Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-12-03
cUMMlNS DECLARES "bio DUSl.
NESS" HAS FORCED OVER
shApoWlNG QUESTION.
REPUBLICAN ONLY PARTY
THAT CAN SETTLE IT
Senator cummins Preparing to Ad-
dress Senate on Failure Of Anti. Trust
Law-Believes Congress Has Power
Under Constitution-Ssnato Replies
to Unfair Criticism.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Dec 3.-The corporation
question. that is, the issue raised by
Big Business in maintaining monopoly
and ending competition, is the over
| shadowing issue of the day in the
United States, in the estimation of Sem
ator A. B. Cummins.
Il wish you would make clear to the
people of Iowa, to my friends and all
others, that it is because Of the great
ness of this issue and the necessity for
having il settled by the only party
which can settle it, that / have never
swerved one particle from the stand
have always taken in favor of the
republican party"
| Senator Cummins said this in SUBJ
stance to the writer just before he went
ing over some matters relating to his
! work in congress. He was engrossed in
anything else but the petty matter of
picking senator which he has all along
said he would be quite willing for the
legislature to do.
To Speak on Antitrust Law.
Before the short session is ended the
senator will probably speak before the
senate on the special topic Of the anti
trust law and its failure. That VIII
open up the whole question of the cor
porations, Of which the railroad ques-
ton is one branch and the tariff ques-
ton is another. 1t is recalled that Sem
ator Cummins never al any time made
the tariff NE basis of his political be-
lief. He still believes that the tariff
issue is small matter as compared to
the larger and far more important
question of the control, regulation and
curling Of the corporations.
I'VE made start in 1896 to preserve
competition 10 the American people by
| forbidding combines In restraint OF
trade" he said The antitrust law
has been failure insofar as its purpose
was to prevent monopoly and preserve
competition. The evil at which It was
directed has gone on and is going on
| and the law has neither stopped it nor
| checked it. / am not saying but that
some good mas come from the law. but
| in this one respect IL has not done that
| for which it was framed I purpose TO
make an inquiry into that subject and
| to present the facts regarding the same
for the benefit Of the country.
Where Congress Has Power.
Believing as 1 long have he con-
! tinued in substance, that this problem
| Of how TO control corporations and pre-
! serve competition from the destructive
power of monopoly is the one great
question before the American people, l
| have maintained. end will continue -
| maintain that the solution must o2
made by those who are willing 10 ac-
cept and act upon the broad interpfe-
tation of that clause of the constitution
which empowers congress to regulate
commerce between the states. There
lis absolutely no other authority for
congress 10 take hold of this question
and dispose of it. If congress is to do
anything al all toward curling monop-
DIV and preserving competition it must
| be by authority Of this clause.
Assuming that our democratic
! friends are honest, and they are, and
they are patriotic and sincerely de-
| sirous Of the welfare Of the country,
Yet at the very outset, if they are III
| harmony with the principles and lead
ership OF their party, they deny aoso-
iutely the power of congress to eXer-
! else this control, by refusing TO ac-
cept any such Interpretation of the con-
| stitution. / have been unwilling to
turn over to a party which confcsses
its inabality to suggest the first neces-
sary step the duty Of trying to solve
this problem. There are, OF course, re-
publicans who are unwilling TO proceed
in the right direction and they stand
as stumbling BLOCKS in the way of our
progress; but have believed it was
easier 10 overcome these obstacles and
10 get action thru the republican party
than to undertake what seems to me to
De the Impossible task Of trying to Sc
2ure something thru d party which
frankly disaVuWs the power or right to
10 anything Tor relief.
Unfairly Criticized.
Il have been criticised, it seems to
me unfairly and unjustly, because L
have not been willing to say that be-
cause some republicans do not want to
have our party take up and settle these
questions in the only way they can be
settled, my friends ought to put the
work into the hands of the democra-
tic party l can not see what would
be gained by pa sing the work over
TO u party which distinctly denies the
authority OF the federal government to
accomplish the needed reforms l In
tend to do what 1 can to aid in the
| tion-the question OF competition and
monopoly-and know that today there
is no party standing for principles which
may be so applied to the problem that
we can get the results desired"
This is, in substance, the position
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