Arizona republican., 1910-07-24
Raising an Army to Crush
 AIdriCh and Cannon HE APPEALS TO WOMEN
In His Address Before An other Kansas Chautauqua the Iowa Senator Reviews Railroad Legislation Re
 mote As Well As Recent

Peabody, Kas.. July 2S.-Senator
 Cummins. in his speech at the Chau-
 tauqua here today, asserted that AL drich and Cannon were traitors to l their party. if not to the country,
 when they gave their support to the | Wickcrsham railroad bill as it came | from the attorney generals office | and demanded that it go through con- l gress
 That bill was a direct repudiation ' of the republican party platform of | 1908, directly in the interest of the railroads and not in the interest of ' the great common people of this ! country said Mir. Cummins.
 | Cannon and Aldrich seem to think 1 that the republican party was formed
 to make men rich. I think it was
 formed to make men free. They ! think it was born to make men mill
 lionaires. I believe it was born to drive misery from the country "Aldrich was vigorously opposed to all regulation of railroads by congress ever since the bill creating the inter- state commerce commission was in- l troduced."
 Senator Cummins spoke in a big tent The heat was intense. but he continued his address for two hours before a large audience. "I am a re- cruiting officer for an army to de- stroy the leadership. of Cannon and Aldrich," he said. II want to enlist men and women in this army, and the best work will be done in the homes. I am not here to talk to men who believe as I do; only the sick need a physician.
 "The people have found competition impossible in gas, electric light, water and other public utilities. So you have decided that monopoly should be vested in the government, and not left to individual interest. I am not opposed to the railroads No man who Values the public welfare can be hostile but justice to all means that they shall pay righteous dues fixed by the laws of trade and by compe- titiOn.
 The railroads are capitalized for seventeen billion. The highest esti- mate ever heard placed on the actual amount of independent capital put into the roads is eight billions. Near ly nine billions are impure, adulter- ated water. You pay more than you ought for the service in order to pay dividends on this vast capitalization The railroads charge excessive rates and accumulate a surplus. secured by the eXtortiOnate Itites. In ten years the railroads could have added three and a half billions to their capitaliZa- tion in betterment without a single penny of independent capital. We must pay the interest on this surplus investment. that represents no actual value, through extortionate rates'
 "The first legislation for regulating the railroads came in 1887 with the passage of the interstate commerce bill Cannon. in the house, then made no effort to restrict the growing pow CT of the railroads or to enact legis- lation in favor of the nation. He was silent then, as he has been silent since Not a single instance is shown in the Congressional Record where Cannon lifted his voice in behalf of common men or women. Cannon has been busy trying to look like Lincoln. and has forgotten what Lincoln was trying to do for the people of the country The work of Bristow, Madi- | son. Murdock and others will be re- membered long after Cannon is eter- nally forgotten. Aldrich was a sena- tor in 1887. He was not silent, but vigorously opposed the interstate com l merce bill, and every time he has opposed every bill attempting to reg ulate or restrict the railroads"
 Tn 1897 the supreme court decided | that the interstate commerce commis- sion had not power to make rates. In stantIy there was a demand for the passage of a law to permit this. Can non. Payne and Dalzell in the house. l and Aldrich and Hale in the senate were the leading spirits that prevented l its passage until 1904. Then the voice of the people became strong and they l could no longer. ignore it and were forced to admit that the law needed | strengthening. The bill was passed as harmless to the railroads as it was 1 possible to make it."
 Cannon and Aldrich never helped in the passage of the bill. but opposed it l with all their power. The question all ways asked when railroad measures were up was, Will it hurt the rail- roads? The republican platform of 1908 declared in favor of amendments 1 to the railroad bill The platform de- clared in favor of traffic agreements ] by the railroads if properly safeguard ed. with the approval of the commis- | sion When congress met, the bill | came from the attorney general I re-