The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-07-24
Iowa lnsurgent Leader Scores
Both the Speaker and
Senator Aldrich.
REPUBLICAN PARTY NOT
MADE FOR MILLI0NAIRES
Evil Effect Of Alliance With the
Trusts Is Clearly Pointed
Out.
BY Associated Press.

PEABODY, Kan, July Ex-senator
Albert 3. Cummins of Iowa, in his
speech before the Chautauqua here to.
day, asserted that Senator Aldrich and
Speaker Cannon were traitors to their
party, if not to the country, when they
gave their support to the Wickersham
railroad bill as it came from the nttor-
ney general S office, and demanded that
it go through congress.
"That bill was a direct Reputation
of the Republican party platform of
1908, and it was directly in the interest
of the railroads and not in the inter
est of the common people of the coun-
try said Senator Cummins.
"Speaker Cannon and Aldrich and
men of their class seem to think the
Republican party was formed to make
men rich. / think it was born to make
make men millionaires. / believe 1t was
born to drive misery out of this coun~
try; 49,.
posed all regulation of the railroads by
congress ever since the bill to create the
interstate commerce commission in
1897 / was born and always have been
Republican, but / cannot and will not
follow the leadership of a traitor TO his
party and the people,
Senator Cummins spoke in big tent,
where the heat was intense, but he con
tinued his address for two hours to a
large audience.
After Joe's Scalp.
"I am a recruiting officer he said,
" for the army that will destroy the po-
litical leadership of Speaker Cannon
and Senator Aldrich. / want to enlist
men and women in this army for its
best work will be done in the homes,
HI am not here to talk TO men who
believe as I do, for it is only the sick
that need physician. The people have
found that competition is impossible in
gas, electric light, water and other pub
lie utilities So you have decided that
this monopoly shall be vested in the
government of the city itself, and not
left to the individual interests.
"I am not opposed TO the railroads.
No man who values the public welfare
can be hostile to the railroad, but JUS
tice to all means to pay the righteous
duties as fixed by the laws of trade
by competition or through society. The
railroads of the country are capitalized
at $17 900, 100000 The highest esti
mate l have ever heard placed on the
actual amount of Independent capital
There is nearly $9,000000, 900 of i'm
pure and adulterated water.
Why Rates Are High.
"You have to pay more than you
ought to pay for the service you get in
order to pay dividends on this vast
capitalization. The railroads charge ex
cessive rates and accumulate surplus, |
and this they put back into the roads |
in improvements, and they now ask you
to pay additional interest on this sur
plus, secured by extortionate rates. In
ten years the railroads added three and
onehalf billion dollars to their CAPT |
taliZation in betterments and eXJen |
sions without the investment Of a sin
gle penny of Independent capital. We
must pay interest on the surplus in
vestment that represents no actual value
through extortionate rates.
"The first legislation to regulate |
railroads came in 1887, with the passage
of the interstate commerce bill. Speak
er Cannon was in the house then, He
made no effort To restrict the growing |
power Of the railroads or enact legisla |
ton in favor of the nation. He was si |
lent then and he has been silent ever
since Not single instance can be
shown in the Congressional Record when |
Cannon lifted up his voice in behalf of
the common men and women. Cannon
has been so busy trying TO look like
Abraham Lincoln that he has forgotten
what Lincoln was trying to do for the
people of this country. He has never
been able to convince the people that
his heart was right for them. The work
Of Bristow, Madison. Murdoch aud
Cannon is erernally forgotten,
Aldrich Comes Next.
"SenaIor Aldrich was a senator in
Il hz
ously opposed the interstate commerce
bill and every time he has opposed every
bill that attempted to regulate and re-
strict the railroads.
f'In 1897 the supreme court decided
that the interstate commerce commits
sion did not have the power to make
rates, There was an instant demand for
the passage of law that would permit
this. Cannon, Payne and Dalzell. in the
house. and Aldrich and Hale, IN the SEN
ate, were the leading spirits that pre-
vented law passing until the session
If 1904.
HThen the voice Of the American peo
,le became so strong that they could
10 longer ignore il and they were forced
% admit the law needed strengthening
A bill was passed, as harmless to the
,ailroads as it was possible TO make it.
jannon and Aldrich never helped in
he passage of that bill and they OPP
'osed it with all their power. The ques-
ion that Aldrch and Cannon always
seem TO ask when a railroad measure
$ up is. will it hurt the railroads2' If
+ seems that the law will hurt, those
men oppose it, honestly il may be, but
hey seem to believe that the railroads
ire to be exalted rather than regulated
md controlled.
Reform Pledges.
"The Republican platform Of 1908
declared for more amendments to the
ailroad bill. The platform declared in
avor of traffic agreements by the rail
Dads if properly safeguarded and with
he approval Of the interstate commerce
If congress met bill
anne from the attorney general L re-
ret to say that the attorney general
orgot that he was attorney for 9O,000,-
700 people. But he remembered his long
aw practice in New York when his
hief business was to tell the corpora
IONS how to evade the law. This bill
provided for tho repeal of the anti.
rust law under which the traffic as
Oclations wprp hrolcnn nm ond ,llor,aJ