The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-04-13
Wickersham is Played
By Senator LaF gillette

WASHINGTON, April 12.-Inciden-
tai to the consideration of the admin
istratiOn railroad bill the merger of
the Boston & Maine railroad with the
New York New Haven & Hartford
railroad, through the Massachusetts
holding law was discussed at length
in the senate today.
The principal speech attacking the
consolidation in unstinted language
was made by Senator LaFollette and
consumed the larger part of the days
! session. Brief responses by Senators
Lodge and Gallinger We're made at the
close of the Wisconsin senator's
speech Both the New England sem
ators defended the merger and upheld
the law under which it was made.
Mr.. LaFollette presented this tran
saction in great detail to illustrate the
possible effect of the enactment into
law of the merger provision of the
pending railroad bill. He traced the
consolidation from the beginning, but
gave especial attention to the Massa
chuse it's legislation under which the
combination was made effective.
1t was practically charged by the
senator that this enactment had been
consumated at the dictation of Pres
| ident Mellen of the New Haven road
who, he intimated, represented the
Morgan Rockefeller interests. He
quoted from a member of the Massa
chusettS legislature statement that
Governor Draper had responded to an
ultimatum from the New Haven in
terests. He undertook to show the
| federal merger suit. instituted during
| the Roosevelt administration had been
dismissed at the dictation of Attor-
ney General Wickersham under the
Taft administration for the made
1uate reason that the Massachusetts
legislature had passed the holding bill
under which the consolidation was ef-
| fected.
Wickersham Is Criticised.
The argument covered wide range
! of accusation. but aside from the
speakers desire to hold aloft the mer-
ger as a bad example, the evident pur-
pose was to contrast the Taft admin
| stration with the Roosevelt admin
! stration to the disadvantage Of the
| former.
| Mr.. LaFollettes criticism of Attor-
| ney General Wickersham was espec
| ally stringent and pointed. The re-
| sponses by Messrs. Lodge and CAL
| fensa. Both the New England SEN
ators defended the attorney general as
a lawyer and as nan.
1t was towards the close of his
speech that Mr.. LaFollette made his
| sharpest reference to Mr.. Wickersham.
| He had practically concluded his ex-
position of the New England merger
and was devoting himself to condem
nation of the pending bill. when. ris
| ing to his tiptoes, he exclaimed:
rs this the wise legislation en-
| bodying no sudden impulse, but ma
tured views expressed in party coun-
Gil which the attorney general in his
recent speech at Chicago said is
pressed for enactment? Is it for leg
islation such as this the attorney gen
eral commands all who would not be
| read out of the republican party to
get in line?"
Senator LaFollette took up the
Massachusetts, state legislation auth
orizing the acquisition of the Boston
& Maine stock by holding company.
but failed to find in this legislation
anything like the Importance attach
ed to it by Mr. Wickersham He as
serted Mr. Wickersham had permitted
state legislation to supersede federal
legislation where interstate commerce
was largely concerned.
Tells How Bill Was Passed.
He declared the people of Massa-
chusetts had been taken off their
guard by the authorization to the
holding company and approvingly
quoted the statement of the chairman
TO the Massachusetts house. commit
tee on railroads in which he said Gov
ernor Draper had been compelled to