The Dickinson press., 1908-06-06

It was the vote on this bastard bill
at which I was absent. For the or
iginal two-cent fare bill I voted.
The committee that thus amended
this bill and agreed to the amend
ment On the part Of the house was
by Treadwell Twichell,
speaker of the house.
The committee on the part Of the
house that failed to report upon the
anti-pass bill-senate Bill 23-was
appointed by the same speaker.
I voted for Senate Bill % the
anti.pass bill.-See Senate Journal
of 1907, page 4O5-406.
I think my record on these two i'm
portant measures will compare fav-
orably with that of any member Of
either body who may be named. But
we are not through yet with the
analysis Of this remarkable docu-
ment that has been put forth as an
argument to sensible people-a It's
sue Of fraud, deceit and untruth.
I am charged with having been alb
sent and not voting upon Senate Bill
$40, the title Of which you gave as
follows:
A joint resolution creating a
board to obtain information re-,
garding public service corpora
lions, their values and manage
ment.
From this absence you infer that I
was opposed to this bill and wanted
to dodge" a vote. What are the
facts?
This resolution was referred to the
senate Judiciary committee of which
I had the honor to be chairman. The
bill was reported favorably, by my
committee, and by the committee of
the whole. Does not this dispose ef-
f~ectually of the attempted inference
that I sought to avoid a vote for this
bill-particularly where the bill
passed the senate by a unanimous
vote? Let me pursue the analysis a
little further.
The Discrimination Bill.
I am charged with voting against
House Bill 1853 Of 1903, the title
is given as follows:
A bill for an act prohibiting
discrimination in the matter of
compensation of common car
riers Of messages by telegraph
and prescribing penalties there
for.
Now on the face Of it, this seems
like a very serious measure in the in
terest of the people. What are the
facts?
In every state telegraph companies
make a special rate for messages to
and from the state capital, it being
the inference that every person in
the state may have more or less bust
ness necessary to do by wire. with
the various departments, the SUI
preme court and other institutions
at the seat of government. This
bill proposed to repeal this rate-to
make 1T impossible for telegraph
companies to concede it. It would
merely have raised the rate to and
from the seat of government, to the
detriment of every person who
might have a message to send and to
the benefit of no person whatever.
I was entirely justified in defeating
this bill, and the judiciary commit
tee agreed with me unanimously.
And SO I might go through this
conglomeration Of half truths and
untruths and dispose of them. But
surely I have shown the entire an
linus Of this review" and the fact
that 1t is not Trustworthy for any
purpose whatever.
Now let me briefly dispose Of the
statement that the chairman Of a
committee can suppress legislation
that he does not happen to favor.
Upon the judiciary committee for
the year 1907 were Messrs. Young of
Barnes county. Sharpe, Crane, Tai
colt, Regan, Simpson, Cashel, Pierce,
Hanna, Purcell, Kofel, Movius,
Steele and Taylor-a pretty represen-
tative committee.
All members Of the committee
should know what bills are before
the committee and their nature. Any
member lof the COMMITTEES can cal
for q report On any bill. "A
majority OF the committee can re
port = bill at any time. The ma