Bisbee daily review., 1910-06-29
IA TOILETTE |S. \ REAL FRIEND
 OF THE PEOPLE
Wisconsin Senator Regrets That Congress is More Prone to Listen to Interests Than People,


 Than People,
 WASHINGTON, June 2S,-"This senate will remain in session until De cember rather than surrender thos provision of the railroad bill which are of some advantage to the general public
 This was the defy Senator Robert NJ. IaFollette of Wisconsin hurled a | the conferees, who have the Tatt rail ! road bill at their tender mercies. La Toilette has been on the firing lin | for the people working shoulder to shoulder with Democrats. every mo ment of the time the railroad bill ha been before the Senate. He made a courageous fight for the physical yalu ation of railroads, and offered amend ment after amendment designed ( place better safeguards about the rights of the people.
 Speaking of what the conferee might do with the railroad bill in conference, LaFollette recalled a re mark of Senater Aldrich made to Senator Bacon of Georgia. upon tn adoption of an amendment changing the ong-and-short-haul provision existing law. that he who laugh last laughs best"
 "if that remark" declared LaFoll cite, lis to be understood as imply ing that the conferees propose strike out the provisions which tn Senate has written into this bill fo the public good. then let me say tha the work of the conferees will nee the defeat it deserves, and the senat will remain in session until December rather than surrender.
 MT President, the people protes against the everincreasing burden; of railway transportation. The know enough of railroad finance | understand that there is no jusufica ton for advancing rates. They vii not be satisfied with the postpone ment of rate increases for a fev months They cry out with on voice for substantial and permanen relief They want justice from tnei ! government.
 No man who has vision and out look can fail to see what is comint
 in this country unless these grea
 and powerful organizations arc
 brought into subjection and contro Within a decade and half we hay seen competition in all the industrie , wiped out and markets and price
 placed under a common control . Within the same period of time W ; have seen the railroad lines consol Q date and merge until there is scare l ly a trace of competition left ,- itransDortatfon. There is nothing l. stop the increased cost of living e 6 cept the ability of the consumer ' pay Need anybody marvel at u ;. public unrest-the growing feeling = resentment?
 7, MT. President, with all of the il V lprovements We have been able
 make in this bill. to me it is matt It Of deep and profound regret that ' D. still fall far short of having d IT charged our plain duty to the peep ie who trust us to represent them is this body. Every senator on th 1t floor knows that the Interstate Coi h merce Commission is pOwerless to d the very things for the public whi ID the law imposes upon the commissi f. a duty. We require the railroads
 ile with the commission all chang
 n rates. ostensibly to enable the co '. mission to keep some check upon "a " charges. Then we refuse to equip ( n commission with sufficient help 10 enable it to examine a fraction of at per cent of the rate schedules fl m with it week after week
 ds More than 5.0O0 men, the best a Te highest paid men in the railway S re- vice. are making rates, working ( ds an increase here. another the ,y- watching the tonnage and pushl on transportation charges a notch higl on whenever the traffic will bear - burden. And Congress furnishes = commission Of seven men one che @ low-priced clerk to check over '', work of 50 high-priced rate eXpe
 mployed by the railroads. re- We require the commission to IT. reasonable rates. and then vote do ve an amendment to authorize them to get the value of railway proper Ire without which they cannot take iu- first step to ascertain reasona ,se rates. Sir. it is a travesty-a far of 1t is more than that-it is a betra all of those who have confided in u, of those who honor us.
 '. MT. President, the public und - stands the trick. and it's patience ieS wellnigh exhausted. The peo
 have waited for effective railway ne islation for nearly forty years. TT he iare coming to know that Congr lio has made game of them through in tlrese years"
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