Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-05-05

move very little grain"
What do you do with it. A. We
move great bulk of this commodity
to Chicago TO be manufactured. l
have not consulted figures recently,
but we pay twenty-three cents and
possibly twenty-three and half on
cattle and hogs from the Missouri riy-
er to Chicago, but we run down until
we reach Is cents as we approach
the Mississippi river"
DO you call that an abnormal rate?
A. l call it very reasonable and if
it shades off in either direction it
shades off towards an excessive rate"
so the governor was not plead
ing before our committee for lower
rates in the United States as a whole,
not even for lower rates for our own
products. On the contrary, he criti-
cised the railroad policy which en-
abled the Iowa farmer to reach the
eastern cities with the enormous out
put of our diaries and our poultry
yards. What, then, was he complain
ing during these ten years? Was
1t determinations. Well, then, the
people here had, for more than two
years before his arrival at the capital
to bear witness before the committee,
statute for the prevention of dis
elimination and rebates so complete
that he offered no suggestions at all
for it's amendment.
The fact is that the governors an
swers to the questions which were
asked him by the committee were al
most comic in their hopeless ignor-
ance on the subject. 1t will be we'll for
worshippers at his shrine to get this
volume and his testimony for the
mere entertainment which it affords.
He evidently read it over himself aft
er the notes were taken, for he grew
angry with the committee and based
his last campaign in northwestern
Iowa largely upon the outrageous in
suits that he said had been heaped
upon him while he was before the
committee. Yet no improper question
was asked him except as to his Gre
dentials to speak for the manufacture
ers of Iowa.
Those of you who remember the
governors contortions in the last
campaign will recall how he fulfilled
the solemn VOW which he had made
on leaving the committee room, the
great oath which he swore that he
would expose the insult which had
been heaped upon him without fear
Of Elkins or anybody else. 1t was a
passionate hour in the history of
Iowa. regret to say that that, too,
was a part of the reign OF "Humbug"
and the record from which l have
been reading discloses the fact that
he closed his address by thanking the
committee for the courtesy which it
gave him and the hearing before 9TH
ers who had a better right, having
appeared earlier and waited longer,
and that when he was through the
epilogue of the comedy is found re-
corded on page 2111 of this book:
Senator Dolliver: Governor, have
you anything further to say?"
Mr.. -Cummins. Nothing except to
express my thanks for the patient and
courteous way in which the commit
tee has listened to my statements
Senator Dolliver. On behalf of the
committee we desire to express our
thanks for your coming here and hav-
ing your very entertaining state
ments.
"The Stake Money Is Yours"
But I have been led away from
what | started out to say. challenge
the governor to produce printed
word which he uttered prior to the
autumn Of 1904 in any agitation, in
Iowa or elsewhere, for the amend
ment of the interstate commerce law
as recommended by the President in
his message of that year. My memory
may be at fault, but if it is l say to
you that l will walk up to the COVER
nor's office like gentleman and say
to him, Governor, passionate agitat-
or of the peoples wrongs, the stake
money is yours"
ernor correctly in a speech a day or
two ago in Cass county, he took adj
vantage of the confidence of the com.
munity by stating that in all his
fights for the common people he had
never had word of sympathy or en-
couragement from any member Of
either house of congress. If that is so,
how did he happen to stand on the
platform of the state convention
which renominated him for governor
and say of the Iowa delegation one
and all, that they had stood nearer
to the President than any other in
this great battle, and how did it oc-
cur that he then and there laid at
their feet the tribute of his admira-
ton?
My friends, they have set up a
"humbug' in Iowa in the place Of real
leadership, founded on knowledge and
judgment.
Allison Peacemaker.
There is one thing about the career
of Senator Allison which makes his
name a valuable asset to the Repub-
lican party in Iowa at this time.
Never in all his long career has he
been a fomenter Of strife or the bene-
ticiary of divided party counsels. His
influence has been to unite conflict,
ing elements, to conciliate minor diff
ferences, to reduce the friction of per,
sonal contention, and to lead his asso
ciates in the paths of peace There
is no Republican among us who has
not during the last few years seen
with regret the intrusion into our
party leadership of the elements of
discord, deliberately brought about, to
forward personal ambition; the lines