Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-02-03
"ou1RAeE, AND ryRANY in IOWA.

The highest praise men get is from
their enemies. This now seems to APP
ply with force to the Iowa railroad
commission as the leading attorney
for the biggest railroad in Iowa comes
| forward to the defense Of the commits
sion. For the railroads and the COM
mission are deadly enemies; area't
they?
j. c. loavis, who took UP the task
that the late lamented Judge Hubbard
| lai5, down as general counsel for the
n, rthwestern railway grew indignant
over the situation as it exists; the
general impression that has arrived by
some mysterious route and under pc
culiar trains of singular circumstances
to the effect that the commission is
| friendly with railroads to the point of
adulation. He broke out and told tn
railroad committee that IF ever there
was a misunderstood public service
commission that faithfully served the
people it is the present railroad COM
sion of Iowa" 1t developed thru Mr..
Davis that the commission is like a
tiger in its spring upon the transpor-
tation corporations. 1t never consults
Mr. Davis and other railroad magnatss
1t never says a word, just watches and
watches like a cat at a rat hole ana
pounces In fact we are Informed by
Mr.. Davis that the commission IS
simply Outrageous in many of ats or
ders directed at the company.
Now this should be amended. The
commission has evidently mistaken its
culated to seek and provide cruel AMI
unusual punishments, devise eStraor-
binary methods of torture and outrage
and pursue with vengeance inoffensive
and we'll meaning corporations whose
only, desire is to make the laws gov
eIning themselves and then live up t.
them. All this time then, while the
average citizen has been complaining
of train movements. accommodations,
etc, and has been kicking on the con-
mission it has been savagely at its
cruel work. putting in farm crossings
with an iron hand. establishing two
t1agmen where none waved his flag be-
fore and being outrageous AS its
members rode in the private cars and
by special, they have been devising
further methods of cruel repression
and tyranny Under this rule of iron
Mr. Davis has chafed until human |
strength could bear nos more and he |
breaks forth and casts it in the teeth |
Of Iowa that the tyrants who have so
harried and raped his roads are faith |
full servants misunderstood and busy |
at their business Of ''outraging' rail-
roads.
Enter a nolle pros. Mr.. Davis con-
fesses that the commission is all right. |
Call off the hounds from the trail. The |
sins of the commission have been |
against the railroads. Perhaps today |
thew are scheduling culverts to cost as
much as an accidental death at the
81. 600 rate in vogue; they may be
sternly committing the outrage of fore
ing the pausing of at least two trains
A day at some complaining station.
Perhaps the commission needs re-
it needs to know mercy and
to shun Outrage" Put its members ON
a vegetarian diet and see how that
would work. AS it stands they are too
fierce"
The best news is that the commits
sion does not consult the general coun-
sci for railroads. AS it refers to Dave
Palmer it will astonish where it does
not excite ridicule. However, on cross
examination it might possibly be de-
veloped that the general counselors
consult Dave To the legal mind this
would be entirely different. The plain
citizen might not be able to perceive
the difference But the difference
would exist even if it didn't make any
difference.
Gpnrvv pnsnc,, wuv Nn7o