Senator
Dolliver said in Washington during the
discussion in the senate of the rate
problem and before the senate investl-
eating committee and what he says IN
Iowa while campaigning for II and Al
lison," was not intended to be read
in the same connection, but some
Iowa politicians are reading them To-
gether and Mr.. Dolliver will have more
to answer when he returns to Iowa for
his next trip. There is as much in
terest in comparing the two as there
was in reading Roosevelts third stren-
uous message to congress in which ne
piled the big stick in the effort to get
some needed legislation thru at this
session, and then listening the same
day to Delivers address in Des Moines
in which he attempted to prove that all
the legislation asked by the president
was being passed by congress.
When Senator LaFollette made his
three days address in congress he
urged the senate to enact a provision
into the law that would give the COM
mission authority to fix rates without
waiting for complaint. He pointed
out to the senate that the manufactur-
ers and shippers are interested only In
getting rates that will be not dis
. criminatory as between persons ana
localities. They are satisfied II they
get rate as low "as the other fel-
low" The consumer pays the freight
in the end and there is no one to look
kout for his interests and see that the
rate is as low as it should be with
out regard to what rate any other per-
son or locality Is securing
Senator LaFollette was interrupted
at times by Senator Dolliver, among
others. At one such interruption Sem
ator Dolliver said:
Consultation with the members of
the interstate commerce commission
has led me to believe that with their
power to investigate general rate con-
ditions thruout the country, If they dis
cover any abuse they will be under no
|, Inconvenience whatever under the pro-
visions of section Is in founding a
proper complaint"
| To this Senator LaFollette replied:
| "Mr. President, I noticed in the discus
sion in the house of representatives
7, that the member from one Of the Maine
districts raised that question and OBJ
| jected that there were provisions IN
| this bill which might be so construed
as to allow the commission to issue
an order upon the investigation which
| it had made on it's own motion under
section 13. I observed that a member
, of the house committee which framed
the bill promptly declared that such
construction could not be given to IT."
To this Senator Dolliver could only
reply: "I think the senator from Wis
consin will agree with me that if we
can secure an adjudication Of every
complaint that may be filed, we will
have gone a long way toward curing,
or at least securing jurisdiction Of,
most railroad abuses"
To which, however, Senator LaFol-
lette did not agree but insisted that
1--WE shall have gone only very lit
tie way"
1t will be remembered by all who
heard Senator Dolliver tell how he
wrote the bill and passed it thru the
senate that it was pictured as a nearly
model bill. In this connection there
is some interesting reading for poll
ticians and people of Iowa at this time
in the addresses and remarks of Sen
ator LaFollette. In closing his argu-
ments the last thing before the bill
went thru the senate Senator LaFol-
1of{ tHNhnrn cannot hn nffpra6
here or before the country any salts
factory argument or reason against the
amendments which proposed. No
arguments have been made or reasons
offered against their adoption. My re-
publican colleagues, UNDER THE
LEADERSHIP OF A FEW NEW
ENGLAND SENATORS, lined UP to
vote down those amendments in nearly
every instance, without explanation or
justification.
"This bill when it becomes a law,
will not put this question at rest. 1t
cannot When congress merely clothes
the commission with power to ascer-
tain whether rates are relatively equal
and withholds from it all authority and
all means of determining whether
those rates are just and reasonable, 1t
can not be expected that such made
uuate legislation will solve this great
problem and satisfy the public de-
mand for not only equal but also for
lust and reasonable rates."
Further on he says: so long as the
legislation relative to the common
carriers of this country permits these
corporations to increase their capital
stock without limit, increase 1T with
out adding anything of value to their
properties and increase it solely with
the purpose of fixing rates upon that
inflated capitalization, in order to pay
profits and dividends to those holding
the stocks and bonds. in which they
have no real investment, just so long
this question will be vital issue be-
fore the American people.