Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-07-26
ALDRICH AND CANNON
DUBBED TRAITORS BY
SENATOR CUMM|NS
Their Endorsement of the
WickerSham Railroad Bill
Brings Forth This Tribute
From the Senator

| PEABODY, Kas.. July Ex-senator
/ Albert b. Cummins. of Iowa, in his
! speech before the chautauqua here today
asserted that Senator Aldrich and
| Speaker Cannon were traitors to their
party, II not to the country, when they
gave their support TO the wickersham
/ railroad bill as it came from the attor-
ney generals office, and demanded that
/ it go through congress.
DIRECT REPUTATION.
That bill was a direct reputation of
the Republican platform of 1905 and II
was directly in the interest Of the rail-
, roads and not in the interests OF the
: great common people OF the country,
I said Senator Cummins.
Speaker Cannon. Senator Aldrich and
men OF their class seem to think the
/ Republican party was formed TO make
men rich. 1 think il was born to make
men free. They think ii was born to
make men millionaircs; l believe IT was
/ born TO drive misery out of this country.
Senator Aldrich has vigorously OPP
, posed all regulation OF the railroads by
congress ever since the bill to create
the interstate commerce commission
was introduced in 1887. j was born and
always have been a Republican, but 1
cannot and will not follow the leader
ship of a traitor to his party and the
people.
NOT OPPOSED TO ROADS.
II am not opposed to the railroads.
No man who values the public welfare
can be hostile to the railroads, but jus
tice TO all means to pay the righteous
dues as fixed by the laws Of trade by
competition or through society. The
railroads of the country are capitalized
at seventeen billion dollars. The high
est estimate l have ever heard placed
on the actual amount of independent
capital put into their roads was eight
billion dollars. There is nearly nine bill
lion dollars of impure and adulterated
water.
The first legislation to regulate rail-
roads came in 1887 with the passage Of
J the interstate commerce bill. Speaker
Cannon was in the house then. He
made no effort TO restrict the growing
power of the railroads or to enact legis-
lation in favor of the nation. He was
silent then and he has been silent ever
since Not a single instance can be
shown in the congressional record
when Cannon lifted up his voice in be-
half of the common men and women.
Cannon has been so busy trying 10 look
like Abraham Lincoln that he has for
gotten 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 and
others will be remembered long after
Cannon is eternally forgotten.
ALDRICH's RECORD.
Senator Aldrich was d senator In
l1SsT He was not silent, but he vlgor-
lousIy opposed the Interstate commerce
bill and ever since he has been opposed
to every bill that attempted to regulate
and restrict the railroads.
I'm 1897 the supreme court decided that
the Interstate commerce commission Old
not have the power to make rates. There
was an instant demand for the passage
OF a law that would permit this. Cam
non, Payne and Dalzell. in the house,
and Aldrich and Hale in the senate.
were the leading spirits that prevented
a law passing until the session OF 1907.
Then the voice OF the American peo-
pie became so strong that they could no
longer ignore it. and they were forced to
admit rat the iCw needed Strengthening.
A bill was passed as harmless to the
railroads as il was possible to make II.
Cannon and Aldrich never helped in the
passage of that bill and they opposed
1T with all their power. The question
that Aldrich and Cannon always seem to
ask when a railroad measure is UP is.
VIII IL hurt the railroads.? II II seems
that the law will hurt these men oppose
It, honestly maybe. but they seem TO be-
lieve that the railroads are TO be exalt-
ed rather than regulated and ontrolled.
The Republican platform OF 1908 de-
clared for more amendments to the rat,-
road bill The platform declared in Ia
vor of traffic agreements by the railroads
If properly safeguarded and with the ap-
prevail of the interstate commerce COM
mission.
ATTORNEY GENERAL RAPED.
when congress met bill came from
the attorney general. l regret to say
that the attorney general forgot that
he was attorney for 9oOO0.OOO people. But
he remembered his long law practice IN
New York. when his chief business was
to tell the corporations how to eade
/ he law This bill provided for the re-
peal of the antitrust law under which
the traffic associations were broken up
and allowed all agreements to go into ef-
feet at once and then the interstate COM
merce commission should Investigate the
rates while the charges were being
made.
/ This was a plain reputation Of the
Republican platform. Aldrich, in the
committee room said the bill should
pass without the changing OF a letter or
the dotting of an s.
His prediction came true as far as the
committee was concerned, but as the
bill passed the senate its own mother
" lid not recogH'ze l. II IL At net
been for men like Bristow, the oil as
f. came from tie committee would
hae passed the senate"