Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1910-06-17
Vital Washington News.
BY TAvENNER.
Special Correspondent of The Sentinel.
Washington. D. C. June Is. 1910.

Washington. D. c., June IS, 1910.
Indications are that Congress will pass
over the protest Of the Democrats and
Progressives railroad regulaticn bill that
viii not provide for physical valuation Of
railroads.
The millionaire colony of the Senate.
some Of the members of which own stock
in railroads, fought desperately TO kill every
physical valuation amendment proposed.
A physical valuation would expose to
the country the extent to which railroad
stocks have been watered, and would, there
fore, tend to prevent Over-capitalizatiOn in
the future and pave the way for reas0na-
bic freight and passenger rates. This is
why the railroads fear it.
The Interstate Commerce Commission.
partisan Republicans in makeup, has rec
commended physical valuation year after
year. The commission, in its last annual
report, somewhat hopelessly, says: THE
commission has, in previous reports, ex-
pressed the opinion that it would be wise
for Congress to make provision for physi-
cal valuation of railroad properties, and
desires to reaffirm in this report its conf
dence in the wisdom of such a measure"
Physical valuation was recommended
by Roosevelt time and again. This is at
least one Roosevelt policy that Mr.. Taft
has deserted cold-bloodedly The Presi-
dent has raised neither voice nor pen on
behalf of physical valuation.
Yet the Supreme Court, in the Nebraska
rate case. held that the basis of all calcu-
lation as to the reasonableness of rates
must be the fair value of the property be-
ing used for the convenience of the public"
AS the Interstate Commerce Commission
does not know the value of a single rail-
road, 1t must fix reasonable rates by sheer
guesswork
PRESIDENTS BILL Nor PROGRESSIVE.
AS progressive legislation, a railroad
regulation bill without provision for ply
steal valuation is farce.
The national Democratic platform of
1908 declared for efficient supervision and
rate regulation Of railroads." and to that
end strongly recommended the taking of a
physical valuation.
But when il is considered that Hartman
contributed 100000 to the Republican
campaign fund on behalf of the railroads,
that probably numerous other railroad
magnates advanced equally large sums,
and that the very bill Congress is about to
place upon the statute books was originally
drawn in New York and submitted to the
railroad interests before being introduced
in Congress, 1t is not so strange that physi-
cal valuation amendments received their
death stabs even after passed by a eOodly
majority in the House of Representatives.
On, American people, you must be more
vigilant than you are if you would continue
to deserve the name Of patriotic people
WHERE Mr., TAFT GETS SUGGESTIONS.
Republican Senators who most frequently
visit the White House are:
Aldrich, of Rhode Island. acknowledged
congressional representative Of Wall street
and the tariff trusts.
Lodge, Of Massachusetts, who declares
the ultimate consumer to be a myth,
Depew, OF New York, chairman of the
board OF directors of the New York Central
and Hudson River Railroad, and a director
OF 81 other transportation and franchise
corporations.
Senators Stephenson, of Wisconsin. and
Guggenheim, of Colorado. who are frequent
ly referred to as having bought their way
into the Senate.
And here are the Republican Senators
with whom the President does not confer
LaFollette. Of Wisconsin. Clapp, of Mime
sofa. Dolliver and Cummins, of Iowa, and
Bristow, OF Kansas.
RAINEY Was RIGHT. AFTER ALI
Attorney General Wickersham, former
sugar trust attorney" is quite proper after
all
When Representative Henry T. Rainey,
OF ILLINOIS, made the above reference to
Wlckersham sometime ago, the latter pro-
fessed to have been greatly OUTRAGED, and
n n InNk nd Al. H.
in which he Indignantly denied the accu-
sation.
By cr0ss-examining Representative Nc
Kinley, of California, who was praisine
and defending Wickersham in Conaress
with information furnished him by the At
torney-General, Mr.. Rainey has Just brought
out these admissions
That Wickersham and Henry W. Taft,
the Presidents brother, were formerly mem
bers OF the law firm of Strong & Cadwal-
lader that for services rendered the thiev-
ing sugar trust Brother Henry" received
$26,75O: that this sum was turned over
to Strong & Cadwallader and that Mr.
Wickersham drew down and pocketed his
share OF the fee without indicating any
insurgent tendencies.
"Wickersham. former sugar trust attor-
ney, is, therefore. a legitimate appelation
for the AttOrney-Gener of the United
States, who advises that there be no con-
gressional investigation Of the sugar trust
because ii might give immunity" to the
"hieher-up's T. Selah
BALLENGER STILL REvENGErUL.
Secretary of the Interior Ballineer has
indefinitely suspended" H. 7. Jones, spe-
cial agent Of the Land Office. who was as
ISOLATED with Louis r. CLAWS in the inves-
tigation of the Alaskan coal claims and
who corrobOrated CLAWS testimony before
the Ballinger investigating committee.
Jones is the eleventh man Ballinger has
forced out.
THIS SENATOR is SUSPICIOUS,
In the debate on the Presidents railroad
regulation bill. Senator Dolliver, of Iowa,
Republican. said THE whole atmosphere
OF our present-day legislative life is satur-
ated by the suspicion that even the English
language requires watching" What did
he meant
TARIFF REDUCTIONS ASSURE LOWER PRICES.
Whatever may be the principal cause Of
the increased cost of living (and the masses
believe II is excessive protectiOn), political
economists are practically agreed that the
most practical way to lower the cost of