The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-07-24
Iowa Senator Brands ths Two Leaders As False
 to Their Party
REPUBLICAN PLATFORM
 PROMISES REPUD|ATED
Aldrich Have Always Voted for Interests of Railroads and. Against the People


 B. Cummns of Iowa, in his speech be- fore the Chautauqua here today, asserted that Senator Aldrich and Speaker Cannon were traitors to their party, if not to the country when they gave their sup port to the Wickersharn railroad bill as 1t came from the Attorney Generals of- flee and demanded that 1t go through Congress
 That bill was direct repudiation of the republican platform of 1908, and it 1. was directly in the interest of the rail, roads and not in the interests of the great common people of the country" said Senator Cummns
 Speaker Cannon, Senator Aldrich and men of their ilk seem to think the re- publican party was formed to make men rich, said MT Cummins.
 q think it was born to make men free" said the speaker. They think 1t was born to make men millionaires. I believe 1t was born to drive corruption out of the country. Senator Aldrich has vigor- ously opposed all regulation of the rail- roads through Congress ever since the bill to create the interstate commerce commission was introduced in 1887. was born a republican, but I cannot and will not follow the leadership of traitor to his party and to his people. am not opposed to the railroads myself. No man who values the public welfare can be hostile to the railroads, but justice to all means to pay the righteous dues as fixed by the laws of trade through competi- ton or through society to all The rail- I- of c+ s17,0Oo 100000. The highest estimate have ever heard placed on the actual amount of independent capital put into their roads was $S.O0O0o0,OOO There is nearly 5000, 100000 of impure and adulterated water.
 People Pay Too Much
 You have to pay more than you ought ]. to pay for the service youI get in order to pay dividends on this vast capitalize ton" said the speaker. "'The railroads charged excessive rates and accumulated a surplus and this they put back into the roads in Improvements and they now ask you to pay additional interest on this surplus secured by extortionate rates. In | 10 years the railroads added B, 500, ,000, 900 to their capitalization in betterments and extensions without the investment of single penny of independent capital. We smust pay interest on this surplus invest H ment, that represents no actual value, Il i through extortionate rates.
 "The first legislation to regulate rail- roads came in 1887 with the passage of the interstate commerce bill," said the E speaker. Speaker Cannon was in the House then. He made no effort to re- strict the growing power of the rail- roads or to enact legislation in favor of ha has been silent ever since. Not single instance can be shown in the Congress sional Record where Cannon lifted up his voice in behalf of the common men and women. Cannon has been so busy trying to look like Abraham Lincoln that he has forgotten 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 1 The work of Bristow, Madison, Murdock and others will be remembered long after Cannon is eternally forgotten"
 Aldrich Favored Railroads
 Senator Aldrich was a senator in 1884," said the speaker. "He was not Filent, but he vigorously opposed the in terstate commerce bill and ever since he has been opposed to every bill that at- tempted to regulate and restrict the rail- foads. In 1897 the supreme court decided that the interstate commerce commission did not have the power to make rates. There was an instant demand for the passage of law that would permit this. Cannon, 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 1904. Then the Noice of the American people became SO ptrong that they could no longer ignore 1t and they were forced to admit that the law needed strengthening. A bill was r,os har to bo rot t& was possibel to make 1t. Cannon and AL drich never helped in the passage of that bill, and they opposed 1t with all their bower. The question that Aldrich and Cannon always seem to ask when rail- road measure is up Is. VIII it hurt the railroads?' If it seems that the law will hurt, these men oppose it, honestly may be. but they seem to believe that the rail roads are to be exalted rather than regu- lated and controlled.
 '.The republican platform of 1908 de- clared for more amendments to the rail . road bill," said the speaker. The plat form declared in favor of traffic agree nents by the railroads if properly safe guarded and with the approval of the in- eretate commerce commission. When Congress met a bill came from the Att orney General, regret to say that the Attorney General forgot that he was the Attorney General for 90,000,000 people. But le remembered his long law practice in New York when his chief business was to ell the corporations how to evade the aw. This bill provided for the repeal of he antitrust law, Under which the traf- ic associations were broken up, and all owe dall agreements to go into effect at ,nce and then the interstate commerce commission should investigate the rates while the charges were being made"
 Repudiation of Platform
 This was plain repudiation of the Republican platform" he continued Al Erich in the committee room said the bill 'hould pass without the changing of let Ter or the dotting of an l.. His predic Zion came true. as far as the committee vas concerned, but as the bill passed the 3enate its own mother would not have Recognized 1t. If 1t had not been for men ike Bristow the bill as 1t came from the
 committee would have passed the Senate There was a portion of the bill providing hat rates could be suspended for 60 days bending an investigation into their reason-
 bleness. introduced an amendment providing that no increases of rates could Dc made without the approval of the 4n- erstate commerce commission. also a
 ~--~
 (CONTINUND ON FACE O.l