Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-02-11
4i1nnJulnruIl1 'ulflJ1IllrlnlnLnnu
) WASHINGTON LETTER
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,
by John ]. Hannah

S NASnlNGlUN ltntR s
by John j. Hannah
G1ru11IlJ1rIlrlTI1TTE III ri
Washington, D. c., Feb. 8, 1909. : No
better evidence Of the inadequacy of
the Interstate commerce law and the
impotency Of the Commission has been
furnished than that which is contained
in the report made by the Interstate
Commerce Commission in answer to
the Madden resolution. This resolu-
tion asked for information as to what
advances have been made in freight
rates since the Hepburn law went into
effect June 20, 1906. Commissioner
Knapp made reply in behalf of the
Commission. The report contains
some information but is valuable prin-
cipally for the explanation it contains
as to the inability of the Commission
to make complete answer to the resolu-
ton. General increase in rates
throughout the country is admitted.
One significant statement made in
the Commission reply is:
MANY advances in rates have been
effected by changes in classifcations
ratings and without changes in the
specific scale of rates.
The reason the railroads are able to
change rates in this manner is that the
Hepburn rate bill did not give the
Commission control of classifcations
When the rate bill was under con-
sideration Senator LaFollette called at
tention to this defect. He said: ''the
foundation of all rate making lies
in classification. And further on he
said: Changing the classification is
wholesale rate making. BY com
parison the powers proposed by this
bill to be conferred on the Commission
are only powers of retail rate revision.
He proposed an amendment to the bill
giving the Commission control OF
classification, but it was voted down.
Senator Lodge introduced two
amendments to the rules of the Senate
which should bring on one of the great
est debates in the history of that body.
The ''goo-goo" press of the country,
probably unthinking, has jumped in
with approval Of the Lodge Rules on the
ground that their adoption is ne
cessary to preservation Of the dignity
of the Senate. Although offered by
the Senator from Massachusetts the
rules were prepared by the Vice-Presi-
dent and are as follows:
"Strike out Rule Ii and adopt in lieu
thereof the following: When the read
ing of a paper is called for and object
ed to, or when the reading of a paper
by a Senator is objected to, such OBJ
lection shall be determined by a vote
of the Senate without debate"
''No Senator in debate shall refer
Extensively to either of the other co
ordinate departments of the Govern
ment or to the other branch of the
Congress.
The purpose of these rules is evident
They are to place limitation upon the
freedom of debate in the Senate. The
immediate effect sought is to bride the
tongues Of some of the critics Of the
President. 1t is true President Roose-
welt has been subjected to severe critl-
cism, some Of it just, most of it unjust
some Of it dignifed, most of it vi
Imperative. But the criticism, just or
unjust, has not Injured the President, in
fact it has only served to make him
stronger and better. That which was
just has been needed and has been
profitable, to the President and to the
country. That which has been unjust
and virtuperative has done no harm ex-
cept to the authors of it.
The severe criticism of President
is not new to this country. Washing
ton, Jefferson, Jackson, Lincoln lived
through trying ordeals of this chara-
cter. President Johnson had to stand
criticism which finally eliminated in an
impeachment trial President Grant
was more severely criticised and was
the subject of more vituperative Ian
guage than has ever been hurled at
President Roosevelt, yet he walked to
the Capitol, and from his seat in the
gallery, smiled at the Senators who
charged him with being an usurper.
His friends did not ask the adoption of
such drastic rule At that time such
a rule as was offered by Senator Lodge
could not have had, serious consider
alton. There was then a deep-rooted
idea that free speech, the right to
freely criticise the executive, the
courts, any and every department OF
government, was necessary not only to
maintain the purity of it various
branches, but to insure the represen-
tative character of the government it.
self.
The manner of choosing United
States senators has resulted in making