Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1910-09-23
sTUBBs SOUNDS KEYNOTE
Over Five Hundred Shippers Assem-.
BILE to Protest Against Increase
in Railroad Rates.

Topeka, Kan, Sept. 23.-More thar
five hundred shippers and others In
terested in forestalling the propose,
rate increase are attending a confer
ence called by Governor Stubs t,
take action on the question.
George Kindel, a Western traffic
expert, is the only representative O
Governor Shafroth. of Colorado. Gov
lernor Donaghey, of Arkansas, had mo-
arrived at noon, but was expected in
the afternoon. Representative of the
states of Missouri, the Dakotas, Wy
oming, Utah, Minnesota, Illinois, Ar
kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Iowa
ARE present.
Either the mayor or a representa-
tive of the board of trade and in
many cases other interested parties
are present from twenty-four of the
larger Kansas towns,
An Illinois delegation, composed of
eight members, is here to urge the
adoption of resolutions making the
charge that the railroads have vio-
lated the Injunction obtained by the
government in the trans Missouri
rate case
Governor w. r. Stubs. in calling
| the conference, declared that the
meeting was for the purpose OF pro
tecting the public from the principal
railroads of the United States, which
he charged have combined for the
purpose of advancing freight rates on
a scale never known in the country.
Mr.. Stubs was temporary chair
man of the meeting, at which more
than five hundred delegates and ship
pers were present at noon yesterday
Governor Stubs continued
The railroads on their own initia-
tive have opened up the whole ques-
ton of ascertaining the value of all
the railroads in the United States.
Railroad presidents, traffic managers.
and other high officials are giving
voluminous testimony to prove what
they claim to be the value of their
in order to establish basis
for greater earnings to which, they
contend they are entitled under the
law
The public demands nothing short
of a bona fide value on all railroad
property, and pubic officials who
represent the consumers. producers,
shippers and general public, will be
criminally negligent if they do not
avail themselves of this opportunity
to go to bedrock and assist the inter
state commerce commission to make
a searching and exhaustive investiga-
ton so as to determine the actual
value of all the railroads of the
United States.
II am in favor of a rigid enforce
ment of the antitrust laws against
representatives of trusts and com
bines, and am in favor of sending
every man to prison who is guilty of
building monopOlistic combines which
increase the cost of the necessities OF
life, Any advance in the cost of trans
portaton increases the prices of SUI
gar, bread, beef, foodstuffs, clothing.
lumber, coal and every other neces.
sity of life.
1T is my opinion that the absolute
duty Of congress is to enact a simple
law providing a prison
sentence for the officers of corpora
tons who are responsible for any un-
lawful combination in restraint OF
trade, and also providing that a re-
;eiver shall be appointed of such cor
oocations and manage them for the
benefit of the stockholders and public
until sufficient assurances are given
hat they will obey the law When !
congress enacts these laws and they |
IRE rigidly enforced the trusts. com |
)inations and monopolies will be as
scarce as horse thieves and no more |
respectable in the community"